Client workshops get fixed two days ahead, and class 1 pickup is at 3

sage_drum_63022 Jul 2026

My son started class 1 last month. On normal weeks I work from home two days and can do pickup. The trouble is workshop weeks: clients confirm dates with two or three days' notice, and on those days I'm at their office till 6. Family nearby helps when they can, but they have their own jobs and I don't want them to be the plan. His school has no after-school option. Last week a viral fever went round his class and I used up the two days I'd been keeping for workshops. What do parents with unpredictable weeks do? A part-time sitter just for some afternoons? An arrangement with a neighbour? I'd like something that doesn't involve me calling around every Sunday night.

4 comments

fig_bottle_46512 Jul 2026
Same pattern here, client workshops at short notice. We pay a sitter for three set afternoons every week whether we need her or not. On weeks I'm home it feels like money wasted. On workshop weeks it's the only reason anything works. I still haven't decided whether that's a good trade, but it beats the Sunday night calls.
breezy_camera_24702 Jul 2026
Fixed paid hours, even when you don't use them. That's what got me through the on-call years. Flexible arrangements fail on exactly the days you need them.
teal_window_462 Jul 2026
In our house my athamma looks after the small one, so I don't have this problem for him. For my daughter (she is in UKG) the van drops her home and athamma is there. Without family it is very hard. Maybe talk to other mothers in his class who live close by? One can pick up both kids on your workshop days and you take them on weekends.
lotus_kite_4852 Jul 2026
I work from home (I bake), and two mothers in our building leave their kids with me for an hour when they get stuck. When I have a big order, mine goes to them. It's not paid, more give and take. Maybe there is someone like that in your building? Mehdipatnam is full of families, you might find one.