To think a three year old can’t do this?

[shakemyheadatyou]

Ds finishes preschool at 3. I don’t get home until 4.

DH thinks ds can just watch tv and entertain himself (dh wfh Fridays) I think he’s too young, what do others think?

@Nottodaythankyou123 i guess it’s just if sooner not come back to a hovel and have to cook a dinner for DS, I do feel like this decision has impacted me most.

Predictive text?!!

Seconded.

But what’s that got to do with that hour? I think I’m just struggling to see how in a household where everyone’s operating fairly 50/50, how one hour of DS having downtime causes you so much extra work. It’s absolutely not a dig at you - more that your DH needs to step up in other ways if it’s honestly having that much. He could cook dinner while you tidy up or vice versa. That random hour on a Friday shouldn’t mean all cooking and cleaning all week falls on you!

Yes I think for a maximum of an hour, I had to do this a few years ago with my 3 year old, I just had his snacks and show on, I sat in a adjoining room so I could see him, I also left out drawing, puzzles etc it wasnt that big a deal

I think it depends on the situation. No work calls and basically just moving the mouse around occasionally to appear as though working while actually playing with DS, yeah ok for an hour. Working and basically leaving DS to his own devices, no. It will depend on the child obviously but my 3yo DS sounds like yours, he’s high energy and needs constant supervision or he will get into all kinds of dangerous mischief! And if I let him nap after nursery, not a chance he is asleep at any sort of sensible time in the evening.

Your DH needs to take him lunchbreak form 3-4 on Fridays to care for his son

For an hour?! Of course it can be done. Just put their favourite show on and that's it. Unless they have loads of screen time already which might make it less appealing...

My almost 3yo gets 10mins a day of screen time (when brushing teeth etc.) so he'd be beside himself if I let him watch for an hour 😅

All of mine would have entertained themselves at 3 although in different ways.
ipad/tv would always he a winner but DS1 would have sat and read a book (early reader)
DD would have sat and drawn/coloured/played with toys
DS2 would have played with the wooden trainset all day long

i think you are all leaving the tidy house in the morning then there cant be that much mess made in an hour?! DS needs to be in the same room as DH, kids to jeed tonlearnt o entertain themselves whilst you do chores/cook/other stuff. They arent going to he prefect at it straight away so need to be shown or given things to do.

My DD wouldn't definitely be fine to do this but I personally wouldn't be happy with that amount of screen time

One hour once a week?

It's an hour a week. Not 24 hour Peppa pig.

After a busy day at pre school my 3 yo would happily sit in front of the tv with a drink and some snacks for an hour. Surely it depends on the child

FFS TV for a few hours a week is not the end of the bloody world. Only in MN land do kids only watch TV for 2 minutes a week.

I think at 3 both mine could have done this. I would have sold it to them as 'special tv time', where they could watch their favourite show or a film they chose. Maybe I'm thinking of nearer to 4 rather than just turned 3 mind you.

I'd sit in the same room with my laptop or in the next room at the table and plan to do something that didn't need a great deal of attention, like sorting out emails, planning, documentation; stuff that could cope with an interruption.

I'd at least give it a try. My work is quite flexible. There's no way I could do it if I had meetings or phone calls or was on some stupid deadline I'd left until the last minute.

On a good day they might have entertained themselves - jigsaws, train track, Duplo, but I couldn't rely on that.

basically just moving the mouse around occasionally to appear as though working while actually playing with DS, yeah ok for an hour.

No, that's not OK. It's this sort of behaviour which is resulting in people being hauled back into the office.

Definitely child dependent, both of mine would have been absolutely fine with this (and have been).

I have to do this on a Tuesday. DH collects DS from school early to take him to therapy. I pick up DD (3, almost 4) and WFH 3-5 (my boss is aware). For the most part she’s fine. If I’m just doing admin stuff it works well. If I have to make calls it’s a bit trickier as she can’t chat to me and suddenly that’s when she needs ALL the attention.

I hate having kids in the house while I’m trying to work. I can deal with sickness etc as they’re normally much more low energy and happy to have a tv sofa day. I’m normally anti kids at home while wfh but I couldn’t get too het up about an hour of tv on a Friday afternoon if your child is likely to be compliant (noting you can never 100% trust a 3yo). Both of mine would have been quite happy to veg out and watch something at that age although my youngest would have been an absolute liability (and was during Covid) until about 31/2.

if it’s not working for you, you need to find an alternative arrangement as the cost benefit of not paying for childcare that afternoon doesn’t out way the downside of the stress you’re feeling. It doesn’t matter really if others can make it work- you hate it.

Worked through lockdown with DD who turned 3 in 2020. It became normal for us so a couple of hours wouldn't be an issue

It’s one hour a week, you can make it work. I mean this kindly - single parents don’t have a choice and sometimes you have to do what you have to do. So maybe it will be a guddle when you come home but so what?
PS I am not a single parent. A member of my family works night shifts and sometimes has to nap on the sofa while her DD watches tv. Life goes on.

What I don't get is what's your alternative?

Additionally how is watching/not watching the tv going to reduce the cooking and tidying? Surely that's just usually parenting? Getting in from work and going though it all? Homework's clubs teas al round bath time bed time tidying and falling into bed exhausted?! Isn't this what everyone does? (And my DH is doing it all too)

My 3 year old is fine sat next to one of us watching peppa pig on a laptop for an hour. No big deal.

An hour in front of the tv seems a lot for a toddler.

Your DH isn’t being fair to his child expecting such a young child to entertain themselves for that long.

It's really not.