After School Management

Imaonwheels

Sun, Feb 18 2007, 8:57 am

GR wrote:

shayna- my oldest was that age when my second was born.

Quote:

When dd was in 2nd grade she picked up 3 brothers from gan and brought them home. Everybody at once. Life had to stop but they were home at 2.

wow. I think I like it better when kids come home earlier from school, like in Israel. you actually have a few hours to spend with them, instead of getting straight into the supper>homework>baths>bed routine.

My experience with new olah mothers from the US with 3-4 children get very stressed when they find that age 3-7 is home by 1:20. One told me that no civilized country would force women to recieve their kids before 4. It was one of the reasons she left.

The girls need more hours than they get and the boys need what they have. After school they have all kinds of activities and clubs you have to take them to and pay for. That cottage industry is one of the things that stops Israel from lengthening the PS day. The school kids have super stressed parents and super bored kids as every kid has 2 mos vacation but cheder boys and yeshiva. I have almost all boys and I can say that even with the 3 wks they have, B"H for camp or the boredom would cause them to get into trouble.

withhumor

Sun, Feb 18 2007, 11:46 am

Step # 1, make sure you want your huge meal for the day about an hour before the hurricane. Then you will be ready to tackle it all. At night I sit with dh by dinner but I only nosh a bit of the side dishes. It’s important to prepare yourself physically. And besides, you won’t have a 4 yr old staring you down at that hour which bugs the heck out of me. I like to eat in peace.

Also, I have a front porch. When I feel like I will explode, I tell my children that I will be on the front porch for 7 minutes. While I’m out, I expect them to do this, this, and this. And then I will come back in. they usually feel so ‘in control’ they love it. they feel honored. And I saved another outburst.