To wonder what working parents are meant to do in school holidays?

[StepAwayFromGoogle]

DD1 starts school in September. DP and I both work because we can't afford for either one of us to be off. I have applied for part time but my work have been spectacularly backward and refused point blank, which is a whole other thread. I am looking for another job but work in a very specific field in a very specific industry so it's not looking likely that I'll get something, much less part time.
DD1 school have a before and after school club which is over subscribed so she won't get in for the first year. We have scrabbled around and managed to cover the week with GPs and a childminder.
So on to the holidays. DD1 will have 13 weeks off school a year. Between us, me and DP will have just under 10 weeks holiday. AIBU to think that if the govt wants parents (particularly mothers) to work then there needs to be better holiday provision? I'm not blindingly sure what working parents are expected to do after 3pm every day and for the 13 weeks children are off in the year. At the moment all our holiday days will be spent covering time off school and we won't be able to have a holiday together as a family.

I think the juggle has been normalised though, which is an attitude I don’t love. You can go into children thinking you’ve got all your ducks in a row, but things change!

I think the holiday provision should be far far better and I think certainly that either the school day should be longer, or the holidays shorter. With the amount of homework/projects my 8yo comes home with, they clearly can’t fit the learning they need to do to meet the current standards in the time they have.

Can you pay into a childcare voucher scheme through work? This really brings the cost down for us. We use the vouchers for a childminder in term time and kings camp in the holidays. Kings camps are great. A bit expensive, but always open to negotiation in my experience.

"I’m not deliberately understanding anything"

Yes I think you've made that clear.

I fail to see why it is the governments issue when they’ve enough other, more important stuff, to deal with.

With the exception of the NHS what could possibly be more important than a stable and secure environment for a child in education?

The government have their priorities all wrong and that has clearly filtered down.

We have started offering part time jobs between school drop off and pick up with working from home in the school holidays. You never see them! Plenty of jobs can be done like this. I think some employers are missing an opportunity.

I think it’s a nonsense to extend the school day and reduce holidays so that it fits in better around the parents’ childcare needs.

When are the teachers supposed to fit in all of their extra admin? What of their childcare needs? No teacher I know clocks off at 3pm - they’re all working until at least 5,5.30. If you extend their ‘on-duty’ time then their hours will be even less workable and the recruitment crisis will deepen.

There’s also the fact that most children need some relaxing downtime at home at the end of the day. My child is only little but he’s exhausted at 3.30 when school finishes!

Stinkytoe what important things should the government be working on? Brexit? The GRA?

Provision of comprehensive holiday care available to all primary school children (not provided by teachers but by childcare staff) sounds a sensible investment in the current and future workforce to me. Parents should pay for it on a scale linked to income, as they do in most countries.

Right so it isn't the government's business that a significant chunk of the working population ie people who the government wants to work and who themselves want to work are either prevented from working or have their ability to work severely restricted due to this issue.

With the exception of the NHS what could possibly be more important than a stable and secure environment for a child in education?

You’re reaching a little to say this is what the OP is about. Creating a stable and secure environment is the responsibility of the parent anyway, we can’t pass everything off!

You have to pay in some way, either financially, in the sense of being dependent on relatives, or in the way of doing a job which fits but isn't what you imagined yourself doing. It lasts through primary and then you are free again. It's always better to keep going if you can. Sounds like you are in a better position than most people tbh if your school has before / after clubs, even if there is a wait to get on.

@Stinkytoe I'm reaching at nothing I was replying to a pp who said the government had more important things to worry about than childcare.

Ginsodden the op could pay but can't find anywhere with spaces.

I've had to rely on holiday camp things, not all of which are helpfully timed and which costs a bomb over summer. Having dropped them after both kids went into school, I took up childcare vouchers again, a small amount each month that pays for about 4 weeks of camps per year. I sometimes have to work from home in order to pick kids up, although now we have an au pair which makes that easier - but we're still sometimes between au pairs in summer holidays. Use my own holiday or my mum for the odd day.

@Stinkytoe and how can a parent do that when they are consumed with the worry of childcare?

No one is suggesting the solution is extending the school day or term time. Doing a great job of demonstrating you’ve understood the thread there.

That was me!

Children are usually a choice, cancer treatment isn’t.

Oh @3out how embarrassing for you. I was replying directly to a post on the very same page.

Pot, kettle and all that 🤣

How poor would the health and/or relationships in your family have to be for all 4 grandparents to be dead, demented or otherwise completely unavailable for childcare when your children are young?

This has to go down in history as one of the stupidest, most out of touch posts in MN history. In DC1's class I know two families who have regular help from grandparents. Most don't. People don't usually stay living close to where they grew up, they have kids later, grandparents expect to live their own lives after retirement. Having help is a massive bonus but it's just not possible for the majority of families.

Children are usually a choice, cancer treatment isn’t.

Are you for real?

Telling both parents they should be working and then not making sure there are available/affordable childcare provisions is very wrong and I feel very sorry for everyone who finds themselves in this impossible situation.

OP could you get a job that is not in your field? There must be other roles you can do in the short term that would work better for you. As long as the money is coming in does it really matter what you do?

I worked in all kinds of part time jobs while mine were little. Working at night worked well for us as DH took over when he got home from work.

I stopped trying to juggle everything at 3 children, stopped working and took the poor option. We had no car or holidays but at least me and the kids were able to spend the school holidays together. And what's the point in working hard and saving for a holiday if you can't go on one because you have used up all your leave?! And what's the point in having kids if you can't get to have fun and spend time together?

It’s clear that none of you want to take responsibility for your own families so I’ll leave you to your froth of whinging, there’ll be no convincing you otherwise!

I know someone who became a childminder for this very reason. Maybe this is the answer to OP’s problem?

Don’t mean to sound flippant, but if there aren’t childminders or holiday clubs available then there might be a market to set up your own business?

My DD goes to the school I teach at but I have to find childcare for 7 teacher training days I have in a year plus revision days when I go in during the holidays. My DP will have her for a number of the days but we are relying on family a little bit too. In term time DD goes to aftercare several times in the week so even when you work at the same school as your child goes to you still have to pay for childcare.

I know my issue is nothing compared to the OP’s and so many others but even when things should be easy they aren’t always.

Don't be embarrassed @3out @Stinkytoe commuted the same faux pas when replying to me but has conveniently forgotten 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Stinkytoe it’s realky not about not wanting to take responsibility or to be prepared to pay. I’m more than happy to do both, but provision isn’t that easy. Holiday camps often run school hours only so you still need wrap around which isn’t readily available. Childcare is actually much easier pre-school in my experience.

@Stinkytoe it’s realky not about not wanting to take responsibility or to be prepared to pay. I’m more than happy to do both, but provision isn’t that easy. Holiday camps often run school hours only so you still need wrap around which isn’t readily available. Childcare is actually much easier pre-school in my experience.

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