snow and the working parent
The current prediction in the DC area is now for 16-26 inches of snow. Given that this is a place that freaks out over snow in general — the schools here in Fairfax shut down for about 4 inches on Wednesday — you can imagine the level of hysteria. And it’s not all that misplaced — after the December storm, it was a good 3 days before there was any hope of getting a car safely in or out of our hilly street.
The federal government went ahead and declared an “unscheduled leave” policy, which means that employees can stay home if they want, but it uses up a day of their annual leave. My office follows the feds, but we also have a pretty flexible policy about telecommuting, so I’ll be able to work from home. Fairfax went ahead and announced this afternoon that they’re closing the schools tomorrow. (We’ve already burned through all the slack in the school schedule, so this is going to eat into spring break or extend the year.) Based on my facebook feed, I’d say most of the stay-at-home and work-at-home parents are pissed that they’re losing their last chance to get anything done without the kids underfoot. The work-in-an-office parents seem to be more sympathetic, probably because the early dismissal scenario is such a nightmare if getting home midday would take you an hour or more. Of course, if you’re a work-in-a-store or other such inflexible job, you’re probably screwed in any case.
I’m tossing the comments here open for reports of the snow, the response, how you entertain the kids and try to get work done from home, soup recipes, whatever else is on y0ur mind.
December 31st, 1969 at 7:00 pm
February 5th, 2010 at 11:27 am
LOL! I'm one of the stay-at-home parents who would have liked a little more alone-at-home time this week. Monday was a teacher workday; Tuesday they had school; Wednesday they were home even though the roads were clear by midday; Thursday they had school but – because of the impending snow – I had to spend it running errands; Friday they're home; Monday they might be home… Now they're going to be at school on Presidents' Day for a FULL day, which messes up our usual Monday-afternoon lessons unless I pick them up from school early that day. UGH.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:41 am
While I normally scoff when they close schools before a flake has even fallen, this time I was glad. We know what's coming, and as someone who works downtown in DC, it's much more of a hassle for me to go into work and then have to leave on short notice for an early pickup. Plus it's a Friday. Easier to take when it creates a 3-day weekend.That said, had I not hustled Thursday to get a must-do project shipped out, I would be in a real bind. Can't tell someone who's went through the hassle and expense of getting a visa and travelling here from Kuwait that their certification exam isn't at the appointed US exam site because, oh, Patty took a snow day, and you don't mind postponing it, right? 🙂
February 5th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
I was happy because the school where I teach closed for the day, and my kids’ school had early dismissal, so we just kept the girls home, and my husband is working from home today.
February 5th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Crap video games. We intubate them. All limits are off. Also, play dates with kids to whose houses we and they can walk.
February 9th, 2010 at 8:40 am
We were shut down last week for snow — two days off, two late starts — and I am cringing on your behalf at the thought of MORE snow now. (Plus, Spouse needs the census folks to do something statistical and of course they’re closed, which cascades onto meetings and deadlines and … uff da, imagine how that’s playing out all across the spectrum.) What did we do? A certain amount of outdoor stuff, followed by a certain amount of TV. I went back to our early days of weaning off TV, when the rule was, we can watch TV for as many hours as we play outside. Well, two hours of sledding in the morning made us GOLDEN.
I have gotten so bad in my old age — shoveling off six inches of iced-on snow felt like a nightmare. I used to plow through Minnesota’s 14-inch storms with barely a blink.
Good luck. And courage. (If we lose any more days to weather, they’ll be tacking them on in June. Blergh.)