Childcare costs halve or something but they don’t go away. You still need care coverage for an hour to four hours every workday, all school holidays, summers, sick days, half days, snow days… and that’s assuming your job doesn’t operate outside school hours (which in the US change every few years as children progress), or expect you to be on call.
Usually the type of careers with that kind of flexibility are either top of the field or the very bottom, so it feels kind of hopeless, damned if you work, damned if you don’t.
I know things have changed but when I was 7 and started primary school (in Poland) I would walk alone to school and be perfectly fine staying alone at home. I would also spend school holidays and summers running around outside all day with other kids. At what age it is considered that kids don’t need any babysitters or childcare today?
But yes, the costs probably don’t go to 0 but even if they halve you still start making some money so it still may make sense to make next to nothing for couple of years in order to save your career.
I’m in the US. There’s not a legal age where you’re allowed to leave your child home alone, but it’s generally accepted that you can’t until they’re 12. Of course you could get away with running an errand, but not a week off school, much less a whole summer. You could be charged with neglect, or worse if something bad happened while they were alone. Hard to find any career that’s not gig work that can accommodate 12 years of flexibility :(
Childcare costs halve or something but they don’t go away. You still need care coverage for an hour to four hours every workday, all school holidays, summers, sick days, half days, snow days… and that’s assuming your job doesn’t operate outside school hours (which in the US change every few years as children progress), or expect you to be on call.
Usually the type of careers with that kind of flexibility are either top of the field or the very bottom, so it feels kind of hopeless, damned if you work, damned if you don’t.
I know things have changed but when I was 7 and started primary school (in Poland) I would walk alone to school and be perfectly fine staying alone at home. I would also spend school holidays and summers running around outside all day with other kids. At what age it is considered that kids don’t need any babysitters or childcare today?
But yes, the costs probably don’t go to 0 but even if they halve you still start making some money so it still may make sense to make next to nothing for couple of years in order to save your career.
I’m in the US. There’s not a legal age where you’re allowed to leave your child home alone, but it’s generally accepted that you can’t until they’re 12. Of course you could get away with running an errand, but not a week off school, much less a whole summer. You could be charged with neglect, or worse if something bad happened while they were alone. Hard to find any career that’s not gig work that can accommodate 12 years of flexibility :(