This is not a reason to feel sorry for my children.

[D0oinMeCleanin]

DH is back at work today, as am I. I work for just less than 3 hours on a lunch time.

My children normally come with me during school holidays.

If you have any judgements to make, it's best to wait until you are out of their earshot to speak them because if they get the tiniest inkling you might purchase them some sweets, they will act accordingly.

And as for feeling sorry for them, really? I mean really? The two children who had a laptop and a tablet and some colouring pens and books and cross stitch between them? You feel sorry for them? The children who have access to the park just a few doors down, those children? The ones who could have called for any number of friends who live locally but chose not to.

Yes, they could have been "sat watching telly at home or playing with their new toys" like you explained to your daughter when she asked why you felt sorry for them, but they could also have done that from my workplace, they have internet access and Sky Go, Netflix and LoveFilm. The older child is allowed the key to go home and fetch toys. We live about 30 seconds away. Had you bothered speaking to them before declaring how sorry for them you were, they might have mentioned this to you.

They do thank you for the sweets though, they have added them to the box of sweets nice customers have been buying them all week, normally they have to assist with bags/doors, sing carols or read stories to toddlers to earn sweets, they were pleasantly surprised when they got some simply for playing sleeping lions.

Haha, I feel your pain.

My 'poor' children have to come to school with me in the holidays when I need to work. The school they know every inch of, can play in acres of woodland, on the adventure playground, golf course, theatre, dance studio, music rooms, art room, fields, sports hall etc - yes, my poor neglected little darlings!

I was properly hard done by, my mum made gloves at home, no fun trips, no sweets, just mum sending us out to roam free for hours on end.

Love the idea of a dramatic sigh!

My dad was a painter, decorator and builder and he used to take me to work with him too. I was a dab hand at mixing cement and laying bricks. Used to ride in the back of his van for fun too.
My mum was a childminder but she used to clean at various places to pay for the family holidays and my favourite place was Natwest bank! They would let me stamp stuff and things like that and it was so much fun
My husband fixes planes & helicopters and he's taken us to work before and only my son and I were interested the girls would rather play on the Internet in the office.

My mum used to do cleaning/gardening for extra cash I used to love going with her to a big fancy house in highgate it felt like the ritz at the time having lived on a council estate a few years prior :)

The very odd times I was allowed to go to work with Dad, I have the fondest memories of the posh coffee machine and the lovely staff. Happy days.