Till now my office days moved around with client workshops, two or three a week, rest from home. From August it's four fixed days. Son is in class 2 and home by 3.30. Elder one is in class 12 and barely home anyway. On home days I did the 3.30 handover myself. Relatives nearby can step in for an emergency, not for a routine. For those who went from hybrid to mostly office, what did you change first?
baby here, not school. same switch happened to my partner in march. we moved daycare pickup to me 3 days and pay for the late slot the other 2. costs more than we planned. no clean fix yet 😅
I've never had home days, so this is how it looks from the other side: you need one dependable person for 3.30 until you get back, five days, not four. Plans built on 'most days' fall apart the week someone is sick. We use a daycare that takes school children in the afternoon, and family covers only when it closes.
ask the school if they run a paid study hour till 5. ours does. not great but it cut the gap by an hour and a half
first thing we noticed was how much invisible stuff happened on home days. the gas cylinder, the plumber, the 'i forgot my notebook' call at 11. list all that before august, not only pickup
bengaluru here, same thing happened to me last year. my partner's on a break now so we're covered, but before that a neighbour's college-going daughter came 3.30 to 6 on weekdays. reliable, not too expensive, and our girl liked her more than us. ask around your building
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