Child in nursery today and tomorrow 8am til 6pm

[Motheroffive999]

Who's children are still in nursery today and tomorrow.

My daughter in law is working 8 til 6 pm today and tomorrow in the local nursery for babies from 6 weeks to 4 year old pre schoolers.

They have maybe 10 children in each room still, this close to Christmas.

Most have older siblings and they drop off saying they are not working but want a nice chilled day at home.

I know some parents have to work but most are at home.

These are years that they won't get back with their children , I know that they need to do last minute prep etc but leaving children at nursery until 6pm on Christmas Eve is such a shame for the children and the staff.
Am I being unreasonable?

Aww lovely. The ghost of Christmas mum guilt

Your 7 year old would be so much happier with her peers in gymnastics even if you didn't work today. A 1 year old won't feel the same though which is what it is if you have to work. But it's not optimal to leave at a nursery unless you have to.

No bank holidays until Thursday. I don’t know when we all started assuming everyone gets two weeks off for Christmas. It’s two days and plenty of people don’t even get that.

I have preschooler twins. I could do a large shop, make up guest rooms, wrap presents, head-start the cooking I need to do with them and their older sibling around but frankly it's simpler, more efficient and more enjoyable for everyone if they are in nursery their usual hours, and I can promptly wrap up what's needed. I also have this side-gig called a full-time job.

As it stands their nursery is hoping to close a little early for the benefit of staff, and realistically most people will collect by 4pm or so I imagine.

Oh I remember the joy of speeding off to do my Christmas shopping having dropped the DC (aged 1 and 3) at nursery. Because funnily enough Christmas Day hosting always falls to the busiest people in the family (ie us, working and 2 small children).

But maybe if the nursery feels morally superior they can close for an extra few days before Christmas, and I’m sure the staff including your DIL won’t mind not getting paid.

It's the busiest time of year for many people - retail & hospitality for a start but also NHS, emergency services, carers etc etc..

You don't need to make us feel any more shit - do you never use shops, hospitals around Xmas?

DD in nursery yesterday and today as usual. I’m still working, as are many I assume 🤷‍♀️ She’s delighted to go, yesterday they made ‘mistletoes’ cards with paint footprints, which I definitely wouldn’t have done at home, and she had forest school so lots of outside time and fresh air. She’ll be home tomorrow as luckily, neither me nor DH have to work Christmas Eve. Our nursery is open until lunchtime and I’m sure they’ll make it fun for those that are in.

@arcticpandas ODFOD 🙄

Your so judgemental. Not your children do why would you even write a post about it.

This is sort of why we’ve sent ours in today.

That and because we work full time and have spent weekends for what must’ve been the last six weeks doing Christmas fun with the kids so we need a day or two to get everything ready for Christmas. I’m sure they’re much happier in nursery playing with their friends today than they would have been being dragged round the packed shops and being left to their own devices indoors whilst we deep clean the house, wrap the presents etc.

I don’t feel excellent about it and know there’ll be people who are judging like the OP but I don’t genuinely think my DC feel hard done by in anyway at this age. It’s just a normal Tuesday for them.

Christmas eve is a family day, dropping them off if you don’t have to work is awfully selfish. I can understand if you work in a job where you have to work Christmas eve.

Our nursery is closed today anyway so my DH has the kids as I have to work until tomorrow. Just means we have less time together as a family.

Plus really, why are you judging people who use a service they have paid for already? You do realise nursery isn’t an ‘ad hoc’ service and that parents have to pay for the full term regardless of how many days they use?

Now there's a surprise OP has bitchplopped and run

There have been loads of threads this year complaining about people working on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is a normal working day. When did the expectation become that most people get given (or take) Christmas Eve off work?

Who's children are still in nursery today and tomorrow.

Mine. Me and my partner are working.

I know some parents have to work but most are at home.

I'm surprised you know this, the staff at my nursery have never once asked me whether or not I'm working that day and I rarely volunteer that information.

Am I being unreasonable?

Yes. It's none of your business and you have no idea about these family's circumstances.

Do you think children in nursery today and tomorrow are loved any less than those who aren't? Because that's how it sounds.

This depends. I currently have a 2 year old who is clingy AF and can be know to have a tantrum if I put her down so I can go for a piss. And we’ve had a couple of 20 min fights over nappy changing this week.

Or nice calm time wrapping presents nd prepping food and possible having a snuggle with the oh.

Could you pull your judgy pants up any further

Where is your son in all this?

This! My dc are 1&4. I've booked 24th off to clean the house, wrap and hide presents etc. They will have much more fun at nursery and i can get things done. Also many people I know are working I'm lucky to have it off.

Glad it's not just me. Plus we're going away for Christmas and yes I CAN pack with my nearly two year old there, but it takes ten times as long because either he wants my attention or he's entertaining himself removing things from the suitcase and putting them places while I'm not looking (often into either his toybox, the bath or the bin) and THAT is how I ended up with no underwear last time we went away.

Putting a younger child in nursery to spend some time with older DC is perfectly fine.

Putting DC in nursery while you work is fine.

Putting DC in nursery while you get last minute shopping/ wrapping done is fine.

Putting DC in nursery while sitting with your feet up... also fine!

I can't stand judgemental nursery staff. Your DIL is being paid to work, she should keep her opinions to herself and get on with it.

When my daughter was in nursery we were sent a questionnaire round for when people wanted their time. One year we finished a few days earlier to travel to family, one year we were working. It was usually open until 6 but they made the decision to close at 5 on Christmas Eve as that was the general consensus for the latest parents needed.

Personally I would rather save my annual leave for the days after Christmas when we can spend quality time with my children playing with their new toys and doing crafts.

My mum was a nurse when we were kids and she used to volunteer to work Christmas morning every year. She did the 7am -1pm shift. A number of her colleagues were single parents who would have few options for Christmas morning. She got us all up at 6am for presents, all the prep for the Christmas meal was done the day before and my dad and grandparents sorted the Christmas dinner out and we sat down for dinner when mum came home. She then got to enjoy a relaxing boxing day with us and then did more shifts later in the week. Everyone is trying to juggle work and kids and Christmas. Don't criticise anothers actions when you don't know their circumstances

Of course YABU. Parents are allowed a break, and they will have paid for these days. They will be able enjoy Christmas Day with their little ones having had some time to rest and prepare; not rushing about.

Also my 1 year old doesn’t have a clue it’s Christmas. Your DIL needs to stop being so judgmental.

I work in a hospital and have been lucky to get Xmas day and NYD off, previous years I’ve had to work them and I’m working every other day over Xmas including Boxing Day. Mine are at school and the struggle to get childcare over Xmas holiday is really stressful, no holiday clubs. Many jobs DGAF about ‘family time’, the work needs to be done, bills have to be paid and children need to be cared for.

Massively unreasonable.

Christmas Eve is a normal working day for most parents, and even if it's not, there's nothing wrong with needing or wanting a break, and using paid childcare to enable that.

Would you be as judgemental if it was grandparents doing the childcare?