Originally Posted By mele Forgive me for asking, Spokker, but aren't you in your late teens, early 20's? I seem to remember you giving your age and it was quite a bit younger than most of us in WE.
Originally Posted By mele Also, I'm wondering why a child taking an extra day or two after a school break is somehow much worse than them taking any other vacation time? Wouldn't most vacations be a week or two? How is an extra day near a long break any worse? Seems to me two extra days is better than a week or two. Since you, DAR, are so close to so many teachers, please tell me how much schoolwork they estimate gets done the day before Winter Break and the first day back. From what I've seen (from my own two children), nothing gets done anywhere NEAR the holidays, or right when kids get back and are still mentally on a break.
Originally Posted By Mickeysbestfan 8.7 Hours working 7.6 Hours sleeping 2.6 Hours Leisure and sports 1.7 Hours other 1.2 Hours caring for others 1.1 Hours eating and drinking 1.1 Hours household activities. Now change this to a school day. 1 hour getting ready for school 7.5 hours in school 2 hours homework (I have A students in honors classes) 9 hours sleeping 3 hours sports (including to and from) 1 hour for meals .5 hour free time (if no extra projects or other commitments) This is a typical day for my children. If I decide to keep them and extra day or an extra week for vacation or something like a day trip too bad! They are only kids for a short time. I will say if my kids were struggling at all in school, I would take that into consideration.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Yep, schedules, let's see: Typical for me: 5:00 alarm goes off 6:00 set off for work 8:30 start work 30 min lunch if lucky 7:00 grab a bite and head for home 9:30 get home Kids: 7:00 get up (breakfast, shower, maybe some homework) 8:30 go to school 4 get home 1-2 hours homework (they are 4 and 6 - rediculous if you ask me) Dinner 7:30 bed Weekends are often errands or maybe family/friend get togethers. After 14 years, they probably would rather be with their friends. I want them while I can enjoy them. Statistically, people usually die within a few years of retirement. Life is for living.
Originally Posted By ecdc Post 63, exactly. I think we're entitled to some selfishness when it comes to time with kids. If I'm giving them crack and letting them play Call of Duty instead of homework, then I'm a bad parent. Taking them out of school to spend time with me while making arrangements for homework and missed time isn't bad parenting, lazy, irresponsible, undisciplined, or anything else. It's time well deserved.
Originally Posted By DAR <<Since you, DAR, are so close to so many teachers, please tell me how much schoolwork they estimate gets done the day before Winter Break and the first day back. From what I've seen (from my own two children), nothing gets done anywhere NEAR the holidays, or right when kids get back and are still mentally on a break.>> Most teachers around here get a full week to prepare for the school year. While coming back from Christmas or Easter break and this is only the one's I know, they usually have a lesson plan ready to go. My sister's a bit different in that she teaches special needs kids who are 3 4 and 5, but still she like to make sure that everyone in her class is set up to say set up a schedule to meet with a speech pathologist. I should also place a caveat that you're talking to a guy whose father was a school principal for 18 years so when school started, school started, he had to have that place up and running. Meaning all the teachers and students were there ready to start the year. And for God's sake kids around here had off from Dec 22nd to January 4. Not mention that the school year started for the kids the tuesday after labor day which was what the 8th? It's going to be the 7th next year. This is with school getting out about the second week of June. So I don't think it's unreasonable to expect students and teachers for that matter to be back at school when it starts up or resumes. Likewise the vacation I'm taking, I'll have the 18th to 23rd off. I'm flying back on the 24th which is a Saturday and then off Sunday and my normal Monday off. So on Tuesday the 27th I'm expected to be back at work ready to go. Most of that day will be spent responding to voice and emails but still I'm getting work done.
Originally Posted By DAR And let me toot my own horn by saying that in the 17 years I've been working. My job during college and my current job, I have called in sick 0 times. This past month I wasn't feeling well so I left around 2:30 one day. It was even the first time I left early that didn't have me leaving for an appointment.
Originally Posted By Mickeysbestfan +And for God's sake kids around here had off from Dec 22nd to January 4. Not mention that the school year started for the kids the tuesday after labor day which was what the 8th? It's going to be the 7th next year. This is with school getting out about the second week of June+ We started the 25th of August and finish the second week of June. We always had 2 weeks for Christmas, of course it's now a holiday or winter break. We have the week of Thanksgiving off, this was done because so many people took the whole week anyway so the schools lost money the three days they were in session. They also get one week for spring break. My kids get 73 days off for summer vacation. Being Honors students they are still given work to do over the summer that is expected to be turned in on the first day back to school. If they want to play football for the school or any other fall sports they are required to attend practices over the summer also.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "I think we're entitled to some selfishness when it comes to time with kids." Why? Am I entitled to selfishness with my video games? Movies? Travel? My pets? Reading? Arguing with anonymous people on the Internet? All of those things I enjoy doing as much as you enjoy spending time with your children. You made a choice to make children a part of your life, and it's your responsibility to fit them into your hectic schedule. All people face trade offs in life. I'm sure that parents would love it if the world bent a little more to their whim, and you have every right to attempt to negotiate more time off. More and more people, however, are child free by choice or having less children. As the trend continues, expect some backlash from those who are at the office and don't have to leave early because their kid(s) got sick at school.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "7:00 grab a bite and head for home 9:30 get home" Why do you live so far away from your job?
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Regarding Social Darwinism... one of the better authors for this is Thom Hartmann, a very knowledgeable and prolific writer, who fact-checks everything from multiple sources before citing it. Thom often discusses the economic and political ramifications of Social Darwinism on his radio show. His best book to date is, "Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class," a highly recommended read.
Originally Posted By mele So spending special time with my children is the equivalent to playing video games? LOL! Alrighty. It's not really worth trying to discuss this any longer.
Originally Posted By DAR That's Spokker not me. All I'm saying is when kids have all this time off it's not unreasonable to expect them back first day of school.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Did you know that in Japan kids go to school six days a week?*** I think your info it out of date. Some schools have clubs or sports stuff on Saturday mornings, but in general they have a 5 day week. Six days a week was true, but like 30 years ago.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***"I think we're entitled to some selfishness when it comes to time with kids." Why? Am I entitled to selfishness with my video games? Movies? Travel? My pets? Reading? Arguing with anonymous people on the Internet? All of those things I enjoy doing as much as you enjoy spending time with your children.*** Spoken like a guy who doesn't have kids.
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 Yes, Spokker, you are entitled to selfishness with your video games, movies, travel, pets, reading, and arguing. In short, you are entitled to live your life and make decisions regarding how you spend your time. As a parent, I still have the right to decide how I live my life and I have the right to determine how my children are raised. You probably get to choose how and when you spend your vacation days; parents have that right as well. And, since you do not have kids, you are probably not the best judge of what effect a vacation during the school year would have.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Why? Am I entitled to selfishness with my video games? Movies? Travel? My pets? Reading? Arguing with anonymous people on the Internet?<< Yes, actually. I really don't quibble with your comparing children to things you enjoy. I have children and love them to death. But I agree with George Carlin: we have a child-worship culture that leads to some unhealthy decisions on our part. This isn't about children. It's about who controls your life and what say you have in it. It's about authority and who has power over you. You continue to make this an issue of extremes; you want to make anyone who needs time off a lazy, or to use your words, "undisciplined" person. That's absurd. Parents are responsible for their children's education. Not schools or their teachers. I appreciate my children's teachers and their hard work and dedication. I appreciate the public school system and the remarkable success it is given our tax-averse society. I wish we had higher taxes and cut the Pentagon budget to provide better funding to our schools. But I'm in charge of my kids and my life and my schedule. I'm not flipping them the bird. I'm making a few minor adjustments once or twice a school year for my own leisure. You are of course entitled to do the same thing for your dog or Halo or whatever. I really don't care. Or, you can never miss a day of school and work and pat yourself on the back for being an A#1 employee. If you get satisfaction from that, good on ya. I sure could give a rat's ass myself because it just feels like I'm doing it for other people.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "You probably get to choose how and when you spend your vacation days" I don't. I have to arrange those things around work.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones Everybody has a right to ask for time off. An employer has a right to ask for time on.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Because I am a senior executive and do not want to raise my children in urban environments. So it is a part of my sacrifice. BTw farting around with entertainment is nothing akin to rearing kids. Kids do not raise themselves, and if we do a bad job, society degenerates. School is only a part of the equation. Whether someone sees a movie or not is unimportant. However, the way someone shapes another's pathway is essential.
