To not send my children to school because I need to fly ?

[Paticake]

I have to fly tonight and my kids have been left with my mum, she lives two hours away. Is it ok that they don’t go to school or am I a terrible parent for picking work over the kids?

Why can't they go to school?

Why can't your mum take them to school? Their education matters as much as your work does.

Does your mum live in another town or is there some other reason why she can't take them to school?

I’m confused, why does you working and then staying with your mum mean they don’t go to school?

She is two hours away

One off emergency for 24 hours while you are in hospital or whatever, yeah of course not unreasonable. For several days/ week while you're working away? Unreasonable. they need to be at school. Can your mum look after them at your home?

I think it’s a bit late to be worrying about it if you have a 4 hour round trip to get them and then figure out childcare unless your mum is happy to drive them to you and stay at yours while you are away (which would have been the best option all along if available to you)

How long for? How old are the kids?

If its one day I wouldn't worry if your away a week you probably should have made different arrangements

In this situation, you should not be travelling for work. You cannot have your child miss school because you are travelling and prioritising your work over your children. I say this as someone who does travel for work but would never do it if it meant my children had to miss school

Honestly if you’re flying tonight and the kids are already a 2 hour drive away from school for tomorrow, it’s a bit late isn’t it? Maybe next time can your Mum stay at yours and take the kids to school? How long are you away for?

Couldn’t your mum
stay at your house and get the kids to school?

How long are you away for? If they just miss tomorrow then it’s not a massive deal but if they miss the week because you are going to work it’s a bit shitty. Could your mum not have came to yours instead so she could still take them?

It was all very last minute as other parent isn’t well.

Bloody hell some of the responses are the worst reading comprehension I've seen on a MN thread in a very long time!
OP I don't think it was the best idea but you have to weigh up what works for you. Would not travelling risk your job, and if so, would losing your job benefit your children in any way shape or form? I doubt it. Could your mum have stayed at your house to take the kids to school perhaps?

Why can't she come to yours

To be fair the ‘two hours away’ part was edited into the OP so the first posters won’t have see it!

Two hours is not insurmountable. I'm guessing flying (with all that entails, not just that flight duration itself) will mean more than 2 hours door to door.

Surely they can still all stay at yours even though you've pointlessly taken them to hers.

Edited: And helpful of you to add that, plus edit the OP to significantly change the meaning, after it had already been read and replied to.

The world will not end if your kid doesn't go to school for a few days. Do what you need to do.

I don’t understand how this happened? Were you visiting anyway, but planning to come back tonight but then partner got sick and you decided to leave them there? Or did your mum come and get them after your partner became unwell?

How long are you away for and how sick is your partner?

Depends how old the children are. If they are in year 10 or 11 then yes they should be in school unless as Y11 they have finished their GCSE exams. Younger, missing a day or two is not great but why couldn't your mother come to you to care for the children and take them to school?

It’s totally fine. It sounds like your partner was meant to have the kids and fell ill. No way would I make a grandparent commute 4 hours for one day of school!

I wouldn't give it a second thought. A day spent with Grandma isn't a day wasted.

OP why have you posted without giving any details at all which would enable people to give a considered response. Utterly pointless post, attention seeking?

I'm not in UK, so a different perspective of course. I have never seen anything like the drama surrounding keeping kids off school for one day in a circumstance that warrants it. They won't fail their GCSE later in their lives, nor will they not be able to read or write as a result of one day.

Where I am kids are regularly taken out of school for holidays before the Summer break, it's no problem, no fines, no Big Brother, and the parents save a shedload of money too.

Educational standards here are one of the best in Europe also.

What is the angst about this please?

How sick is the partner and is there no chance of childcare there.