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Comment by wonderwonder | Hacker News Reader

I used to work from an office I just have no idea how I managed to; mainly due to having to do things for my kids and house. School gets out at 2, work ends at 5:30 and then 45 minute commute. Don't always want to be the first one out of the office. Kids have boxing at 4:30 and math tutoring after and bed time is at 8:30. Other sports as well. Constantly people in and out of the house for deliveries, repairs, etc. When do we go to the grocery store and run errands? Logically I know I could figure it out but I don't really want to.

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What’s really lame is that parents have to become chauffeurs for their kids activities all damned day.

That is an Americanism I hope the rest of the world doesn’t emulate fully.

Yeah I don’t really understand this. I would ride bus to and from school. Stay after school for activities and find a ride back with friends or siblings or some other way without my parents needing to get involved. Anecdotal but whenever I see school buses now, they mostly seem empty and whenever you pass a school there’s a huge drop off or pick up line.

There's a ton of reasons, but mostly - kids don't have autonomy any more. Both due to hyperactive child protective services government oversight (ill-used I may add) and lots more sprawl/roads/cars and longer distances between activities, it's became untenable to let kids roam.

I also remember doing all sorts of stuff by myself and getting bussed around as needed (school/camp/afterschool) - my parents at first didn't even have a car out of college.

Curious - now that everyone has to drive everywhere for their kids - Auto/Petroluem industries thrive with that.

I mean, parents were still chauffeuring kids around. You even say you got rides back with friends, presumably meaning their parents.

First 6 years I walked to school. Most of my friends either did that or took a bicycle. Next 6 years I took a street car. To/from school as well as afternoon activities.

This was in the 90s in Europe. Where I live now (still in Europe), all my friends have their kids to the same thing.

There is the occasional parent who shuttles the kid to/from school. They either live in some inaccessible place in the countryside or they are weird (or both). The kids that need shuttling by their parents actually have a social disadvantage since they don't get to spontaneously hangout with their friends and do stuff. Everything needs to be coordinated and scheduled and approved with/by their parents. Poor kids.

I'd rather spend the time driving my kids than sitting in traffic driving to work and back. Getting them from school is not a big deal, school is 5 minutes away and they often walk. Real issue is to sports, to far away to walk. But yes, getting kids to activities and back is a lot but I enjoy sitting there and watching my kids have fun. Few things better in life than watching your kid do something they are proud of.

Aren’t you supposed to be working from home and getting paid for it whilst doing all of that?

I can see why employers want people back in offices if that is what the working day looks like for some people.

My day is similar to the poster you’re replying to. It’s easy to make up the time in the evenings if you’re already set up for working from home. Also some employers who have embraced remote working have also learned that results matter more than time served, and no longer care where you are or what you’re doing as long as you’re achieving what you need to.

Considering the time I have to put in over the weekend occasionally and at night, they are more than getting their money's worth.

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