To pick DD up during my WFH lunch?

[cosyblankies]

I have a 4 year old who started reception in September. I'm a single parent and I work 30 hours per week, usually 9am-3.30pm (half an hour for lunch unpaid). I work from home 2 days per week. On my WFH days I'm thinking of using my lunch to pick DD up from school at 1.50pm, then bring her home and log back on for the remaining 1.5 hours of my working day and she can do her homework or watch TV. She's older now so should be fine to occupy herself and it will save me £70 per day not having to pay childcare to pick her up and look after her for 90 minutes. AIBU?

Does she finish school at 1.50?

So she will be missing half the afternoon twice a week? Yabu

She's 4.
No.

So she would miss school two afternoons a week?

Yes she finishes school at 1.50pm

You don’t get to pick the hours of school you want for childcare. It’s disruptive to the class and not how state school works.

Just seen your update - guessing not an English school as that wouldn’t meet legislation hours.

70 pound per day?

That’s bizarre. Apart from the disruption you’ll cause your child and the school, what will you do from next September when she legally has to be at school for the whole day?

Do it then! 😊

She's in reception. That seems much too young to expect her to entertain herself whilst you work.

I don't think most employers would be happy with it.

This is one of so many threads where people try to do childcare and wfh.
Or even go to gym etc and wfh.

It is no surprise to me that employers are requiring more presence in the office.

Are you not in the uk?

She is in reception, realistically she'll have very little homework and that she does have will need you to supervise it. So it'll just be her watching an hour and a half of TV. Honestly that would not be something I'd want for my kid, and I'd be surprised if she's really independent during that time. She's still really really little!
Is there no after school provision that's cheaper than £70 a day??

You can do what you want in your 30 min unpaid break, so if you can fit in picking her up within that time then that’s fine.

However, trying to work while she’s in the background asking for snacks, toilet, help with something etc, is not ok.

She finishes at 13:50? Where are you?

Yeah it’s fine if she’s content to play quietly while you finish work

A 4 year old can't reliably occupy themself for 90 mins while you work. it is not fair to her (she will want to chat to you) and not fair to your work because you won't be paying attention.

when she is 8, you can probably do this. but not now.

The pick up is fine if it can be done in 30 mins. Expecting her to be independent for 90 mins, not so good. Do you have the type of job where you can catch up by working later if you get disturbed? Is there a chance of having to do Teams meetings or telephone calls during that time? What does it say in your WFH policy?

Are you in the UK Op? This doesn’t quite make sense. Why is she finishing at 1.50! And why does 90mins cost £70??

but not it’s not ok. 4 is young and unlikely she’ll get much homework other than reading and not many 4 year old can get on with homework alone. 90mins is long for a 4 year old to be alone.

what’s your wfh policy? Most will state that childcare must be in place.

I don’t think this is a good idea.

Four is not “older now” in anyone’s book, it’s a tiny child.

I would make sure all work is finished before collecting - so use after school childcare - so that when you do pick her up she can have your attention.

Having to shhh and entertain yourself quietly whilst your parent is working is not fair on a 4 yo.

”Getting on with homework” at the same time as you work is late juniors stuff surely?

DS is 7 and he can’t reliably entertain himself for 90 mins while I work yet.

Using your ‘lunch break’ for pickup when WFH entirely reasonable.

Leaving a four year old unsupervised in your own home for 90mins while you WFH, I really can’t believe that you are even considering that. Surely you don’t mean that. How would you concentrate on work, while imagining all that could go wrong.

I do this @cosyblankies my ds finishes at 2:20 so I collect him and then he chills/does homework etc while I finish. He’s 11 and I’ve been doing it since he was 9.

It's not fair to expect a 4 yo to have mum working being on her own.
And yes I understand why people are summond back to office.

id do this.

YABU