Working parents

[lifewithme]

How does everyone that is a working parent cope.
I work in the care sector and I work two 12 hours shifts and 1 24hour shift a week with 4 days off a week. And my kids are always moaning I am working all the time and I am struggling with the guilt. I have two teenagers and a 8 year old. Obviously with my job I do sometimes have to work over holidays lime Christmas etc.

Fellow working parent and I feel for you. I have a very demanding job, 50 hours plus a week and sometimes weekends. I regularly travel overseas as does my husband.

We've arranged it so that one of us always does school drop off (DD comes home on the school bus) and one of us always does bedtime. A couple of times a month our lovely nanny will have to do bedtime.

I do tell her I work for the money but that's the bottom of the list to be honest. I tell her I work to use my brain, to use the expensive education I paid for; to find purpose and meaning in my life, to contribute towards our family and our future.

I do feel guilty at times but work is important to me for many reasons and the time we do spend together is quality time and I try to be very focused on DD.

Interesting to hear that some kids will moan whether you work or not, makes me feel a bit better!

Teens are definitely old enough to understand. You need to work for money. Their dad is there. Is an issue he ignores them or doesn’t take them places. If you worked 9-5 you might earn less. Useful motivation for teens - well when you chose your career chose something that pays better then you can work less or chose a career not involving shifts. How far off working age are they - done my 16 yr old good to get a pt fast food job.

My kids moaned when I worked a 9-5 job. I only did it 2 months and went back to shift work as they were that upset about it. I felt like I was squeezing all the jobs into the weekend and my evenings were spent doing the drudgery of tea, bath and bed. I work 3-4 12 hour shifts a week and my days off mean the tea is cooked while they're at school and I'm more relaxed and present with them. Shifts and children can work well (im a single parent too)

What is it specifically that your kids don't like about you working? What do you do for them that their father who I'm presuming is home during the times you are not cannot provide?

Is it that they don't get to spend time with you and enjoy your company?
Or is it that you're not there to be their shoulder to cry on or ferry them around to everywhere?

My kids seem to have developed this idea that their father and I are just two androids that go back onto charge when they are not around. If your kids are the same, crack on and keep working.

I've worked part time, full time, shifts, weekends and weekdays. My kids found something to moan about regardless.