Thanksgiving is a few short days away but instead of concentrating on finding the best pumpkin pie recipe, I’m boggling over the fact that Joseph’s school takes this whole week off.
I’d have loved that as a kid. As a working mom, it’s an entirely different story.
From late start Mondays to half days to inservice days to prolonged breaks, finding childcare for a school age kid who is too young to stay home alone is a challenge. This week, I’ve cobbled together childcare via a sister, a grandparent, and my ex taking an extra day off. If I hadn’t been able to do so, I’d have had to take a day off myself.
Life was easier – if more expensive – when he was just in daycare. Of course, at the time I was only working part time and ten months a year. Still, it was easy: drop him off four days a week, pick him up four days a week.
Now it’s a logistical nightmare.
I have four people authorized to pick him up from school and, depending on the day, he’s with one of those four. Sometimes they trade off amongst themselves and I have that horrify realization I don’t know where my son is. Add to it, his little sister is at daycare most days, though she does stay with her grandparents one day a week and her dad twice a week.
For a few crazy weeks, the kids alternated the days they stayed with family. And for a few crazier weeks, Joseph had an after school reading program. I never realized, before I had kids, how insane it could all be.
Especially when they’re regular schedule is changed by a school holiday.
On the plus side, I’ve already put in for time off during the Christmas holiday. There’s no way I want to go through this again.
What do you do when schools change their schedules?
