Does anyone work 2nd shift (evening shift)?

onetwofree

I'm corrently working 4 days a week, day shifts.  I don't get to see the kids in the morning and when I get home, I have maybe 1 hour with them before it's time to prepare dinner, eat, bath, bedtime, etc.

I'm considering applying for a full time evening shift position. I'm not sure what the hours are like. It can be either 5 - eight hour shifts, 3-11PM. 4 - 10 hour shifts or 3- twelve hour shifts. 

My kids are up by 7 and we're completely out of the morning naps thing.  So I can get a good 4-5 hours in the morning with them and I'll be able to drop off DS at school (which I enjoy) and possibly also do pickup at 12 depending on how their shifts run.

I figured, either way, I'll never get to do both drop off and bedtime.  And for the first few years, bedtime was more important, especially with DD being an infant/young toddler.  Now, they're so independent at bedtime...the just climb into bed themselves and tuck themselves in.  I feel like I'm not needed as much at night.

Just wondering how and if you like working evening shifts

littlemac1117

I work the closing/pre-closing schedule, which means I start work between 1 and 4pm, and I am off between 7 and 930pm. (I don't have a set schedule within those times.) I like it because I get to spend the morning/afternoon with DS, we get to play, eat breakfast and lunch together, and some days I leave for work when he is taking his nap.I do miss bedtime, but he is also getting to a point where he isn't super snuggly at night, he just gets in bed and goes to sleep (on good nights haha)

My H works the opposite shift as me, so he usually works from 6 to about 230pm (We work for the same company, and our bosses are awesome and create our schedules together so that one of us is always home with DS. We are really lucky.) I also love it because I am not a morning person, so I get to be at home to start my day slowly, and I don't have to go to bed that early.

seamco12

Dh and I both work swing,311. It works very well for us. However The children are on our schedule. They get up at 12 pm. Nap at 5 and go to bed at 12:30 am.
In the beginning we tried to keep them on a straight schedule. It diddnt work because no matter what they would get up when we got home.
Now it's great though, we do mornings and nighttime routine together everyday, and we all get plenty of sleep.

wino2006

I work evening shifts as a nurse-3-11:30pm 3 nights one week, 4 nights the other (7 shifts in a 2 week period including every other weekend). I like them. I am more of a night owl. I HATE early morning wake-ups. DD1 starts school in a week and that is a drawback. Now I have to drag my a$$ out of bed by 7am (DD2 normally sleeps until 8:30am-9am and DD1 will watch cartoons in bed with me and drink her juice until I wake up completely). On the nights I work I am typically not asleep until 1:30-2am. I get home at 12am from work and need time to wind down so I can sleep. Without sleep I am not a nice person. The other thing that sucks is that I won't be able to see much of DD1 except for in the am getting ready for school on the days I work. I am also missing out of after school activities-soccer etc and it's hard to schedule a time for conferences on a night I don't work. On the plus side I get to help with school events during the day and it's easy to schedule appts/run errands during the day when it's not busy. Eventually when DD2 starts school I would like to switch to days, but both DH and I would have to start at 7am and it's hard to find before school care at 6:30am. Aside from all of that....I love evenings, but there is no way I could do it full time. At least on my nights off I can spend time with DD1 and get to bed at a decent hour.

 

ETA: This has put a huge dent in my relationship with DH since he works days we don't see each other at all on the days I work. I call him on my supper break, but it's not the same.