Just a few days into our school year and I am at a crossroad.
Because of my work schedule, my son is enrolled in afterschool care. He attended last school year and he LOVES it. It is a part of him. He is king of his own time there. Each day, he packs a little toy (usually a small Lego set) in his backpack to play with after the staff helps kids with homework. When it’s cooler, they play outside. While it’s hot and the kids are forced to stay indoors, the crew (some of the most nurturing people I know), bring out toys and games and books and encourage the youngsters to try a bit of everything.
I considered moving him to morning care this year (with no after care), just so we would have more time in the evenings. But it would be a rush in the afternoons to pick up both kids and be right at school when the bell rings. Besides, as my son’s afterschool teacher pointed out, my son is ALL ABOUT the afterschool program. (And last school year he had, let’s just say, a number of tardies in the morning).
So I did not make the switch.
But during the summer the kids started waking up earlier and earlier. Now, we seriously have at least 30 minutes and sometimes than that to just hang at home before I can drop him off at school. We have had fun, but the kids are get restless and bored. After breakfast, when we’re all packed up, they’re just ready to go! This morning - two minutes before we were finally walking out the door - my daughter asked if she could go on the computer.
I know it would cost a bit more, but I’m tempted to sign him up for both morning- and afterschool care. In the long run, it may SAVE me money.
How? Because of my schedule now - and my husband’s new duties as a volunteer football coach - no one is home to make dinner. Last week I brought home take-out twice. This week it’s just been once - but it’s only THURSDAY! And it can cost us $20 for take out for a family of four - each time. Adding morning care for a week is less than the cost of one take-out meal.
I figure, if I can get him there earlier and get out of work earlier, MAYBE we wouldn’t be eating out so much.
But the biggest perk of this plan could be that the kids would see daddy before he heads out the door to football practice, something we didn’t have on our radar when we were setting all this up. It’s been a dream of my husband’s to coach, so we wanted to make it happen.
I can’t wait till it really cools down in the evenings so we can all go to football practice!
