How to Manage a Snow Day As a Working Parent
Talk it over with your partner., Contact coworkers that are parents too., Ask a relative to help out., Find a babysitter or daycare nearby., Consider bringing your child to work.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Talk it over with your partner.
If you know you won’t be able to stay home with the kids, see if your partner can.
If both of you have to work and can’t work from home, you may need to find another option, but make sure to communicate with each other as soon as you hear the kids have a snow day.If you live in an area with regular snow days, consider setting up a system where you and your partner alternate weeks as the “on-call” parent for snow days.
Even if you both need to go to work, someone will need to make arrangements regarding the kids' care. -
Step 2: Contact coworkers that are parents too.
If you know some of your coworkers have kids too, call them to see what their plans are.
You may even be able to watch everyone's kids this time around and let your co-workers go to work, with the understanding that they’ll watch your kids on the next snow day.Reach out to trusted neighbors for the same reason.
A similar situation can likely be arranged with other families nearby. , One of the unspoken benefits of living near relatives, especially retired relatives, is the potential for free babysitting.
Don’t hesitate to ask anyone you know won’t be working.
Ask if they’d prefer to come to your home or have the children brought to their home., Even if only as a last resort, it’s worth keeping a phone number for a nearby babysitter or daycare on hand when you can’t find another option.
The closer the better, since the weather may make traveling harder and you may not have the time to wait for a babysitter to come from across town., This won’t work for everyone, but it’s worth considering.
If your child is of grade school age and can occupy themselves for significant portions of time, they may be content to spend time at your place of work.Be sure to ask your employer if bringing your child to work is appropriate.
Bring along books, toys, and games they enjoy. -
Step 3: Ask a relative to help out.
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Step 4: Find a babysitter or daycare nearby.
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Step 5: Consider bringing your child to work.
Detailed Guide
If you know you won’t be able to stay home with the kids, see if your partner can.
If both of you have to work and can’t work from home, you may need to find another option, but make sure to communicate with each other as soon as you hear the kids have a snow day.If you live in an area with regular snow days, consider setting up a system where you and your partner alternate weeks as the “on-call” parent for snow days.
Even if you both need to go to work, someone will need to make arrangements regarding the kids' care.
If you know some of your coworkers have kids too, call them to see what their plans are.
You may even be able to watch everyone's kids this time around and let your co-workers go to work, with the understanding that they’ll watch your kids on the next snow day.Reach out to trusted neighbors for the same reason.
A similar situation can likely be arranged with other families nearby. , One of the unspoken benefits of living near relatives, especially retired relatives, is the potential for free babysitting.
Don’t hesitate to ask anyone you know won’t be working.
Ask if they’d prefer to come to your home or have the children brought to their home., Even if only as a last resort, it’s worth keeping a phone number for a nearby babysitter or daycare on hand when you can’t find another option.
The closer the better, since the weather may make traveling harder and you may not have the time to wait for a babysitter to come from across town., This won’t work for everyone, but it’s worth considering.
If your child is of grade school age and can occupy themselves for significant portions of time, they may be content to spend time at your place of work.Be sure to ask your employer if bringing your child to work is appropriate.
Bring along books, toys, and games they enjoy.
About the Author
Denise Smith
Enthusiastic about teaching cooking techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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