One key worker, child should stay home

[Areyouactuallyseriousrightnow]

Not sure if there has already been a thread but AIBU to think that if only one parent is key worker and other is WFH, child should be staying home as school provision is for key workers who cannot complete their important role if they have to look after child at home, not so that the other parent can continue with work without interruption?

My partner is a key worker, but I don’t consider us eligible as I am home and therefore technically can be with the children.

YABU- if there’s one key worker take that opportunity to send the child in.
YANBU- if there’s another parent at home, child should stay home.

@HikeForward

Not all jobs are the same. Some can be done with a small child in the room , others can't. it's not that hard to understand

Exactly! And some kids are more willing to sit quietly and work than others. 4, 5, 6 year olds tend to bounce around screeching or want your attention every 4 minutes or need help to complete a worksheet. You just can’t do that if you’re in the middle of a lecture or a serious meeting or having a 1:1 with your supervisee about her mental health. Some work is confidential and private. Imagine you’re presenting and your 6 year old announces ‘mummy I’ve done a wee on the floor by accident!’
Not all companies would laugh or be understanding!

I was teaching secondary pupils today and my 5yo announced loudly he needed a poo. They understood (and thought it was hilarious) if kids can understand these things happen then grown arse adults can. Only a true cunt would be arsey about kids being at home during a global pandemic where schools were forced to shut.

Why risk the teachers and your family?

Because no one is paying my mortgage and putting food on my table if I or my husband can’t work.

But you CAN work. If you are able to WFH you can work.

“Incorrect. I work in furniture manufacturing which cannot be done from home, it's not key work but we are told to carry on by the government”

Thank you all for explaining this, hence my question marks! That’s interesting then, and probably part-way explains why demand for these places is so much greater than before! So the government want people to work and keep schools shut...but only for one half (or thereabouts) of the population....

At end of day if you are the non KW partner of a KW and you can care for your child at home- keeping them fed and safe, then you should so that school numbers are as low as possible. If you choose not to, you are contributing to the continuation of restrictions, as the increased numbers in school WILL continue the spread of Covid19, whilst it’s at the current levels. So thanks in advance for that.

@HikeForward we have a lawyer who works with us whose toddler son did almost exactly that! Shouted: "Daddy, can you come and wipe my bumbum?!" Fortunately the other people on the call found it hilarious, despite it being a serious meeting.

Not to detract from the serious point you're making, which I agree with entirely BTW. We homeschooled for six months last time while I tried to help coordinate the policing response to Covid and my husband works (currently from home) in customer service, so is on the phone for most of the day. Which is exactly why I took a keyworker place at ds's school this time. I can't be furloughed as a public sector worker, otherwise I'd have done so.

Everyone's situation is different and I am tired of the shaming and finger pointing when people know absolutely nothing of other people's lives. #bekind - what a joke!

@Jellycatspyjamas

I feel bad for the ethical people with small kids who are not taking places

It’s not unethical to use a school place for a small child if eligible and it’s needed. The people who decide if it’s needed are parents in conjunction with the school.

^Can we just delete everything else off this page and put this up in flashing lights?

@Whatafustercluck I think #bekind is a joke people are choosing to fill up schools, endangering health of community and teaching staff, and dragging these restrictions on when they don’t absolutely have to. That’s not ‘kind’ to me.

But you CAN work. If you are able to WFH you can work.

I’m a child protection social worker. I’m working from home but that means I’m chairing child protection case conferences, having conversations with parents and professionals about child abuse and neglect, discussing child deaths - definitely something I can do with a 7 and 9 year old (both with ASN) in the house. I think I’m a better judge of what can and can’t be done while working from home with children present than some random on the internet.

@Jellycatspyjamas then this thread isn't about you - plenty have people have said exceptions include security or confidentiality. But if a nurse's husband is an accountant easily able to work at home but is "extremely busy" then they should not be sending their kids in to a KW place

@NCstaythefuckathome do you have any firm figures (as opposed to anecdotes) regarding the number of people choosing to fill up schools? People keep throwing around things like 'half the population' and 'filling up schools' which implies that the national average uptake of spaces is at least 50%.

Totally agree @NCstaythefuckathome the total refusal of some people to either step outside their comfort zone or adjust their life a little, for the greater good, is disturbing. This pandemic has really brought out the worst in humanity. Everyone really does think they're special

You replied to me, I replied to you.

@Schoolmummmy

“Incorrect. I work in furniture manufacturing which cannot be done from home, it's not key work but we are told to carry on by the government”

Thank you all for explaining this, hence my question marks! That’s interesting then, and probably part-way explains why demand for these places is so much greater than before! So the government want people to work and keep schools shut...but only for one half (or thereabouts) of the population....

Yes and it's why I've had to use a KW place for DS this time around - his dad is a critical worker and although I'm not one I can't work from home so we've not got much choice.

@welcometo2021

Reading all of this is so depressing. Me and DH are both key workers, civil servants but WFH. One supporting cabinet office systems other supporting benefits. Both of our employers have made it very clear that as we are classed as key workers that spaces must be taken if they are offered and pushed to fight for key workers spaces where schools turn you down. We are not afforded the same flexibility this time round and I don't doubt that most other employers are now in the same situation which leaves parents in a really difficult situation. Our DC is nursery age so there is no issue with this, but there are vast numbers of employees in this situation, There is a vast difference between a 5 year old and a 16 year old! I wish people would stop calling parents selfish for using facilities which are open to them. It's as everyone just expects parents to pack up their job and plunge themselves into poverty which let's be honest, isn't going to help anyone! Everyone is in a shit situation and it doesn't help to be getting at each other.

But can't you see that lots of non key workers are having to do their jobs from home whilst looking after children. You aren't unique! Lots of non key workers do jobs that are essential to society. Many are not afforded flexibility by their employers. What about their jobs and them being 'plunged into poverty'?

Schools 'closed' to get Covid numbers down so that we can get back to some normality which isn't going to happen any time soon while people are happy to take up their key worker spaces even when they're working from home.

@Jellycatspyjamas then this thread isn't about you - plenty have people have said exceptions include security or confidentiality. But if a nurse's husband is an accountant easily able to work at home but is "extremely busy" then they should not be sending their kids in to a KW place

You said if you can work from home, you can work. That’s simply not the case for many people. You don’t know individual circumstances to know if someone is taking the piss or not. The assumption that anyone working from home can do so with kids present is an utter nonsense.

Our let's the kids go in if one parent is a key worker. If both parents were at home then you could share the childcare even though would still be difficult to work. Impossible if you are working full time and looking after kids. You literally cannot work in this case so kids must still go to school or their childcare

@Jellycatspyjamas as I've stated, security and confidentiality issues fall under the "can work from home but NOT with children around" category. Like I said it doesn't apply to you. I said the same to a family solicitor yesterday who is regularly "in court" via Zoom about child protection issues

I mean it would be impossible to look after your kids if you were the only parent working from home full time. You cannot do both at the same time.

This pandemic has really brought out the worst in humanity

You can say that again. Lots of judging, calling people selfish and the inability to even attempt to see things from someone else's perspective has been staggering.
It's been depressing to see women judge other women for trying to do what they think is best for their family.

@wasthataburp not impossible, just very difficult- many non-keyworker families did this before and are doing this now.
We need to keep the numbers down in schools and reduce the spread of Covid19.

@Jellycatspyjamas as I've stated, security and confidentiality issues fall under the "can work from home but NOT with children around" category. Like I said it doesn't apply to you. I said the same to a family solicitor yesterday who is regularly "in court" via Zoom about child protection issues

I’m so glad I have your permission, I’m sure the family solicitor was equally glad to have your blessing. The point is, you don’t know individual circumstances, even if you think you do from the outside looking in.

I’d sooner assume that people know best what they can and can’t do, than assume they’re taking the piss.

[quote NCstaythefuckathome]@wasthataburp not impossible, just very difficult- many non-keyworker families did this before and are doing this now.
We need to keep the numbers down in schools and reduce the spread of Covid19.[/quote]
So my husband is a key worker out of the home and I work from home for now but on client meetings etc all day and I have two toddlers. I am still using the grandparents and nursery for childcare. If I didn't I would either lose my job or my kids would end up having an accident. There is no other way. Keeping a roof over our heads is more important at this point as with millions of others

@wasthataburp part of the reason why nurseries are open is because yes WFH with toddlers is particularly difficult, this thread is about school age children and whether they can be cared for at by a WFH non KW parent.
The answer is yes, because this is what everyone who doesn’t have a KW partner is doing!!!

[quote NCstaythefuckathome]@wasthataburp part of the reason why nurseries are open is because yes WFH with toddlers is particularly difficult, this thread is about school age children and whether they can be cared for at by a WFH non KW parent.
The answer is yes, because this is what everyone who doesn’t have a KW partner is doing!!![/quote]
Yes and last time a lot of those people lost their jobs.
People need to be allowed to work. Period.

You cannot do that with younger school aged children who need your utmost attention to be entertained, home school, keep safe etc. You are speaking complete nonsense