Finding the Balance

The school year is getting into full swing, and whether you are a stay at home parent or working parent the start of the school year has undoubtedly led to changes and adjustments all around.

In of this series we spoke with some parents who have just sent sending their last child off to school.  In we talked to some who are sending their first (or only) child off to school for the first time.

And whether your children are older or younger, if you are a working parent you are presented with an entirely different set of challenges. 

Some local parents weigh in…

Part 3: 

Patch.com:  As a working parent, during the summer what do you do with your children while you are at work? 

S.K., Columbia Mom: Everyone’s situation is different and for me the economics, financially and emotionally, don’t make sense [during the summer].  I have a master’s degree...why does my income barely edge out what I pay for child-care? Oh, because I have three children to pay for.  My colleague suggested I look into camps, as she usually has her son attend full time camps each summer.  

R.C., Ellicott City Mom: We put our daughter in YMCA camp this summer.  For the times when camp and school were both out of session [she] spent some time at my parents' house or I simply worked from home those days.  I am fortunate to have a job that allows me telecommute when I need too.

Patch.com:  Are you able to work with her around? 

R.C.: It is somewhat stressful to work from home with her there.  She gets bored, and the TV is really not a good babysitter. 

Patch.com:  Are the summer camps expensive?  Does that cause a problem or a stress on the family budget? 

R.C.: The YMCA camps were fairly inexpensive at $125 a week because we are members and I registered her in January so I got an even greater discount....so I guess that means I had to be organized about it. 

She really enjoyed camp.  I mixed it up a bit and sent her to different locations on different weeks.  Her favorite was Sandy Point State Park. 

S.K.: I looked into that and found that full time camps for three kids adds up to significantly more than I was making for my 2 days of work.  Generally, there are no 2 day/week full day camps. 

The economical decision I thought was to then hire a babysitter for the two days I worked. However, her availability was such that I had to drop my kids off at the local pool and have a friend watch them for an hour, and then I would drop off the car seat at the pool where my sitter worked that hour, and then she would go and pick them up from the pool they were at, making a transition from my friend. This kind of hassle was something that my husband and I together decided was not worth the limited income I brought in. 

Patch.com:  All year round, how do you balance life outside and life inside the home?

S.K.:  Several factors are involved in whether or not working during motherhood is going to be successful. Schedule of hours, back-up support, finances and rewards of the job are among the most relevant. Primarily there needs to be logistical support. If a child is sick or if something comes up at work and you leave late, there needs to be someone who can take a sick day or pick up the kids last minute. 

In addition, a job that allows you to get home in time for the second half of the day when kids need rides to sports, music, activities and playdates is also helpful. The impact of juggling my professional schedule, at times writing reports at home (while my kids played video games) and being preoccupied with my clients’ needs etc. [is] felt by everyone in the family.