4pm and home? Where do they work? (unemployed, school)

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue;13572582[FONT=Arial Black

I'm a substitute teacher, so I work on an on-call basis. The days I'm working, I'm off from work generally between 1:30 & 2:30.[/font]

And I was a cop! Eight hoursshifts/watches ran 8 am-4, 4 pm-12 and 12-8 am with some running 6 am to 2 pm.

Ya never know who or what's workin' when!

[CA4Now]

When my husband coached little league, he left work early (downtown L.A.) to get to the field; it was only once a week during baseball season. He got some flak from co-workers who either didn't have kids, didn't see the value in it....or maybe wished they had the opportunity to do the same.

[dweej]

Many years ago, my husband was a courier- he worked full time from 6 a.m. -2 p.m. That would allow him to do the sorts of things you describe in your initial post. He was also a police officer- worked 10 hour days, 4 days per week and was off many times during the weekday afternoons. With his current job, he has every other Friday off because he works additional hours on the other days....you just never know what kind of schedule an employer requires.

[JohnG72]

Lots of cops live out there. LAPD cops work on a 3/12 schedule(3 days a week, 12 hours a day) so they have a LOT of free time. Also lots are able to retire after 20 years. If they bought cheap in the IE, maybe only the wife works. Same thing with firemen.

Finally, lots of government employees start their workday as early as 5-6am. This is employees for individual cities, counties, state, and federal government.

[MuffinCups]

Lie, why would you assume they have special jobs. They work everywhere, at small & large companies, warehouses, hospitals.

You want to know how they can maintain a job and be at the game by 4:00 PM? They leave work early.

In my 30 years of working I have never heard a manger tell a parent they could not leave work for a sporting event or after school activity for their child. Maybe they make up the hours other days.

[Drowningintherain2]

Originally Posted by Lienyie

We have been in Temecula for under two years. We have a children that play fastpitch softball, little league baseball, youth soccer, and pop warner football. Every league has "volunteer" managers, usually dad of pitcher, catcher, or quarterback to get more play time. Where do these dads work where they can be at practices and games at 4pm during the week? Then at 5pm when game starts the stand is full of more dads? After two years I noticed alot of parents are home at early afternoon hours. I am new to the area and I did not know the area well. My husband who is a Marine at Camp Pendleton who is home in time to kiss their child to bed, thinks most are unemployed. It really angers him that while he is pulling double duty most are going on sitting on two to three years unemployment benifets and family home life. I want to prove him wrong that these parents are not milking the system for years and are working. But, I took my son to Murietta skatepark yesterday at 4pm and it was full of fastpitch softball teams, and lost dream dads yelling at their daughters to run faster. I am for Detroit. Is there a factory around here, or mid shift jobs, or that many work own hours oportunities. Just trying to cool my Marines temper down as he heads off to Afganistan again as any history major knows it is a tool to build the us economy.

Your husband sounds really judgemental. I think he should concern himself with his own affairs and mind his own buisness. Sounds like he is just jealous that many other dads have a schedule more flexible than his.

[Twinkle Toes]

Forgot to add this in my previous post ...

Hubby and I are both lawyers in private practice, so we can set our own schedules. Most of the people we live around and a lot of our friends are self employed as well and set their own schedules too. And, like a lot of posters have said - a lot of people work jobs with different shifts, so they are able to do things during the time of day that the OP's husband is at work.

Wait - didn't the OP say that her husband attends the games too? How did HE get the time off to go to the game? He must be slackin'!!!

[bouncethelight]

You know, I don't know a single person who works the old traditional 9-5 shift? Everyone I know owns their own business, or works from home, or sets their own schedule, or works part-time by choice.

Nothing wrong with 9-5 - but it's not the only way!

[bouncethelight]

I think it's also worth mentioning that Temecula has a lot of commuters who work in San Diego - and many of them go into the city very early in the morning, and leave work in mid-afternoon to beat the traffic. If you've ever been on the 15 at 5PM, you know it's definitely something you want to avoid!

[Bluesmama]

Originally Posted by Lienyie

We have been in Temecula for under two years. After two years I noticed alot of parents are home at early afternoon hours. My husband who is a Marine at Camp Pendleton who is home in time to kiss their child to bed, thinks most are unemployed. It really angers him that while he is pulling double duty most are going on sitting on two to three years unemployment benifets and family home life.

I don't think either of you are being too judgmental, and some of the posters on here need to take a chill-pill.

You're in a whole new environment where the way of life is obviously different from what you were used to, so it's natural to be very curious. Those who offered suggestions that would allow flexibility for "soccer dads" were all viable. Military dads don't have the luxury of flexibility.

And if some are indeed fudging the system, then just consider yourselves fortunate that your husband is employed and let it go.