toi think working these hours isn't cruel?

[ThreeGuesses]

DS will start school next month. DH wants me to return to full time work, currently I work part time 3.30-7.00 pm Mon-Fri.

DH say's it cruel to go to work when the children will have only just finsihed school.

I like my job and think the hours are ok, when they are little older we can move their dinner time so we are all eating together.

DH says they will barely see me, but atm our shifts work round each other which mean we wouldn't have to find childcare in the school holidays. We have no family who could help out.

SO AIBU and cruel?

You're doing the morning run and bedtime. He's doing the afternoon run and the hours till bedtime. That doesn't seem like a bad split to me, especially if (as I suspect) you get the brunt of the childcare and the housework on the weekends? And even if it's not 50:50, it does sound like a really good way around the holidays issue.

There's nothing cruel about children spending time with their father! What is he, chopped liver? If he thinks it's cruel to make his children spend time with him, how is he spending that time exactly?

No, I think you're fine. And don't worry too much about the bond, you're seeing them twice a day and all weekend. It's good for children to spend quality time with their Dads, so many of them only see each other on weekends because of long hours (and no-one says that's cruel... ). Sounds like a great set up to me.

And if he isn't willing to change his job, and you're already working around him, maybe he can stop expecting you to make his life perfect and man up.

it's not cruel. I can understand your DH may feel a bit jealous about you having more free time once dcs are all in school, but there are huge advantages to your current arangement in avoiding worry about holiday/sickness cover. And with a bog-standard 9-5 job you wouldn't be home before half five anyway, so he would still be in sole charge after school,

They will get a parent taking them to school and picking them up. They will eat lovely homecooked meals and sleep in clean sheets. They will always have a parent there for a special assembly, school play etc.

I think it's a great way to parent actually.

It sounds fine to me, my dh would love to spend that time with the children.

If you're not sure what to do with your days or you need to top-up your income a bit then maybe you could look into being a lunchtime assistant at a school?

Thats a fab idea MumInBeds, esp. if I could get job in the same school as dc