childminding is not the same anymore

[lou lou]

just wondering if it is just me or if anyone else feels like this, my daughter started school in september and ever since she has been at school i seem to be struggling with childminding as she is not here now during the day i dont know if it is time for me to give up but i still want to be here when she gets home from school and holidays i feel really stuck at the moment and not sure what to do, i have quite a strong relationship with my daughter and love being with her and miss her loads while she is at school and there is a big part of me that just wants to spend time with her at the moment in school holidays and do things together which is not allways possible when you have other children but the same time i have to earn some money, i know these years are very precious with my little one and one day she will be grown up and gone.

[EmmaReed84]

awww have no advice to offer I'm affraid

[FussyElmo]

Any chance you can go term time only?

I am and I really appreciate the time in the holidays with my children. Or cut your days down in the holidays

[miss mopple]

Its hard I know. My youngest daughter started school last year and its been an odd feeling minding without her here. I work full time, and much as Id love to do term time only I just cant afford to, so I just make the most of the times we do get. She knows I have to work, and its hard for her too, but we muddle through and actually in my working day I feel even more like its my job now shes not here- it makes me a bit more focused if anything

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I was always giving up cm when mine youngest went to school at 5 and she is 16 this year and I am still going.

Where can you get a job with the hours you want, pay you like, be home for yours and play all day? I couldn't, hence I am still here

[rosebud]

I would give it a bit longer to give yourself time to adjust. I found it hard at first but my daughter is 7 now and I love childminding. I get to be at home after school, am here in the holidays (even if I have to work) and don't have to worry about taking time of work when they are poorly / snow days / inset days / strike days. As the others have said if you can afford to, consider going term time only. It might take time to pick up the work but you can advertise the fact that you won't charge parents for school holidays. (maybe you can charge slightly higher to compensate)

[Vickster]

I just work, Tues, Weds and Thurs and am full on these days. My son is six and I try and make the Mondays and Fridays really special in the holidays. My daughter is 2.5 and everyone asks me if I will give up childminding when she starts school, but I am not sure as I wouldn't be able to drop off and pick up with many other jobs.

[nikki thomson]

Hi, I know how you feel my youngest dd starts school this September and I'd always said once my own children are no longer little I didn't want to do eyfs children anymore, I want my home back.
There are lots if opportunitys out there for mums that will fit in with school hours/hols etc you just have to find something your intrested in and do lots of research.
Later on the year I'm going on a baby massage and yoga course it's about 4 mths long and once you've done it you can go into sure start centre's and pre-schools, offer your own classes and you can fit it in around the children.
I'm really looking forward to it, but I do think it depends how much work you put in and how much you want to earn but you can definately do it if you put your mind to it. Xx

[PixiePetal]

When my children were young I worked 4 days a week max so I knew I would have a day through the year when we could be a family and meet our own friends.

As they got older I did term time only - which worked when the age gap between them and pre school age mindees widened. I could take mine to cinema etc with no mindees

Now work has been a bit thin on the ground I am working only 2 days a week could do with 2 more but will keep Fridays free for ever - it is my day

Wouldn't mind some term time onlys to fill the days

[mrs robbie williams]

im the same but i only do 2 days during school holidays as like to spend time with my children the other days, even if we just have a lazy day together its lovely