Is this week/working week a *Piece of piss?

[whatslovegottodowithit77]

Started working again recently after being with my Dd for a while. I work the times she’s at Pre school, plus a Saturday morning, the other times I’m with her.
So I work one job on a Tuesday-9.30–12.30, I drive to my other job eating my lunch for 1 pm until 2.30, then drive to pick up Dd at 3. I do this on Wednesday too, work Friday morning & Saturday morning and work a different job one evening 6-7 pm (there all the same type of job, just with different people/families)
The days/times I have *Off work, I’m with Dd
Does it sound like an easy life as my Dh seems to think? It feels v rushed to me, not a particularly hard job, but lots of juggling

*They're all the same type of job

No, it doesn’t sound like a “piece of piss” it sounds quite rushed and stressful. And I’m betting you pick up most of the house related chores as well as the childcare?

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing Yep…the thinking is it’s easier as isn’t full time and less hours…

Hard to say. Depends on what the rest of your life looks like. You are working less than half time as far as I can make out.

It’s not a ‘piece of piss’, it just sounds like a part time job.
2 days of 9:30-2:30
2 days of mornings
1 evening
Approx 17hours a week.

It probably feels more because the hours are spread over 4 days.

It sounds hectic but manageable (obviously unless the job itself is unusually onerous). I think the biggest factor is the work you do that isn't paid. What is the labour split like at home? In reality, are you actually working (either paid work, looking after DD, tidying and cleaning, family related admin etc) from 7am - 10pm, whilst DH does a day in the office and then relaxes once he's home? If so then no, it's absolutely not a piece of piss; it's relentless and exhausting.

Maybe I'm jumping to unfair conclusions but it seems unlikely that a man who seeks to downplay your contribution is the kind of man to pull his weight at home.

i think youre making it sound worse than it is. Adding your lunch?? It is 17 hours a week. Not even one full day. And of course when you have children, when youre not a work youre with the children.

the key is ensuring youre not doing everything at home. Make sure that is fair.

Not many hours work really, just the bit of travelling I assume makes it feel hectic for you

From what you said, it sounds a LOT more easygoing than most people's working weeks, yes.

So some of your shifts are only an hour?
Tuesday/wed you work 3 hrs then next job 1.5 hrs.
Then poss 3 hrs fri/sat am
Then 1 hr one eve?
It does seem a bit easy! Depends what you do? Cleaner/baby sitter as can't imagine what type of job would give such short shifts, or specialist care who's needed for moving/handling double ups?

Is the real issue that your dh isn't pulling his weight and claiming he works more paid hours to excuse himself?

The hours you do don't seem a lot on their own, whether it's 17 or so hours or 60 if you're then doing everything for your dd and the household with no/minimal help from dh then it's a lot. Working hours are largely irrelevant.

I work full time, officially 37 hours a week but can be a lot more depending on what's going on. Dh also works 37 hours and we share everything 50/50, split school and nursery runs, housework, shopping, life admin etc but if he checked out I'd flounder pretty quickly.

If it’s not working for you other option is to use full time childcare and not try and work around ds limited preschool hours.

It sounds as if he doesn’t take into consideration the looking after your DD (and presumably housework).

i work 9:30 to 2:30 around school drop off and pick up so have no downtime

It’s significantly less than I do with young DC but it sounds as though the main issue is that your DP isn’t supporting of you.
I have a senior role with a team to lead but ultimately my DH supports and respects me in my profession.

I do a full time job but it's 7 hour days. I don't know what your job is but if you could find the same hours but in larger chucks that Would cut out the thing that sounds the most exhausting - all the running around from place to place for such a short space of time. I can't comment on your actual job, and it's less hours actual work than many people do - but I find the too and from and rushing in between more exhausting than the job itself.

I was in at 7.30am this morning and left at 6pm and did the same the day before and again the day before that…To me, your working day seems more easygoing, but I guess everything’s relative. What hours does your DH work?

He works Mon-Fri-8.30-5
I do all meals, big food shop, paying bills, school drop offs and pick ups etc

Yes it sounds like an absolute piece of piss!

It’ll depend on the situation of the person answering the question. I often work 5:30am-6:30am, get little one ready and take her to childcare then work 8:40 to 17:10. Pick her up do dinner, bath, bed etc then pick up my work again at around 8pm (self employed). That’s a childcare day, on non child care days I do the same morning and evening, and during the day I work as soon as she’s napping. So yeah yours sounds a doddle 😂 BUT I do say that lightheartedly as really it’s how you feel that matters

no it’s not a piece of piss. It’s sounds like a caring job as well.
I did 17 hours on evenings and nights when dc were little and all the mental load and household jobs because I was part time. It was exhausting.

I work full time 9-5 now plus commute. I’ve had dh at home that’s few weeks picking up all the household stuff and good amount of the mental load. No way would I go back to 17hours and doing everything else.

Honestly, yes it sounds like bliss. I work 7.30am - 6pm, 5 days a week, plus all the out of hours extras. Still end up carrying most of the load at home. Not saying my way is healthy, I'd love a better balance. Your hours seem pretty easy. I've worked caring jobs and appreciate they can be full on, but I worked v long shifts then to, including overnights.

I think it's the faffing about rather than the hours. You must spend the whole time watching the clock on those days. The rushing is mentally tiring..

Would you be better with a single job even if it was a few more hours?

Yanbu. The good thing is op, if your dh thinks looking after your dd is easy and doesn't really count, then that's great isn't it, you can go off and have lots of lovely me time whilst he's home, as it's easy isn't it?

To some on this thread - life isn't a race to the bottom.

@Calmdown14 I think that’s what it is, yes it’s less hours than the full time I did all my life Pre dc, but it feels a bit all over the place

It sounds like a pain in the arse to me