To find it amusing the lengths some parents will go to in order to be apart from their kids?

[WelcomeToTheAssEatery]

Just that really. My employer has given us permission to work from home to reduce the amount of people on site in order to reduce risk of contracting COVID-19.

However there are some parents in my office who are STILL coming to work just so they don't have to deal with their kids. I just find it wild.

Someone actually said today they couldn't care less about contracting the virus, they just don't want to be at home.

It makes me wonder what the point of having kids for some people is if they will go to such lengths to avoid spending time with them.

You were absolutely being judgemental, and from a position of total and apparently unapologetic ignorance. When you’re doing a demanding job from home while simultaneously home-schooling a young child, then come back and give your thoughts.

@NeckPainChairSearch it’s a genuine pondering of mine though. So I’m entitled to wonder that. If some people would rather potentially contract spread a disease that is killing others then yes, I do wonder.

There are many topics on Mumsnet that don’t involve being a parent - so there are lots of people on here who don’t have kids, and there will continue to be more.

And yet you have started a thread about 'shitty' parents who can't wait to get away from their kids.

@IndoorWeather well then I suppose I have no choice than to take my unapologetically ignorant arse upstairs for a nice relaxing bath I’m preparation for a long week ahead of working from home blissfully uninterrupted. Toodles

My toddler is my favourite person in the world and I love spending time with him. Trying to care for him while also working from home, however, is really hard, not least because I constantly feel guilty that I'm not paying him enough attention. I won't go into the office (and I could, it's still open) because it would be very irresponsible, but the idea of going in for the day and really getting my head down is quite attractive, and not at all because I don't like spending time with my child

It's a good time to be child-free. I've never been more happy that I don't have children.

Three months quarantined with children and probably an annoying husband to boot.

The phrase be careful what you wish for has never been more on point. "I wish I could have time off work" "I wish my husband could be at home more" "I wish I didn't have to go to school" " I wish I didn't have to take exams".

I'm wfh, so is DH. I'm not trying to palm them off. But dd has ASD and is very challenging and I genuinely don't know how we are going to get through this. I've woken up at 3am a few times thinking that it might be preferable to be seriously ill, than the regular violent outbursts, and constant need to be right next to me, talking to me all the time.

I don't think my mental health is strong enough.

Speaking to a nurse friend yesterday and she told me both parents have to be key workers to be able to still send their children to school.

Had parents at my school who 1 parent is a stay at home parent and the other works in food production they have registered for their 3 children to attend full time as of next week as they "are entitled"

I've been classed as a key worker. I'm working full time from home, as is DH. The vast majority of my work area don't have young children and they will be hunkering down and getting on with the job.

I don't want to work back to back shifts with DH. That will mess with my mental health. The highlight of my day at the moment is the two of us running alongside our toddler in the morning as she scoots to nursery, then having a chat as we walk home and picking up some shopping.

If she's at home with us for the next three months we won't be able to do our jobs properly. We are well paid but both in an industry that is constantly cost cutting. So if we don't deliver there's a reasonable chance we'll get made redundant at the end of this. So yes, we are staying at home as much as possible etc. But my little girl will go to nursery so we can keep working and protect our jobs.

Maybe their kids are at an age and their house is set up so that it's impossible to get any work done if they were at home, and they need to come in to the office to make sure they can work, and get paid

OP I don’t have kids and really notice this

One year someone at work complained because me and the boss realised he was the only person due in in December 23rd and for that we needed a security guard, who could have been working in a different section.

When we asked the guy to work at home he said “but 23rd December is the last day I get away from my kids for a while”. He was really pissed off!

Why would spreading a potentially fatal disease be "amusing" to anyone?

@Lightheart that;s disgraceful.

Also, how did you not realise that BEFORE kids?

I'm 19, I don't care to explain myself to anyone. I worked at home throughout year 12 with a baby. It was hard.

And I could actually leave the house back then.

the two of us running alongside our toddler in the morning as she scoots to nursery, then having a chat as we walk home and picking up some shopping. Yes that's all lovely and everything but surely if working around each other is an option you should?

We're both frontline and can't work all our shifts around each other as the rotas need to be fair to everyone but we will as much as possible.

Oh woe is me!

Nobody ever suggested 'woe is us'

Just saying don't judge parents for not wanting to be stuck with their kids all day, whilst still trying to work from home, especially when you don't have kids yourself, or their grown up so you don't have this issue.

Never said I agree with lying, but nothing wrong with wanting to have your kids gone so you can get on with work.

One of my best friends works in a local authority nursery and she told me that 2 parents lied about their jobs today to the manager so their kids could come in ! Turns out he is working from home and his wife is on maternity and not a keyworker!

Yanbu. This pisses me off . I'm a teacher who has volunteered to go in to cover the Easter holidays to give care for key workers children. I could be at home with my own daughter . Normally I wouldn't be in school at Easter (apart from revision classes). I don't mind doing it to help parents who need help but that is taking the piss.

I saw my neighbour manhandling a large quantity of office equipment out of her car and into her house earlier.

She looked like she's had enough already.

Not sure why anyone would send their kids in ATM if they had a choice. We qualify for a school place under key worker rule but we can WFH so we're keeping the kids off. The school is going to be stretched as it is and the place is better going to those key workers who genuinely need to go into work eg the NHS staff

Yanbu. Every extra child in school raises the risk dh and in a couple of months myself of being exposed to the virus and bringing it home to my baby, and my mother who will be looking after her. We are more than happy to do our bit to keep the keyworkers able to get to work but I don't see why we should trade our family's safety for another family who might find it a bit difficult for a few months but ultimately could manage.

@WelcomeToTheAssEatery - come on, admit it, you were being judgemental and wanted everyone to agree with you and say what terrible parents they were - at least own it.

I suspect this is less to do with not wanting to spend time with their children and more to do with actually wanting to get some work done. I love spending time with my kids, but they are not conducive to working.

There are tons of men people at work who hang around until dinner's cooked and the kids are in bed. Never known a woman do it, though.

I agree. I’ll be the first to say that school and nursery are an essential part of keeping me sane as a parent normally but at the moment I don’t get why you wouldn’t want your kids with you and safe.