How do working mums have tine for kids appointments?

amother

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 4:25 pm

I work half a day in corporate.
How do you take off for kids' appointments?
I have a big family I try to schedule appointments in the afternoon but it is not always possible. I get a few weeks leave but most of it is for Yom Tov/I am taking of a few days to prepare for pesach.
I do work from home. I was sort of thinking of bringing my laptop and doing work from the appointment. And just hanging around there till the end of my work day.

I find all my days off end up being for kids appointments and Yom Tov etc I do not really get days off to relax

amother

Chambray

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 4:39 pm

My husband and I both take turns taking the kids to appointments. He is more flexible than me in the way that he does not work at an office job and he can just come home later at night if needed.

amother

Burlywood

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 4:48 pm

I look for providers who have Sunday hours; these are very rare. We had exactly two till one of them retired. I make appointments for the kids on legal holidays when I'm off and they have only limudei kodesh in the morning. Or I make appointments for Chanuka vacation, midwinter break, or summer vacation. In an emergency, I use my family sick leave from work.

amother

Steel

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 4:57 pm

I make appointments early in the morning, before 9 if possible. I work from home, so no one bothers me if I log in a but late (I don't Take lunch that day)

Sometimes I get meetings scheduled, even when I block out the time. My husband can technically work anywhere, so he does with his laptop (in reality he has to go into the office daily, but can work from home occasionally)

amother

Pumpkin

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 5:02 pm

This is the reason I stopped working full time. Maybe other people don't have so many appointments or so many little kids. For me, between ent specialist, endocrinologist, well visits, lab visits, dental, eye doctor appointments, not to mention sick visits and emergency appointments, there were years that I literally lived in the doctors offices....
oh and I forgot speech , OT, .....

Now that my kids are older, and my husbands job is more flexible, there are less appointments and my husband does half (or more).

NotInNJMommy

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 5:22 pm

Make late or early appointments, try to consolidate routine visits for multiple kids at once.

I also end up having to work Chol hamoed.

Judiciously use PTO to try to do multiple appointments in one day.

amother

Vermilion

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 5:26 pm

I have the flexibility to go to an appointment without using PTO. I just need to make my key meetings and get my work done. I also work from home 3 days per week, and only go in in-person 2 days per week.

I don't get any overtime for the many hours over 40 that I work, so that's part of the tradeoff.

HonesttoGod

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 5:35 pm

You work half day so make appointments for the other half. Or for after they come home from school. Or 8am. Or your husband takes them if he can get off easier. Yes the appointments are harder to get at those times but you do what you have to do.

These are all the things I do - I work full time so most appointments are on sundays, or evenings, or the one day I finish early. No time for myself but that is part of the balance.

amother

Maple

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 5:41 pm

amother Vermilion wrote:

Same

amother

Starflower

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 5:45 pm

I work full time. I try to do early appointments at 8 or 8:30 so I am not too late to work. I work later to make up the hours I missed. So I come in at 10 due to an appointment, I'll stay at work till 6.

I also use most of my leave for yomim tovim, that's how it is when you're frum. So no days to just go on vacation

amother

Pistachio

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 5:59 pm

OP, my DH just peered over my shoulder and asked if I wrote your post. I had to point out that I don't work in corporate and don't work half days before he got that it wasn't me...

I have no solutions that weren't already mentioned, just sympathy. It's hard.

amother

Navy

Thu, Feb 16 2023, 6:43 pm

amother OP wrote:

What do you do the other half of the day?

chocolate moose

Sat, Feb 18 2023, 8:39 pm

We looked for doctors with late hours and Sunday appointments. They didn't get braces as we couldn't work that out.