Childcare

[GoTowardsTheLight]

I have 4 children (well, 3 are mine and 1 is a stepchild) whose ages range from 4-12. Somedays I can't find anone to watch them after school. Do you think I could have them hang out at the station quietly for a few hours on afternoons this happens? Would you be upset if your coworkers did this? They're usually really good kids.

 

[fast65]

Just judging from my own personal experience, the station is no place for a child to be, especially in those age ranges.

 

[emscrazy1]

Would you really want to leave a 4 year old by their self when you have to go on a call?

 

[EPICMEDIC]

Thats the difficult part of being professional. Women in EMS are not given enough resources to deal with home issues. The only concern is that the station houses a lot of equipment that kids want to touch and explore, and could result in them getting injured.

 

[HotelCo]

Thats the difficult part of being professional. Women in EMS are not given enough resources to deal with home issues. The only concern is that the station houses a lot of equipment that kids want to touch and explore, and could result in them getting injured.

There are single fathers out there too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wadford]

I have three kids myself (5,2,1) and the husband and I are trying to work out a childcare solution (he works 24 hour shifts at the F.D) for the days that both he and I have to work. It can be a real pain in the arse!

 

[Shishkabob]

Put them up for adoption.


Your childcare AND budget woes are fixed.

 

[abckidsmom]

Yeah, no.

There are quite a few reasons this is just not ok. First, you're at work. You just can't be at work and be the caregiver for your kids at the same time and do an adequate job of either. Second, your coworkers, whether they say so or not, are having their afternoons interrupted by your kids, which could cause seem resentment, especially for the ones who are shelling out megabucks for childcare. And lastly, there are just too many dangerous things that curious, unsupervised children can get into.

If they can't be unsupervised at home, they can't be unsupervised at the station, either, and you are there to run calls.

Sorry, I know its difficult.

 

[GoTowardsTheLight]

Put them up for adoption.


Your childcare AND budget woes are fixed.

That's not helpful OR funny.

 

[Handsome Rob]

Plus the humor in EMS may not be suitable (or understood) by the kids...

sent from my mobile command center. or phone. whatever.

 

[Shishkabob]

I found your question quite funny in itself.

Clearly, it doesn't make sense to let them stay hone alone for a few hours, but it makes sense to let them stay at a work place alone for a few hours...


Give it a shot and tell us how your supervisor feels...the one you should ask about such matters instead of an anonymous forum?



12 years old. That's 6th grade. You can't trust a 6th grader to be home by themselves, let alone watch younger kids? Heck, I knew a bunch of 12 yearold girls who babysat...Granted I don't know your situation, but just a thought...

 

[Anjel]

I found your question quite funny in itself.

Clearly, it doesn't make sense to let them stay hone alone for a few hours, but it makes sense to let them stay at a work place alone for a few hours...


Give it a shot and tell us how your supervisor feels...the one you should ask about such matters instead of an anonymous forum?



12 years old. That's 6th grade. You can't trust a 6th grader to be home by themselves, let alone watch younger kids? Heck, I knew a bunch of 12 yearold girls who babysat...Granted I don't know your situation, but just a thought...

I was 10 in 6th grade. Just saying.

 

[GoTowardsTheLight]

I was 10 in 6th grade. Just saying.

He's from Texas. 6th grade is where education stops. (And apparently tact)

 

[bigbaldguy]

I was 10 in 6th grade. Just saying.

I was 11 in 6th grade I was also 12 and 13. I don't care what anyone says 6th grade was hard.

"sprays troll repellent spray around thread"

 

[Shishkabob]

He's from Texas. 6th grade is where education stops. (And apparently tact)

Funny, I was actually educated in Michigan and graduated early.





PS-- I was 12 in 6th grade... but I was also held back in kindergarten. Apparently you CAN fail finger-painting...

 

[ffemt8978]

Back on topic....

 

[foxfire]

but I was also held back in kindergarten. Apparently you CAN fail finger-painting...

Glad to know I was not the only one. ^_^
I was to squirrely for class, sitting still was not a option in my mind at that age.
Back to the topic at hand.
The station would not be a safe place for the kids in my opinion. Perhaps advertise for a babysitter that understands your kind of work schedual and is willing to work around it. Maybe a grandmother type person. I had a elderly neighbor lady babysit me as a youngster.

 

[abckidsmom]

"sprays troll repellent spray around thread"

Agreed. I can't believe I took the time to post on this thread from my phone. What a pain.

Twice.

 

[SeanEddy]

I get your frustration, as my wife and I have had nothing but trouble finding childcare that we can trust. I work 12-hour shifts on an ambulance and she works 12 hour shifts in a hospital. Every daycare known to man seems to close too early or start too late.

I have a couple suggestions for you which may or not work depending on your willingness to try new things and your financial situation.

1 - Consider in-home day-cares. I know it's a scary thought, but ask around and check your state child services website to see if there have been any action taken against them. There ARE good ones out there that are affordable. Just do your homework.

2 - Put out ads for babysitters or ask around. There are a lot of college students looking for either extra money or experience. Once again, ask for references and really try to get a feel for the person before you hire them. It's not a perfect solution, but it's something.

3 - Find someone who works opposite shifts from you that is in the same situation. Offer to watch their kids on your days off in exchange for them watching yours. You might be surprised what you find.

These are all things that I have done that have worked. As far as taking your kids to work, I would strongly suggest against even trying. There is just too much liability on the company to allow that.

Best of luck to you. If you find a solution that works for you, please post it. Many people may benefit from your experience.

 

[Nerd13]

To start with if one of my partners brought their kids to work (as a childcare setup, not just for a short visit) I would be unbelievably uncomfortable. Not only would it annoy me while trying to complete my station duties (reports, cleaning and what not) it would also detract from my partner's ability to complete their station duties which would cause resentment and likely result in me doing their work too. When I went to a community college for a short time a lot of parents thought it would be okay to bring their kids to class when the babysitter didn't show. This always ended in a frustrated professor (who was usually just trying to be nice), a completely distracted class and an embarrassed parent. It's the same sort of situation. Even nice kids cause havoc when they're in an environment that they don't quite fit into. It's just a bad idea.

Furthermore, and this is arguably more important than any of the above, a station is not a safe place for kids. There has been no thought put into child-proofing a station. There are plenty of chemicals and hazards and even the most responsible and well behaved children are going to get bored and get into things that may be unsafe. Kids are curious, it happens.

Finally, I can't believe this idea would fly with your employer. I can only imagine it would be a huge liability and it could land you in hot water with your source of income.

I understand how hard it is to make schedules and budgets work with kids especially in EMS. That being said, it wouldn't be fair to put your kids or your job at risk because of it. I'm sure you will find a situation that works for you. Since you're only looking at a few hours that you need to find supervision for this might be a great time to give a neighborhood kid some experience in childcare. A lot of kids are taking the red cross babysitting classes these days to make themselves more attractive to possible employers. I started babysitting a few hours a day when I was 12 for 2 dollars an hour. I had three kids under my charge and it definitely made me realize what a challenge kids can be but I managed to keep them alive, had a little fun and made a little money in the process.