To ask what people do for childcare in holidays?

[Imustbemad00]

I’m lucky that I work term time, but the money is terrible. I’m thinking about other career options but genuinely do not know what I’d do with my kids. I’m a single parent and no family would have them, not on a regular basis anyway. My oldest is a teenager now and I know people say they can be left alone but I know mine would go completely off the rails hanging around with the wrong crowd and getting up to all sorts if they had that much freedom. My youngest is 7, too old for childminders ect but probably wouldn’t cope in a holiday club environment and I think the hours are limited in those.
What do people do with similar ages kids?

[lovelylimesoda]

You can take parental leave. Everyone’s entitled to 18 weeks’ unpaid leave per child before they’re 18, so you’d have 36 weeks in total to use over the next few years (limiting to several weeks a year). Employers have to let you take it, unless there is a “serious business reason” not to. That’s what I’ve been doing to try and cover holidays with our kids (along with grandparents and holiday clubs). It doesn’t necessarily help with the money side of things (as is unpaid) but might allow you to look at other job options?

[mindutopia]

Mix of holiday club (nursery for youngest one), annual leave (we don’t take an actual big holiday, just a long weekend away so we can save annual leave), and working from home (dh is self employed so can potter around doing some admin tasks or take oldest with him to work).

You say yours wouldn’t like holiday club and frankly mine doesn’t love it either, but we have to work so she doesn’t get a choice. That’s life if you need to work and I expect my dc to understand and respect that. Sometimes it means childcare that isn’t ideal and it isn’t always fun, but we all just get on with it.

[ritzbiscuits]

Sounds really difficult OP.

My DH and I both work 4 days per week, so each holiday week we only have 3 out of 5 days to cover. We'll then use a combination of a bit of annual leave and holiday club. Maybe the odd day with grandparents, but can't rely on that as DHs mum has been ill.

Given you're a single parent, I'd only consider moving to 52 week working if it was part time, personally 3 days a week not more. You must have so much to do and juggle on your own, I'd find that too hard if I was working full time.

Given the number and age of your children, I'd really be sticking your current work arrangement if you can. Term time working is the ideal for a lot of working parents.

[Redwinestillfine]

I work term time and wouldn't change it for the world. I sometimes get a bit depressed looking at my full time salary but then think of how I don't need to stress about what to do with the kids, how much I love being off with them and how I can't put a price on that. If it's not for you anymore then parental leave won't work, that's just a less flexible version of the same thing. Your options are paying someone to do childcare ( childminder/ holiday club) for one or both, leaving them on their own ( but you don't seem comfortable with this) or getting friends/ family to have them ( could be a bit hit and miss) or some combination of all 3 which may work better but is a job in itself to organise. If you're taking on more hours could your husband drop his?

[Redwinestillfine]

Apologies, I read the thread then confused some of someone's response with yours. I forgot you're a single parent. Scrap the last part of my comment.

[Home77]

When I was 13 I had a holiday job, could that be an option for your eldest and might keep him out of trouble with the incentive of earning? Sometimes some responsibility can help. Or voluntary work? Think they may need to be 14 these days. Or, you could give him pocket money for minding the younger one. Not sure but that is what we were thinking of doing.

[hopeishere]

Planning!

Two kids 12 and 9. Nine year old has SN. Nine weeks holiday. Two different schools.

We use a mix of holiday clubs for the 11 year old / there's quite a few round here. Mostly sport related ones.

Nine year old is harder. His school does two weeks scheme. Then we use paid help - teenagers and students.

We also take AL. I have a summer spreadsheet and put their term dates in my calendar as soon as I get them.

[Mummadeeze]

At Easter I have taken one week off and the other week my DD is going to the after school club run holiday club. She loves it and begged to go. They go on trips out most days and it is really fun apparently. It runs from 8-6 too so fits with work. The Summer is the hardest. I usually take 2 separate weeks off and do a selection of different holiday clubs including a week at a theatre school which she also loves. She would probably be happy going there every day of the holidays but i can’t afford it. I do also ask parents occasionally to have her for a half day if school finishes at lunch time on the last day of term but always feel bad doing this. We are lucky round here as the holiday clubs are great and there is lots of choice. And she really enjoys them.