Taking Off For Your Kids School Functions

[WImom]

What do you do? This is my first year where my kids are in school. I know we have a christmas concert during the day in december and a kindergarten parent day (Parents come in and make christmas items with their kids, etc).

I'd like to do these, do I just close early, use a vacation day? I would give plently of notice.

What do you usually do?

[DCMomOf3]

I try to make my husband go and I miss the festivities. Once in a blue moon I'll close for a half-day and only charge part-time for that day.

This is one part of being a DCP that stinks, we miss out on things like this unless you have back-up (which I don't) or can close.

[legomom922]

I would close or tell them you have a appt. In my handbook, I have a policy where if I need to take a day off, I dont get paid, but if I have a appt, they have the option of coming early, picking up early or having someone else pick up, and they still pay. No credit is given for early dismissals. So far, I have never had a problem doing it this way. I would NEVER miss out on one of my own childrens events. You could not pay me enough to miss it, so thats why I do not charge if I take the day off for that. I have never missed one of my sons field trips!

[Live and Learn]

WI MOM-
I forget...how many kids do you have in daycare? I have gone to concerts with a daycare kid or two. The dcks loved it and I got to watch my own lil stinkers sing their hearts out.
Both of the functions that you mentioned shouldn't last more than a couple of hours tops...?can you find a sub for daycare just for a couple of hours? Those kindergarten days go by so fast...my advice is to do what it takes to be there.
My own kids always kept track of whose parents weren't at those types of functions. especially one of my sons...he would say "I felt so sorry for x because his parents couldn't come today". I don't really remember him thanking me for coming but by his comments about the kids whose parents didn't come I knew it meant a lot to him.

[BentleysBands]

if i know a month in advance i will just close...otherwise my DH goes and i miss

[MommyMuffin]

My friend is a SAHM with a young son and I had her get a background check and she said she would help out. I only plan on using her if I am desperate or for a few things through out the year. Do you have someone who may help for a few hours or I would say just plan on closing.

[WImom]

I don't do transportation so I can't take them with. Right now I have one (& luckily her sibling is at the school in K5 too so it wouldn't be a big deal to close). I'm hoping to have more by December though. I've already missed out a few of the other activities they've had where they needed parent volunteers (field trips and things like that) and those don't bother me but I don't want to miss something that all parents are coming to.

My vacation days are unpaid so I'm just going to take a vacation days I think. I know DH will have to go to some things so I'll have to pick and chose I guess. I may give the option of 1/2 day but I'm thinking that would be harder for parents.

Glad to here some of you do this too.

[DanceMom]

I try to make my husband go and I miss the festivities. Once in a blue moon I'll close for a half-day and only charge part-time for that day.

This is one part of being a DCP that stinks, we miss out on things like this unless you have back-up (which I don't) or can close.

Ditto - My husband gets 5 weeks of vacation a year so he usually is the one that goes...

Depending on my kid load for that day - he might stay with them ( all parents dont care and he is my emergency back up) and I will go to whatever it is as long as its short.

[Lilbutterflie]

This is also my first year with my DD in kindergarten. If they are allowed, I'm planning on taking my dck's along (I have 3 and my own DS). I'm actually going to her character parade at school today! I only have 1 dcb and my ds. I'm looking forward to it! Her whole class is dressing up to the characters in "If You Give a Pig a Party". They are wearing pj's and a mask of their favorite animal from the book. ::
They are having a Thanksgiving feast coming up, and I think I may close half day for that.

[MarinaVanessa]

I have a few family members that I can call and ask to help me out here so I get them to sub for me (fiance gets home at 4:15, my sister can help AM's until 1pm, my mom can help the last hour of DC etc) but If I can't find someone to sub for me I just don't go and my fiance takes my daughter.

[sahm2three]

What do you do? This is my first year where my kids are in school. I know we have a christmas concert during the day in december and a kindergarten parent day (Parents come in and make christmas items with their kids, etc).

I'd like to do these, do I just close early, use a vacation day? I would give plently of notice.

What do you usually do?

Well, like today, my son has a halloween party, and I have NEVER missed one, until this year. I am already taking a couple hours off for a meeting with my daughters school and have my helper coming, but she can't stay longer than an hour or so, so I am going to miss my son's party. I am so sad, and it is times like this that I wonder why I am doing this. I started doing daycare so that I could still be there for my kids. Ugh. Makes me sad.