To leave my children in childcare after I’ve finished work?

[indurently]

It always does feel unreasonable as I bet they’ve had enough after a full day but sometimes I leave them there for an hour or so while I just chil / chat to colleagues. Is it just me who does this?

I finish my wfh job at 4 and don't pick up until around 5.30. I use the extra time to do housework, put dinner on etc.. it means the house is fully up to date and then when I get my son I can play and have fun with him in the evening, rather than have to catch up with jobs!

It's fine to have a adult break, but if you are then taking him around the supermarket running errands etc rather tha playing with him that's probably a bit unfair. Life isn't all or nothing though, have some adult time EOD and pick him up early the others

When I worked part time I did. I would go to the gym or batch cook or clean or even have a nap. Now I work full time I am too fat and always tired haha.

Teacher here… In my experience the children who do wrap around care (before/after school clubs) are absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. I’m sure most kids also just want to get home and chill away from the school environment. I wasn’t always a teacher - I previously worked in finance and my kids did wrap around care. I too would pick up after nipping home to do a few jobs to get ahead of the afternoon/evening routine. I genuinely thought my kids were having a great time so I didn’t really give it much head space (aka mum guilt). Knowing what I’ve seen now, I would collect the munchkins as soon as possible!

My kids get cross at me if I pick them up early! And often beg to stay later! So I don’t feel guilty if I take some non work child free time.

Same.im preparing dinner now (allegedly), DP will collect dcs at 5.45pm and dinner will be ready for when they get home

Depends on the after school provision surely. At ours they play outside until 4.45pmish or do clubs then after that it's full on chill time if you want it. This means Minecraft with your mates so my two either want picking up straight after school or super late so they get all the Minecrafting with their pals.

My DD actually went to after school just for fun 2 days a week. She saw it as a play date. Totally her choice.

We didn't need the childcare as we wfh.

You do what you need to and want to do.

It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

Totally depends on how long their day is, if they like wraparound care, and what you're doing with them once you DO pick them up. Broadly, I'd say if care is there, using that time to decompress and/or get your chores done is totally reasonable and actually a really good use of your time - you're calmer and more relaxed and therefore more able to focus on them when you DO see them, chores are easier to get done without the DC hanging off you etc.

I'd be less sympathetic if you're leaving them until 18:45 and then everyone has to rush for dinner and bed while simultaneously trying to get the washing on, make dinner etc.

I didn't when they were younger in nursery but occasionally stopped at the shop to get a few bits.
When DD was in after school club and I was WFH I did sometimes chill for half an hour before getting her, she didn't like leaving too early anyway because she was having fun

Depends on your own spawn,I reckon.

Mine both loved nursery and still love school,but also can't wait to get home,kick their shoes off and sprawl on the sofa. I wouldn't leave em for longer than neccessary.

My best friend's kids do a lot of extra curricular activities and don't mind spending a bit more time out the house.

Neither ways are wrong I think,all kids/families different.

I think it’s fine to do that sometimes, but doing every day just because you can is probably a bit unfair.

Your kids probably want a bit of chill time too!

That said, if being picked up early means going to the supermarket / something else boring, I’d leave them there til you’ve done that.

Not in school/wraparound yet but nursery.

I will take a day off work and still leave my son in nursery, though often pick up a bit earlier. He loves it and I get a day to chill or catch up on bits.

The flip side of this is we have very little support in the way of babysitters so outside work we're always together.

Some may judge but I'd probably ask but how often do grandparents have the kids at the weekends? The people I have going that judge either don't have kids or have kids and the grandparents take them regularly so they have time without kids.

I think parental sanity is really important, I probably wouldn't do it every day, but a couple of times a week to socialise, catch up on housework, meet a deadline - why not?

It’s not wraparound sorry … just regular nursery.

I do always feel bad as I finish at 3 but it’s often 430 when I collect them. I sort of justify it because the traffic is dreadful at 3 but I could easily get to them at 4. Problem is we just end up watching tv all evening.

Oh blimey, I wouldn't think twice about that. 430 is a totally fine tim eto collect them, especially if it saves your sanity.

I worked in nurseries and agree with this

Let them sit in front of the tv whilst you clean, put on dinner etc etc. They want to chill, not be constantly entertained.

Welllll yes, there’s chilling and chilling though and excessive screen time isn’t ideal. Obviously it’s fine sometimes but I do try to minimise where I can. Try being the operative word sometimes!

It depends completely on the individual child.

My DD expected to be picked up at a particularly time from nursery and CM. To early or too late she would get cross.

Now she is at school she likes after school club as she gets to play with children in other years. She also likes the people who run it. If we attempt to pick her up early she refuses to stop playing until her friends parents turn up just before it closes at 5.30pm.

However she rarely goes to breakfast club because she doesn't like the person who runs it.

I once went home for a long hot bath before collecting the kids ! I needed a break
I also dropped my DD3.5 at the time at nursery then DH took me in for my elective section lol - we didn't tell her as I didn't want her to worry or feel
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