Did both of your parents work during your childhood?

[StuntAcorn]

Both mine and DH's parents all worked during our childhoods.
We're early 70s babies.

Apparently this is quite uncommon within our circles, as most of them experienced one full time SAHP.

My 3 siblings and I were all born in the 1960s. Our mother went back to work when my youngest sibling was 4 (1970).

There was no need for childcare because she was a teacher so always around for the school holidays. She worked part time and left for work just after we did and arrived home just before we did (we travelled to primary school independently by bus from the ages of 6 and 5).

I'm a military child born in the 60s so we moved every couple of years until I was 11. My Mum didn't work but did volunteer, helped in the NAAFI, involved with Brownies, helped in school etc. Her 'job' was to be the wife of an officer - I only realised when I was older what a nightmare that was for her! Once we returned to the UK she worked full time until her retirement.

Late 80s baby here - both parents worked and I lived with my Gran.

I was born in the 70s, my mum took midday canteen jobs or evening cleaning jobs when my youngest sibling started school but it was always fitted around being available for childcare, school runs etc Those of my friends mums that did work were the same it was always part
time, couple of hours a day, for extra money and they fiited it around school runs, childcare, housework etc
but a quite a lot didn't work at all.
Whether they worked or not housework cooking shopping and childcare all fell to them

I only had one parent, and she worked throughout my childhood, often multiple jobs. This was unusual in the 1960s. There were no breakfast clubs or after-school provision, and she couldn't afford childcare, so we were latchkey children.

We were definitely considered less respectable than other families. I was aware of this throughout my childhood. My mum had also been̈ raised in a family that was socially ostracised, because it was blended and multi-racial.

The world has changed so fast. I raised my kids as a lesbian mother and in a multi-racial family, and they have generally had an easy ride.

Oh, and just to add: I'm now 60 and my mum is STILL working! Her mum is still living independently - we just don't stop.

I was born early 80s and have one sibling born mid 80s. Both parents always worked. DF was in sales and travelled a lot, he did nothing around the house which I think was pretty common then. DM had gone self employed after they married so she could work from home and it didn’t matter when she did the work as long as it was done within the deadline. When we were really little she would work whilst we napped and after we’d gone to bed (she must have been shattered). When we were both at school she worked from drop off til pick up and then often after we’d gone to bed, so she probably did about 35 hours a week. But she did every school drop off and pick up and was always at home for us after school. We didn’t live walking distance to school and she had no family help at all so she found something that worked for all of us. She earned about the same as my dad I think and it meant we had a nice (although not wealthy) upbringing. Both of them were from very poor working class backgrounds so they were really proud of what they achieved. We were very lucky looking back as we had the best of both worlds- mum who was around but the benefit of 2 incomes. At primary school there were very few DMs who worked but it was quite rural, just outside of a nice small village, and so almost no one could walk home so maybe that impacted things a bit. The only ones I remember who had working DMs did jobs like teaching, childcare, shop work, farming or helping with the family business. Agsin that was probably representative of the area to some extent.

With DH’s parents, who are pretty much the same age as my DP and also from very working class backgrounds, his mum stopped working in an office when she was pregnant with DH (he’s the eldest) and then had a very part time job in a school from him being about 5. She had his sibling when DH was aged 8 and stopped work again. I think childcare would have been difficult to find/ afford on her wage and they had no family at all locally. DMIL dabbled in working part time for about 5 years in her early 50s out of financial necessity. She just snuck in to get a pension at 60- she got something because of the credits from when her children were small (I think they gave credits for longer then? and the big age gap helped on that front). Her not working for so long despite DFIL wanting her to has caused huge resentment on his part and although they are still married, it’s out of financial necessity snd they are both very miserable. DH thinks if she’d worked outside the home it would have given her some confidence and independence and they wouldn’t be in such a mess now- DFIL eithe didn’t earn enough, or they weren’t good enough with money, for her to have not worked for so long. :(

Yes my mother was a librarian and then trained as a school teacher. My dad worked in a clerical role for BEA, BOAC, BA.
I had a closer relationship for a long time with my Nan.

As for childcare - never had any formal childcare, it was a case of going to friends houses in the hols and their mums looking after us, plus my grandparents.

Yes. Early 60s baby

90s baby, my parents both worked full time+ in finance and my mum went back to work when I was 3 months old. Later on my stepdad was a SAHD for about a year when my younger sister was 3, but I was 11 so used to letting myself in and out by that point anyway.

Most of my friend’s mums were hairdressers, shop workers, teaching assistants etc so tended to be around after school. I was so jealous of them getting picked up while I was at after school club!

Born late 70s. Parents both teachers. My mother went back to work f/t when I was 3m old and left me with a lovely lady down the road - I think she became godmother to my little brother.

She did take a bit more time off and work p/t for a while when my brother was small though.

I don’t recall either of my parents ever setting foot on my school premises, other than for school fetes, evening play performances and, I assume, parents evenings.

My brother ended up going to the school where my mother teaches, while I continued as an ‘act of grace’ passenger on the school taxi (there wasn’t room for him). I went to a lady down the road before and after school.

He has a very different (closer) relationship with our mother than I do.

Yes, full time. Born in the mid 70's. Grandparents lived in same town though and were always on hand for school pick ups and weekends.

Born 1990, both parents worked (well, mum was out of work for a chunk of time with illness/on disability benefit for some of my childhood - but when not ill, she was working). Most of my friends' parents both worked from what I can remember - maybe a few of the very well-off ones had SAHMs by the time I was old enough to notice, but not many.

Born in 80s, both parents worked FT from when I was 6 weeks, my mum was PT for a bit when my sibling was born then went back to FT.

My mum was a SAHM while my dad worked on the rigs until I was about 15. Then they switched roles, and dad looked after us while mum earned her qualifications and started her own business, and then they worked together from home

Yes until they divorced when I was 10. I lived with mum (didn’t see dad again) and she worked full time. Left my dinner in the fridge and usually got home around 8pm unless she was going out after work. I hated it.

Sister and I were born mid-80s, mum went back to work when my sister went to nursery. She worked full time in Sales and stayed away a lot.
Dad wouldn't be home until 6pm. We had a childminder until I started secondary school and then I'd walk 30 minutes to pick my sister up and make us both dinner before they got home.
We spent every holidays in a mix of week-long stays with Grandparents or Holiday Clubs.

My husband's mum was a SAHM but was also a foster carer so worked.

Personally for me and my husband, the way my parents did it was not something we wanted for our kids. I was a SAHM until the youngest went to school, I then got a job in a school and still work term time now. Husband works from home 3 days a week. Our kids are 12 and 14 now.

Born in the mid 70s - both my parents worked. My mum did part-time / freelance work until we were at school, then full-time thereafter until she retired at 72. My DF is still working full time at 84 😱

MIL didn’t work until her DC were both at school, and then she worked school hours and term-time only. They retired in their late 50s (and sadly died in their early 60s).

Yes, I was born in 1974 and both my parents worked full time when I was growing up (although my mum worked in a school until I was 11 so she was school hours / term time only).

Yes, I am the youngest 80s/90s upbringing until they divorced. My Mum did a couple of jobs but one of them was writing so she could WFH. My Dad was often away for work, in different countries around the world for sometimes a month at a time.

Mum was at home until I was 8 and my brother was 6. After DB was born up to when he went to school she did an access course & OU degree part time. She worked in various office settings all the way through our childhood after that. My dad had always worked. We had a childminder, whom I didn't particularly like. When I got to secondary school I was expected to look out for my brother by myself after school.

My dad ran a small building company. My mum was his admin, which she did from home. This was in the 70s/80s.

Me and my brother were born early and mid-60's respectively.

Dad always worked. Mum was at home during the day whilst we were at school, and then did an evening job when Dad got home from work. Once we both went to secondary school Mum did an early cleaning job as well as her evening job (she carried on the morning cleaning until she was well into her 80's).

Mum also did a bit of piece work at home (as they called it then) to bring in extra funds, especially when she and Dad got divorced.

My mother worked in school dinners and had a cleaning job 5-8. I had to watch my three siblings from when I got in from school. I would have been 9 and DB a baby (also 3yo and a 7yo). DF was a policeman, worked shifts. Many of my friends babysat their siblings so not unusual.