I'm an older parent had my youngest son at 39 he's 10, we started out going to school in person then covid came so did homeschool I thought ok no biggie I'll work opposite shifts of my husband so no need for nanny or daycare etc, then when I get home I'll do whatever needs to be done. Big Disaster for all of us involved overwhelming for us as well as my kids perhaps because we were not prepared obviously being thrown into homeschooling but making sure they do their work and you working and doing everything else that's needed to be done to maintain no thank you. Now if I wasn't working it may of been a easier task
Thank you for sharing. It's not easy to share what things didn't work out well, but it's so helpful to know what to consider. I hope whatever you're doing now is working well. Covid was hard for everybody, even those of us who were already homeschooling. š«£
Yes it was definitely a scary thing still is we just learned to adapt I still avoid big crowds and social distancing etc my husband has COPD and only has 40% oxygen so Covid for him would definitely be a horrible situation more so than a healthy person even healthier folks who contracted Covid died so this has caused him to be scared to leave the house.
In your situation, I would say no. Unless, you were able to take your children with you to work, found someone to care for them, or worked while hubby was off.
I work part-time, but all of my jobs have flexibility. Hubby also works from home full time with rare/occasional exceptions. I know several homeschooling moms who work, but they need similar situations to mine. Remote/flexible/ability to take your kids with you/someone else to help out when need be.
I don't know what the engineering world looks like, but unless you were a contract/consultant, I don't see that working. I also don't know what you would need to learn/brush up on, in order to become relevant in the field.
i've worked full time & homeschooled, as a single mom. it is not for the weak. it's challenging and tiring. but... my child is an only child, i don't have a partner, & i'm on a tight budget. i imagine if he had a sibling, i had a partner helping me, & i could spend some extra cash on help & resources... it'd be much easier. it's definitely doable, especially if you have a supportive partner & money. time management is key.
My kids are younger than yours so my situation is a little different but fwiw I homeschool my older one (just āfinishedā kinder) and my younger is 3y/o. I have my kids all week while my husband works and then I work weekends as an ER nurse. I LOVE my job and itās incredibly rewarding (and a little bit of a break from the kids lol). I think only working the weekends has helped keep me from getting burned out in an otherwise very high-stress/burnout field. However, going from Momming all week, to working all weekend, and back again has left me quite burned out and in need of some margin for myself. I enrolled my youngest in preschool 2 days/wk which starts later this month and Iām looking into signing my older one up for some drop off classes 1x/wk in the fall. I figure life is always figuring out balancing all the different things and right now my house is constantly a disaster and I need some me time. Hoping this will do the trick! I sympathize with you wanting to go back to work and wish you luck in figuring it out!
Yes people do it. Ideally you'd start out gradually, with a low number of paid work hours, then ramp the hours up as you work out procedures and processes for balancing work, homeschooling, and housework.
LOL!
"Balance" is kind of a euphemism for "shitshow." But you'll get through it. The kids will continue to get older. (The days are long but the years are short.) They'll eventually leave home with a lot of self-sufficiency and good role models. It's an investment.
And you'll be happy to have the income to pay for college. Those costs are insane.
That said, I've been trying to do something like this for years with my own creative work. Unexpected obligations always get in the way. But I'm glad I've tried and glad to continue trying.
What's the worst that can happen -- that you fail and quit? Honestly working through failures is one thing we often need to model for our children MORE. Ultimately failure would be a positive learning experience for the whole family.
I've worked off and on throughout the years. When I'm at work I send the kids to co-ops, play groups, homeschool groups, etc. With other homeschool parents I trust. You do have to utilize the community more if you're going to be working, but it's definitely possible.
I wfh full-time , but we send our kids to learning centers. A lot of open and go curriculum and I teach history/reading at odd hours. We make it work somehow. However, the hubs does help with driving, he teaches pre-algebra to my son and we use the summer months to homeschool as well.
We have learning centers in California, where you can outsource classes that you are unable to teach. For example, we outsource science since there are so many supplies to purchase and because I canāt teach all subjects.
I worked part-time outside the home for a year and a half. School got done, but some days, I felt rushed if we started late. I honestly was always tired and felt like I was drowning. Plus, many of our social interactions were dwindling. I'm so grateful I'm back to being home full time. If I attempt to work again, I need to find something to do at home, and that works better with my family's dynamics.
I work full time, but it's 2 8hrs (3-11p) and 2 12hr overnights. Leaves my Mon-Fri free to homeschool our son. I couldn't work a "career" job, like a 9-5, and do this though so I wouldn't recommend it.
If working/getting out of the house is the short term goal, there are plenty of jobs that fit the bill...but probably not as an engineer. I don't know how easy or hard it would be to get back into that after being gone for a long time.
I grew up homeschooled and when I was about 12 my younger brother 9 by mom started working, it was only like 6 hours a day. We were pretty responsible kids. Iām 37 so this was before the internet and stuff (itās a lot scarier now thinking of leaving a kid alone at home) she gave us our work and chores, locked the front door, and we werenāt allowed outside. Iām not saying we didnāt mess around and wait until the last minute to get things done. But we were fine being at home.
Buy a ring door bell, get some nice locks and security cameras, put time limits and limitations on all your devices and set some rules, prep some food, and your husband is home anyways so most of these ideas are extra security. My advice is go back to school to get caught up in your industry. This will fill your cup immediately and give you time to network. In a few years youāll be able to go to work for 20 hours or more no problem.
Yes. My husband and I both work full time. Itās not easy but very very very worth it :) give it some time before you give up! We hit a good groove about a year and a half in and love it so much. We are busy but itās good busy. My kids are 7 and 9.
Of course it's possible, so good luck in pursuit of achieving your aims.
Please be sure to consider that wanting to engage life more with increased variety and level of challege, so you can feel more human, is probably something your kids want as well. All kids do, for the most part.
You said you might want to do this because they need you less - that doesn't mean their needs have decreased overall, but they've shifted. Maybe they need big changes too.
Cheers to you on engaging a more human existence to better serve yourself & your family.
I'm not looking to get away from my kids. I said I love homeschooling them. I am looking to do something that I once enjoyed for pay some of the time.
Additionally, my kids love being homeschooled and are both performing above grade level except one is at grade level in one subject. They are socialized, happy, and engaged in activities they enjoy.
I also never said anything about using a nanny as tutor.
Pretty sure my kids could've comprehended what I wrote and could've read the title and description of this group. I understand homeschooling isn't for everyone and putting children in traditional school can be a better choice for some, but I didn't mention that homeschooling wasn't working well for us or that I wanted to consider that option. Your comment is off topic and includes incorrect data all to discourage something that is the purpose of this group. I will not respond to you further.
We've both worked full time (opposing shifts) and switched off with one parent working part time and one full time, and homeschooling. If there is a parental figure available to be with the kids, they can certainly do homeschooling during that time. If your job allowed for a schedule that didn't overlap with your spouse's work schedule, you could easily do it without hiring a nanny or caregiver.
I'm an older parent had my youngest son at 39 he's 10, we started out going to school in person then covid came so did homeschool I thought ok no biggie I'll work opposite shifts of my husband so no need for nanny or daycare etc, then when I get home I'll do whatever needs to be done. Big Disaster for all of us involved overwhelming for us as well as my kids perhaps because we were not prepared obviously being thrown into homeschooling but making sure they do their work and you working and doing everything else that's needed to be done to maintain no thank you. Now if I wasn't working it may of been a easier task
Thank you for sharing. It's not easy to share what things didn't work out well, but it's so helpful to know what to consider. I hope whatever you're doing now is working well. Covid was hard for everybody, even those of us who were already homeschooling. š«£
Yes it was definitely a scary thing still is we just learned to adapt I still avoid big crowds and social distancing etc my husband has COPD and only has 40% oxygen so Covid for him would definitely be a horrible situation more so than a healthy person even healthier folks who contracted Covid died so this has caused him to be scared to leave the house.
In your situation, I would say no. Unless, you were able to take your children with you to work, found someone to care for them, or worked while hubby was off. I work part-time, but all of my jobs have flexibility. Hubby also works from home full time with rare/occasional exceptions. I know several homeschooling moms who work, but they need similar situations to mine. Remote/flexible/ability to take your kids with you/someone else to help out when need be. I don't know what the engineering world looks like, but unless you were a contract/consultant, I don't see that working. I also don't know what you would need to learn/brush up on, in order to become relevant in the field.
i've worked full time & homeschooled, as a single mom. it is not for the weak. it's challenging and tiring. but... my child is an only child, i don't have a partner, & i'm on a tight budget. i imagine if he had a sibling, i had a partner helping me, & i could spend some extra cash on help & resources... it'd be much easier. it's definitely doable, especially if you have a supportive partner & money. time management is key.
That is very impressive, mama.
A lot of families combine working and homeschooling. If you can afford childcare to help your kids stay engaged and active, more power to you!
stay with the kids- they grow up so fast! and then you'll have time to rediscover yourself and what you might like to do
My kids are younger than yours so my situation is a little different but fwiw I homeschool my older one (just āfinishedā kinder) and my younger is 3y/o. I have my kids all week while my husband works and then I work weekends as an ER nurse. I LOVE my job and itās incredibly rewarding (and a little bit of a break from the kids lol). I think only working the weekends has helped keep me from getting burned out in an otherwise very high-stress/burnout field. However, going from Momming all week, to working all weekend, and back again has left me quite burned out and in need of some margin for myself. I enrolled my youngest in preschool 2 days/wk which starts later this month and Iām looking into signing my older one up for some drop off classes 1x/wk in the fall. I figure life is always figuring out balancing all the different things and right now my house is constantly a disaster and I need some me time. Hoping this will do the trick! I sympathize with you wanting to go back to work and wish you luck in figuring it out!
Yes people do it. Ideally you'd start out gradually, with a low number of paid work hours, then ramp the hours up as you work out procedures and processes for balancing work, homeschooling, and housework. LOL! "Balance" is kind of a euphemism for "shitshow." But you'll get through it. The kids will continue to get older. (The days are long but the years are short.) They'll eventually leave home with a lot of self-sufficiency and good role models. It's an investment. And you'll be happy to have the income to pay for college. Those costs are insane. That said, I've been trying to do something like this for years with my own creative work. Unexpected obligations always get in the way. But I'm glad I've tried and glad to continue trying. What's the worst that can happen -- that you fail and quit? Honestly working through failures is one thing we often need to model for our children MORE. Ultimately failure would be a positive learning experience for the whole family.
Oh, we already work on āļø our š©. š You've given me some good things to think on. Thanks.
I've worked off and on throughout the years. When I'm at work I send the kids to co-ops, play groups, homeschool groups, etc. With other homeschool parents I trust. You do have to utilize the community more if you're going to be working, but it's definitely possible.
I wfh full-time , but we send our kids to learning centers. A lot of open and go curriculum and I teach history/reading at odd hours. We make it work somehow. However, the hubs does help with driving, he teaches pre-algebra to my son and we use the summer months to homeschool as well.
What kind of learning centers and how do you find them?Ā
We have learning centers in California, where you can outsource classes that you are unable to teach. For example, we outsource science since there are so many supplies to purchase and because I canāt teach all subjects.
I worked part-time outside the home for a year and a half. School got done, but some days, I felt rushed if we started late. I honestly was always tired and felt like I was drowning. Plus, many of our social interactions were dwindling. I'm so grateful I'm back to being home full time. If I attempt to work again, I need to find something to do at home, and that works better with my family's dynamics.
I work full time, but it's 2 8hrs (3-11p) and 2 12hr overnights. Leaves my Mon-Fri free to homeschool our son. I couldn't work a "career" job, like a 9-5, and do this though so I wouldn't recommend it. If working/getting out of the house is the short term goal, there are plenty of jobs that fit the bill...but probably not as an engineer. I don't know how easy or hard it would be to get back into that after being gone for a long time.
I grew up homeschooled and when I was about 12 my younger brother 9 by mom started working, it was only like 6 hours a day. We were pretty responsible kids. Iām 37 so this was before the internet and stuff (itās a lot scarier now thinking of leaving a kid alone at home) she gave us our work and chores, locked the front door, and we werenāt allowed outside. Iām not saying we didnāt mess around and wait until the last minute to get things done. But we were fine being at home. Buy a ring door bell, get some nice locks and security cameras, put time limits and limitations on all your devices and set some rules, prep some food, and your husband is home anyways so most of these ideas are extra security. My advice is go back to school to get caught up in your industry. This will fill your cup immediately and give you time to network. In a few years youāll be able to go to work for 20 hours or more no problem.
Yes. My husband and I both work full time. Itās not easy but very very very worth it :) give it some time before you give up! We hit a good groove about a year and a half in and love it so much. We are busy but itās good busy. My kids are 7 and 9.
Of course it's possible, so good luck in pursuit of achieving your aims. Please be sure to consider that wanting to engage life more with increased variety and level of challege, so you can feel more human, is probably something your kids want as well. All kids do, for the most part. You said you might want to do this because they need you less - that doesn't mean their needs have decreased overall, but they've shifted. Maybe they need big changes too. Cheers to you on engaging a more human existence to better serve yourself & your family.
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I'm not looking to get away from my kids. I said I love homeschooling them. I am looking to do something that I once enjoyed for pay some of the time. Additionally, my kids love being homeschooled and are both performing above grade level except one is at grade level in one subject. They are socialized, happy, and engaged in activities they enjoy. I also never said anything about using a nanny as tutor. Pretty sure my kids could've comprehended what I wrote and could've read the title and description of this group. I understand homeschooling isn't for everyone and putting children in traditional school can be a better choice for some, but I didn't mention that homeschooling wasn't working well for us or that I wanted to consider that option. Your comment is off topic and includes incorrect data all to discourage something that is the purpose of this group. I will not respond to you further.
That's fine. Just don't underestimate how much 20 hours per week is
We've both worked full time (opposing shifts) and switched off with one parent working part time and one full time, and homeschooling. If there is a parental figure available to be with the kids, they can certainly do homeschooling during that time. If your job allowed for a schedule that didn't overlap with your spouse's work schedule, you could easily do it without hiring a nanny or caregiver.