to ask how on earth you manage to work when you have kids?

[whyareallthegoodnicknamestaken]

Currently just having a look at whats out there in terms of work as i have taken time out to have dc's so have been a SAHM for the past 6 years.
Everyone wants flexible working hours, zero hours contracts, People willing to work weekends..
Dh is away for work quite a lot and works odd hours, I have no one to drop off or pick up dc's from school. Paying for breakfast club and after school club every day isn't cheap..
How on earth do people juggle it? Genuine question. I have no idea how I'm ever going to b a able to get a job.

I think it's not just that if you are already in a job you can negotiate but that generally if you haven't stopped working then you have a chance to get into the difficulties of childcare for more than one child of different ages a step at a time.

So:-

Step 1 - one child in nursery - a lot tougher than our old life of "just us" but still very doable.
Step 2 - two kids in nursery - ok the cost makes me want to cry but not actually any "harder" than 1 from a logistics point of view
Step 3 - one in school, one in nursery so going in opposite directions each morning - ok - this is getting complicated now but we are already used to complicated
Step 4 - one in school, one in nursery and it's the summer holidays - very very complicated but we've got this far - we'll just make it work.

Where as if I'd just looked at step 4, added in the fact that dd (5) refuses to go to holiday club (waking up in the night in tears about the idea) I'd have just said it was impossible.