Childcare for RS/YW activity

[amonson714]

I am the RS pres. in a twig of a branch. We are having a combined activity with RS & YW next month. Due to the inadequacy of our rented building we are holding the activity at a member's house. Her basement isn't kid friendly due to remodeling the basement. Can I have some advice for how to provide childcare for the sisters? If we don't have childcare a lot of the sisters might not show up.

[Leah]

Are the husbands/fathers not capable of watching their own children for a few hours, so that their wives might participate in a church activity?

[Guest]

Husbands work, women are single, soldiers are deployed, etc. It's never been easy for me to go to RS meetings with the hours my husband works.

 

Is there someone who lives near the house where the activity, who would be willing to provide space for childcare? 

[char713]

Arrange a swap with another branch in your district? If their sisters will watch a group of your branch's kids (only those kids whose fathers or older brothers can't take charge) you will do the same for them at a later date so they can hold a similar activity of their own. 

[Jane_Doe]

Since the host's basement is not child-friendly, why not have the kids play outside, supervised by a few of the men in the ward?

[Leah]

Husbands work, women are single, soldiers are deployed, etc. It's never been easy for me to go to RS meetings with the hours my husband works.

 

Is there someone who lives near the house where the activity, who would be willing to provide space for childcare? 

 

Huh.  I thought most activities were in the evening, when a lot - if not most - husbands are home.

 

I never hear of the men asking/worrying/wondering who is going to watch the kids if they attend a meeting or activity. It seems like women are always expected to figure out the childcare thing if they want to do something...men...not so much.

 

Women work, men are single, female soldiers are deployed, etc.  Are there NO men around?  Surely there are some dads and/or young men around who could step up and take the child-care burden off the women for a couple of hours.

[mdfxdb]

The men can suck it up, and make it work....or get a real baby sitter.

[hagoth]

I have been in wards where I and other dads have helped watch kids during women's functions. Is there a lack of available manpower in your branch?

[amonson714]

Thank you for all of your responses. There is an option of swapping with a ward 2 hours away...A lot of the fathers/husbands work in the evening or travel for work. We could just ask the sisters to find their own childcare, but this would put off a lot of them from coming. Another option is to ask the priesthood to volunteer 2 men to watch the kids at someone's house or the church. I was told that there must be priesthood at every church activity but I can't find in the red handbook where it supports this. Does there need to be priesthood when the acticity is held in a member's home or only the church building?

[amonson714]

We also only have 1 young man in our branch. There is a lack of man power in our branch. There are only 2 men who might be available to watch the kids, but they also live over an hour away.

[Backroads]

While I get it that there's a chance no men might be available (and no amount of whining about it will change that) it might be worth approaching the priesthood about this.

I also might add that I've been in wards where it's not so much about needing child care as it is about getting the little ones together to play for an evening.

[Guest]

The days that a man can support a family by clocking out at 5 every day are long gone. It's about working your tail off just to keep your job. I know when my husband was employed, he rarely got home before 7, and frequently after the kids were in bed, and that was on salary and just to hold on to his position. 

 

The fact is, men have the responsibility of providing, and women have the responsibility of seeing that the children are cared for. Those are our traditionally given roles, which most LDS families follow. So saying "just let the men take care of it" is simplistic.

 

I don't know why that's offensive, except that it seems like people make it a hobby of looking for reasons to be offended. Personally I have enough real stress in my life without creating more reasons to tie myself in knots. 

[amonson714]

Eowyn I don't think your comment is offensive, just realistic.

I'm done trying to plan the activities when it's convenient for everyone, because realistically it's NEVER convenient for everyone. We plan what we plan and hope for the best. The priesthood should support the RS and the other way around. I applaud wards where the men were able to step up and sacrificed their time and sanity to watch a gaggle of kids. My reality in my twig of a branch is that we're out in the middle of no where, the congregation is spread out for miles and we only have 8 active priesthood members. Not whining just stating the facts. I know we are supposed to have these activities to bring the sisters closer together and develop relationships. I will see what I can do about getting some men to "volunteer" to watch the kids.

[Bini]

So let's just pretend that NO men exist in this situation.

 

Could a relative or two (grandma, mother-in-law, sister) from another ward team up and watch the kiddos for a few hours during all this? This could be done at a designated home, or I guess, outside while everyone's inside (but that could pose a problem because littles - especially LITTLES - always tend to gravitate towards mama if she's nearby, so mama may not get anything done in that 2-3 hour session.)

[Bini]

Oh wait...this is a branch deal. So that covers just about everyone. Dunno then.

[Backroads]

Eowyn I don't think your comment is offensive, just realistic.

I'm done trying to plan the activities when it's convenient for everyone, because realistically it's NEVER convenient for everyone. We plan what we plan and hope for the best. The priesthood should support the RS and the other way around. I applaud wards where the men were able to step up and sacrificed their time and sanity to watch a gaggle of kids. My reality in my twig of a branch is that we're out in the middle of no where, the congregation is spread out for miles and we only have 8 active priesthood members. Not whining just stating the facts. I know we are supposed to have these activities to bring the sisters closer together and develop relationships. I will see what I can do about getting some men to "volunteer" to watch the kids.

 

Feeling you there and good luck.

 

I do hope you don't feel I said you were whining. I was rather referring to all those who insisted the menfolk just ought to do it and I feel that perhaps that just might not be an option.