Stay at home

[Nonunifiedworkerworking]

What do parents that don't work do once their children are at school.

Whatever they want I imagine…

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sorry read OP wrong , ignore me

I did about 3 months of cleaning, gaming, reading, exercising, grocery shopping etc then I got a PT job. I just condense all that into my non-work days.

I'm curious why people wouldn't go back to work when their partner works hard and money could help, when wraparound care isn't too expensive and could make massive financial difference and stop need for uc

Clean the house, meal plan. Declutter. Vinted. DIY

Thinking your lucky and don't need money which is lovely for you

Some people earn over the UC threshold on one income you know....

In well aware of that, I do, just work also

Some of them study, some enjoy being able to do the drop offs and pick ups and relax with friends afterschool, some do volunteering, things with family/friends. Never been in that situation myself, but if I didn't need to work, I'd probably do a mix of those things.

Sounds lovely

I got made redundant shortly after both kids were in school. I went quietly insane for a few months before I got another job. Being a SAHM (for me) was boring and thankless, and actually quite lonely.

Is your partner refusing to get a job, is that why you’re posting?

Distance learning degree, creative activities, visiting exhibitions and lectures, sports training. DIY, housework, medical appointments, holiday planning, managing investments. I love being on my own and keep myself busy so it never felt lonely. Financially don't need the money (I have other money coming in) so I saw no need to work and give up my free time.

Would you like to share your situation, OP? You seem unhappy.

Personal choice of course, but I have been in a position where financially I have absolutely not needed to work; but I still chose to.
Having a career is about so much more than earning a wage.

Re the availablity for childcare - it's not just about school run vs wraparound care but about both parents having to eke out their annual leave with spreadsheets and rarely being off at the same time because annual leave doesn't cover 13 weeks of school holidays each year and not all kids are happy with holiday clubs etc which can be really expensive.

On the other side not everyone who works has the opportunity to have a satisfying career from it. Sometimes you just have whatever's available.

I didn't work for a few yrs..I was really involved in the school PAC and took on roles in all my kids sports organizations. When i wasn't busy with that I ran the house
Cooking,. cleaning etc and spent time walking the dogs paddleboarding and meeting friends for lunch. Now I help my Pil running their business which is mostly seasonal so I still have a lot of free time..I love it and would never want a 9-5

Play the piano, do some art, listen to some lovely music, read, write book reviews, go round a lovely garden/art gallery, do some research into something that interests you (after my OH died at the beginning of lockdown I researched women composers - it was fascinating), ex[plore business opportunities ..... the list is endless!!

Oh no me right now. I have a 1 yo 2 yo and 5 yo, I’m just answering based on what I would do if they were all at school right now! I’ll likely be working PT when third starts reception

Because we're not on UC and wraparound care just doesn't wraparound enough to be FT in the career I trained for.

Because my DH works away a significant amount of time so I do all the pick ups and drop offs and childcare around school.

Because we share a car and when DH has it for work, I cannot get to my work. Because public transport is reliably and regularly cancelled or on strike or delayed and that isn't conducive to punctual work start times.

Because the 'massive financial difference' would be a deficit for us if I went back to work FT.

Because we don't have a cleaner.
Because our house needs a lot of maintenance and repairs and trades only come out during M-Fri between the window of 8am-6pm and DH doesn't have enough AL to cover it all, and my AL would be restricted and predetermined.

Lots of reasons!

Most days:

Drop kids by 8.45am. Walk home via cafe for
my coffee. 9am-12.20pm - mix of, lifemin, cleaning, cooking, baking, gardening, organising the house, eat lunch. Then go to an exercise class. 1.45pm-3pm, finish prepping dinner if needed, take a shower, and head off to collect kids.

Some days I do something more fun like meet a friend for lunch or go to an exhibit. Sometimes there are errands to run, or bigger projects around the house like small renovations or decorating.

Those seven hours a day without them were filled easily. I volunteered at the kids school every week, organised the annual discos/summer fairs. I met friends for coffee and walked my dogs and read and did housework stuff and my hobbies and went to the gym and did all the life admin (I am a widow). I then started flipping properties.
And I was there when my kids needed me plus I was able to go to every show/assembly/match and ferry them to practise (twice a week plus matches), music lessons and Brownies. I was available to help with homework.
I didn’t have to worry about childcare during the summer.
I worked when I had my first. But it meant leaving the house at 8am, putting him in daycare from 9am to 6pm and getting home at 7pm and starting the bedtime routine straight away. When my second came along I’d be paying to work. So I gave up work. When they started school you’d have to have a very flexible job that allowed all the holiday time off. And I didn’t want my kids at school from 8am to 6pm.
My DH earned a very high salary. When he died I downsized and moved to a much cheaper area so I didn’t have to return to work at a time my kids needed me the most.

Appreciate not everyone needs to work or get UC and when children are still young things are hard with wrap around/holiday clubs. I've been there and done it, I am out the side of that now and was interested what people did, I'm perfectly happy just not got luxury of not working, so interested in what fills time😀

SAHM for whole of my DCs lives ) they are now 20 and 18) and never returned to paid employment.

When they were at school I'd go to the gym or out for a run, I did a a few adult education action courses, enjoyed my hobbies, volunteered and kept the housework ticking over.

Sadly quite a bit of my time was spent in hospitals due to one of my kids having a chronic illness so when they were healthy and at school I would make the most of my free time.

Youngest has just turned 18 and left school but I'm busier than ever. I volunteer with two local community groups and and am an elected parish councillor ( not a paid one). I do this around all of DDs hospital appointments as she still needs me to take her to these.

I've never struggled to fill my time.

I’m at home with preschool age kids so different scenario but friends who are staying at home with kids in primary school do a mixture of things - cleaning, gym, one or two volunteer a day a week, errands/life admin stuff, grocery shopping, cooking. I guess a lot of the things that working people do evenings and weekends.

I think because many jobs are 40 hours a week for 45/46 weeks a year it’s easy to think that’s the free time stay at home parents have which does seem excessive. But in reality primary age kids are in school 25-30 hours a week the equivalent of 28 weeks a year so there’s still a decent amount of time spent with the kids that would otherwise need to be outsourced. I am in Northern Ireland though maybe the holidays in the rest of the UK are different.