Still here. Still not detached... (Part 2)

[Chris73]

Curious because I am working on mine right now too and know you also commute with a demanding job.

Hi Gordie. The schedule is definitely a challenge for me.

My time with the kids starts with picking them up from school on Thursdays. This is never a problem since I work from home on that day. Then I have them Thursday and Friday night every week. Then, every other weekend they stay with me until Monday morning. This past weekend was one of those. On the weekends when my W has them, I still have them until Saturday afternoon bc my W works Saturdays.

The big problem is that my job does not allow me to work from home on Fridays. This means that I have commute into the city via train (an hour each way) to work for 4 hours before turning around to head back in time to pick them up from school. In order to work a half day on Friday, I have to make up the extra 4 hours on M/T/W. But the good news is that our work from home policy is evolving and I'm hopeful that they'll change the no-Fridays rule within the next year. That would help immensely!

Exchanging the kids on the "neutral ground" of school really helps. Goodbyes aren't too emotional (for the kids at least!) and I don't have to cross paths with my W too often.

When the summer comes, things will have to change. But I'm also hoping that as time goes by and our new family dynamic becomes normal, I will petition for more of a 50/50 split with a once/week exchange. Time will tell...