To ask how many kids you have, their age, and how many hours you work a week?

[TemporaryPosition]

I'm curious how normal it is to work full time, 40+ hours a week with kids. I feel like everyone's life would be so much better if I did even just one day less. What do you do for an evening meal? I find this hardest and spend a fortune on convenience food (not take aways, but super easy comfort food) for the family. Does it matter if its a career? As in its worth it because it will pay off long term or if its just a job and you simply need to.

Aibu unreasonable to try and work out what is normal?

We have one 5 year old DS with additional needs. I haven't worked full time since he was born and probably won't be doing full time for the foreseeable.

I work 3 days a week ATM but going to 4 days from April, 9.30 to 4.30 in a finance admin role, 15 minutes from home in the car.

DH works 5 days a week and either works 7am-2pm, 8am-3pm or 10am-5pm, 2 days from home and 3 days from the office, again about 15/20 mins away from home. He works in a customer support role, busy but not high pressure.

We live nearby my parents (retired) and brother (works shifts) and sil (often works away) and we all chip in to help eachother with various bits through the week - childcare, dog walking, shopping, house jobs etc.

Two kids aged one and four. I work four days a week 9-5. I cannot work out evening meals either.

I have 1 8 year old and I work 20-30 hours a week on average. I'm self-employed doing a consultancy version of what I did before kids (PR), alongside more creative and rewarding but less well-paid work (writing). I'm under-employed for my experience level (20 years, degree, MA) but I am around for DC all the time. Working like this has helped me tread water on my CV without completely torpedoing it, but I am looking to go salaried again at a highish level and sack off the consultancy, but hopefully with something p/t or flexible enough to keep at least one day free for writing.

Four kids - 15, 13, 11, 9. I work 24 hours over three days. Husband works 40 hours over five days. We have no help with childcare but have a cleaner for four hours a week.

My kids also do absolutely loads of sport outside school so most evenings I’m out, as well as all weekends.

Dinners could be better and the house could be cleaner.

Absolute hats off to you if you’re working full time and doing all this. I don’t think I could physically do it.

Full time, usually 40-45 hours.
Wfh 2-3 days per week
Always cook from scratch but I like cooking and have a wide repertoire of things that take 20 mins or less.
Kids 17,15,13 but this has been work pattern for several years.

3 children, 8, 6 and 3 years old. I work 7.5 hours per week term time only. One 6 hour day on site and 1.5 hours from home.

I have two (soon to be three) children, whose ages will be 3.5, 2 and a newborn. I currently work 28 hours a week, entirely remotely.

3DC - age 20,18 & 6.

Me & DH both work full time on a hybrid basis. Usually 1 of us wfh each day (we have staggered our office days as best we can so the dog isnt left alone) but Im the only person who cooks, meal plans, does food shop, laundry etc. DH cleans, walks the dog & irons.

Meal planning is my secret weapon - makes such a difference.

2 children, 6 and 1. DH and I both do 30 hours a week, he does most of the cooking. He does “proper” cooking and often does twice as much so we can freeze some, I tend to do slow cooker recipes off instagram. Kids also usually have pesto pasta at least once a week with some chopped up cucumber because that is the easiest meal that will reliably get eaten

it's definitely that!!! but even without 2 working parents, still stressful!

Parenting can be stresseful.
Working can be stressful.
Relationships can be stressful.
Life events can be stressful.
How most folk still function I'm not sure....no other option I suppose. ❤️

Currently work 30 hours over four days and have two DC 8 and 6.

Finding it incredibly tough at the moment, but that is mainly because DC8 has SEN and going through EBSA. DC is currently averaging about 50% attendance.

Work luckily have been really flexible and I am able to WFH, but still struggling to get much done and therefore feel guilty. Even when DC is in school, I'm struggling to concentrate and also there's loads of SEN-related admin to do at the moment as well 😔

When I had four children I worked full time as a single parent. Married then Part time after number 5 (not my biological child) and number six has complex disabilities and needs and now I'm a sahm/carer and will always be so.

I have one 6 year old and work 26 hours a week, everyday 9-2 mostly from home. Honestly it works very well and I have time for housework and hobbies, especially as DD has some after school clubs during the week. We don't really have a family meal in the weekday as DD needs to eat when she gets home and is fussy so she has her own dinner. I eat about 6 and make a plate for DH who works funny hours so eats when he gets the chance

I think that some people can handle stress better than others

And that different people find different things stressful as well.

The secret being to know yourself well

I work 48hrs and have 2 boys 7 and 5.

Oh and I'll add they do karate on Tues, Thurs, Sat and Sun. beavers on Weds, and swimming on a Saturday.
Food wise - chicken fajitas in air fryer, freezer tea, eggs/beans on toast, anything I can throw together last minute!

Of course - that's why I said 'can be' as opposed to 'are'.

One child, 8 years old. Work 14 hours a week over three half days.

All my friends have secondary school aged kids now and only one works full time with some wfh. Her dh works in education so was always off to look after dc in holidays.
I wfh mostly and have Fridays off. Makes a massive difference.
Almost all my friends do the same with one working 2 days a week.

We have 2 DDs under two, my DW and I both work full time, 37.5hrs each but compressed over 4 days each having a different day off during the week.
We manage evening meals by meal prepping in advance, cooking 2 meals and freezing one etc.

I have a 3 year old girl who recently started nursery 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. I've been down to 2 x 10 hour days each week since I went back from maternity leave at 14 months. I could technically increase my hours now that she's at nursery, but I'm pregnant with number 2 so it hardly seems worth it as I'd just want to go straight back down to my current 2 days after my next maternity leave. So for now I'm enjoying having a bit of free time while it lasts. The pregnancy exhaustion is hitting me hard so that free time is mostly spent asleep on the sofa rather than being productive right now.
Once both kids are in school I will increase my hours a bit, but I don't think I'll ever work full time. My husband works full time and I think it's hard to juggle everything when both parents do. We are in the fortunate position of being able to afford for me to work part time, which I'm very grateful for.

4DC- 3 x teenagers and 1 adult. I work 30 hours over 4 days. I need my Fridays off!

I have a 13 year old and 9 year old and i work 28 hours a week over 4 days although my commute is an hour each way so out of the house from 8-6 on office days. Have done same hours since they were babies.

When they were younger they used to eat dinner at childminders which was much easier but now we generally have it quite late as they have clubs etc after school . Try and do quicker things during the week like breaded chicken and chips, Bolognese, tacos etc.

2 DCs and always worked f/t. I cook dinner when I finish work. Sure it used to be stressful when they were younger but that's life. They are teenagers now and we've survived.