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Original poster

Would you have access to 2-night term time midweek childcare to attend a wedding?

123 replies

meaniemaybe · 01/05/2023 16:58

My friends are acting like I’m in the minority for not being able to arrange childcare for two nights midweek in term time to attend a wedding abroad with DH. I’m fine with going to the wedding alone but they all have ready/willing/able grandparents to call on or a FT nanny who will also do overnights but we have neither. So, just wanting to see if they are unusual or I am.

OP posts:
Tarantella6 · 01/05/2023 17:01

Yes, we do have willing GPs but only one set. And tbh I'd be less than thrilled about us both using 3 days holiday because that's 3 days of extra holiday club we would need in the school holidays - so I would also go alone, probably more for that reason than childcare.

TheFairyCaravan · 01/05/2023 17:02

No, we wouldn’t have had access to that when our children were little. We lived away from both sets of grandparents parents, who worked full time, so it wasn’t something we could have done.

catndogslife · 01/05/2023 17:03

We wouldn't have been able to manage overnight childcare.

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Beamur · 01/05/2023 17:04

I had no overnight childcare unless DD stayed with a friend, which on a school day she would have been upset to do. She doesn't like change of routine.

UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 01/05/2023 17:05

No, definitely not an option for us. Never has been.

wildfirewonder · 01/05/2023 17:07

Nope, never has been an option.

Caterina99 · 01/05/2023 17:08

I do now because I live really near my parents. And provided they didn’t have plans of their own, they’d happily do this for us.

I didn’t for the first 6 years of being a parent as I lived too far away.

Ponderingwindow · 01/05/2023 17:08

At this stage, we do have a set of GP who could handle that. Dd is a young teen and largely self-sufficient.

When DD was younger, it would not have worked. She is not NT and just the one overnight they did on a school night when I had necessary surgery when she was young was extremely difficult on everyone. A weekend without worrying about getting to school and getting homework done is different.

muchogracias · 01/05/2023 17:09

Not midweek.

Both sets of GPs work full time, though they have DD on the occasional weekend.

Too much to ask to take annual leave for 3 days.

nofusspot · 01/05/2023 17:09

Even if I did have access I wouldn't do it. The children need to focus on school.

shivawn · 01/05/2023 17:09

I would be able to but only because we have great family support.

Fundays12 · 01/05/2023 17:10

No I wouldn't have. I might depending on my mum's shift be able to get one weekend night but definitely not 2 school nights. One of us would stay home

NerrSnerr · 01/05/2023 17:10

We wouldn't have access to childcare for any wedding. We don't have anyone who could do it (unless it was an emergency and then they'd have to go to friends).

Soontobe60 · 01/05/2023 17:10

nofusspot · 01/05/2023 17:09

Even if I did have access I wouldn't do it. The children need to focus on school.

Why do you thunk they wouldnt be able to focus on school if they were stopping at grandparents?

ChimpyChops · 01/05/2023 17:11

Depends on the age. Now we would have no problem as my MIL would have our 9 year old for the whole time.

We wouldn't have had that option until he was about 6 as I wouldn't have been comfortable leaving him that long.

nofusspot · 01/05/2023 17:11

Soontobe60 · 01/05/2023 17:10

Why do you thunk they wouldnt be able to focus on school if they were stopping at grandparents?

Show quote history

The change of routine. The excitement. Some kids might be ok with it I guess.

Shinyandnew2022 · 01/05/2023 17:11

Nope we have never had this it would be a struggle even now with a 12 year old and 9 year old !
We have ended up moving close to my family and then my PIL moved to same area as well but they wouldn't cope with two DC for 2 nights.

Screwedupworld · 01/05/2023 17:11

No I don’t have overnight cover anytime of the year.

MiddleParking · 01/05/2023 17:12

We’d have access to the childcare but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’d both be going to an abroad, midweek wedding. Why on earth have they arranged it like that?

Questionquestionqu · 01/05/2023 17:12

No, I don't have any overnight childcare.

Dollmeup · 01/05/2023 17:13

I could maybe manage one night, but definitely not two.

Sanch1 · 01/05/2023 17:13

If it was a very very good friend I'd ask grandparents but they are generally pretty reluctant so if it wasn't that important it would be too much hassle! And we have 3 which makes it harder.

CrumpetsandJammmm · 01/05/2023 17:13

Yes, MIL would be able to move into ours for a few days. Or as the kids get older, we have family friends with kids the same age who would probably have them for a night or two.

I do appreciate that we are fortunate.

nofusspot · 01/05/2023 17:14

There's also the annual leave.

It's very entitled for them to have an issue with you saying you can't go

adarkbarking · 01/05/2023 17:14

PMSL at the idea that I'd have had overnight childcare, ever, when my DC were small. My parents live 250 miles away and my ex husband's parents are in Singapore (we are not). So, no.