First long work trip since my daughter started school. How do you prepare a 6 year old?

ochre_puzzle_649219 Oct 2026

Ten days in Singapore for work next month. Daughter is 6 and every time it comes up she asks 'then who will do bedtime?'. My partner will be home, school transport and after-school care carry on as usual, so practically we're covered. It's the emotional part I'm unsure about. Kya kiya aap logon ne? A calendar to cross off days, a video call at a fixed time, a small thing left for each day? Or does making a big deal of it make it worse?

1 comment

pebble_spoon_29119 Oct 2026
We go through the calendar together before any trip, though with a 1 year old it's mostly about the adults. What I've seen colleagues with school-age kids do: one call at the same time every day, short, even on the worst day. They say the predictability matters more than the length. And tell her the plan only a few days before. Ten days of countdown is a long time at 6.
- velvet_river_690319 Oct 2026
  A fixed call time only works if it is realistic with the time difference. Singapore is two and a half hours ahead, so a call at her 8 pm is 10.30 pm for you, after what may be a long day. Pick the slot you can keep on your busiest day, not the one that sounds nicest now.
- ochre_puzzle_649219 Oct 2026
  Replying to @velvet_river_6903
  Good catch, I'd assumed her bedtime without thinking about my side at all. 10.30 is doable if I keep it to ten minutes. Telling her a few days before also makes sense, she asked twice this evening and it's still weeks away 😄