Sports days and school assemblies are hardly ever convenient if you work. They are typically between Monday to Friday in office hours. This means that attending them can be really hard when you also work.
Here are some ways we deal with sports days and school assemblies in my family
- I have Fridays out of the office. My kids know if there is something important happening at school on a Friday that I will prioritise to be there. I’ve heard my kids say on more than one occasion “Mum, I know the excursion isn’t on a Friday so know you can’t be there with us”. They are clear on when I can and when I cannot be at their school functions. They know if it’s a Friday I’ll be there. If it’s on a Monday, unfortunately it’s unlikely I will be there
- If there’s anything school related on Fridays I jump at the chance to be involved. This could be helping out with reading in the classroom or anything else in the school. By doing this, my kids see that I focus on them as a priority. Even if it does mean that I’m not there on the day the class is going to the zoo on an excursion.
- School assemblies can be tricky as for my kids, they can be in the middle of the day. I always try to go if they are getting an award, speaking or doing something else very important to them. On these days I will often see if I can work from home. I’ll then head out for the hour when assembly is. I find it’s just too tricky to go into the office, come back to assembly, go back to the office and come back again. I usually get more done working from home too!
- There are times when my husband or I both can’t make it. For these times I rely on another parent to take some photos and share them with me. I can then show the kids that even though neither of us were there, that we absolutely cared about them and their outcome on that day.
Setting expectations with your kids up front is key. They then know that you won’t be able to be there for every single event. They will also know this does not mean that you love them any less.
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