The world doesn't owe you just because you have chosen to reproduce.

I really resent the poster who said 'oh you can work christmas but then you can get new years off to go drink an get drunk.' Do you think that if you don't have kids you're of course some drunken frat boy just looking to party? I'm 43 and I don't have kids and I want the holiday off because I like having the extra day off. I don't care if I'm sleeping all day- my reasons are mine and shouldn't have to be explained to anyone as being more or less worthy. I'm also not being selfish because I want to go 'party'. The problem is the company forcing people to work on those days. Don't take out your frustration toward the company on the people you work with because they got it off and you didn't. It's not their fault and they shouldn't be penalized for the company's greed. I get wanting to have holiday with your kids while they're young but if it THAT important to you then you should try to find a job that isn't open on holidays-which is the real problem.

This happened to me. I’m originally from the UK and was not as aware of spring break holidays when I moved to the US for my work. I was told by my psycho boss that I was being disrespectful of my peers with children when I took time off to see family back home during spring break since I didn’t have kids. I was embarrassed, disgusted, and hurt and quite soon after.

I work every other Christmas day and i will not work for someone because they chose to have kids. If you don't want to work Christmas find another job or work in a school to have the kids holidays off. Making memories with children are not any more important than me making memories with my family. Also for the first few years the kids don't even know what the day is anyway so it can easily be pushed to the day after without them even aware of it

This happened to me once. Walked out of that job and into another one. Bought a gold wedding band at Walmart, borrow pictures of the neighbor's kids put it in my wallet, told everyone I was married. Are refused to have my vacation time put on the back burner to somebody else's needs.

what's all this talk all about, I don't care about you or your kids, my time off is mine and mine alone, f*ck off

I'm a mother of two and a bartender, Thursday night is my regular shift. Guess who worked Thanksgiving? Me, because I'm not pawning that off on anyone else, we ALL have families, in one form or another, mine is no more or less important. This mentality is absurd

Managing time and organising holidays are big challenges as a parent but that's just it - they're the parents challenges and they need to ensure they meet them. And not by guilt triping their coworkers into helping them.

I think the bottom line here is everyone has lives outside of work and you never know how long you have with your loved ones regardless if they are kids or not. It does not mean those memories are less valid than those with children. As I said you don't know how long you have. Edit: Companies have added to the issue. I worked somewhere and when I found out about my brothers death there response was to work it will take your mind off of it. I did not get a time to grieve and as of now I don't think I have properly grieved. I just don't want anyone to go through the same thing.

Edwina at the top? You don't have to miss your kids opening present of you didn't get the time off you. Unless you are working a straight 72+ hours you can watch your kids open presents. Christmas Eve day morning afternoon night christmas day morning afternoon night....

Someone may not have children, but they ARE someone's child. And because of growing up and having to live their own life, probably don't get so see their own parents much. Time off should never be prioritized for people that have children simply because they have children

Yeah, no. Forget them kids. I have a family too and I WILL be spending time with them, thank you very much.

When I was child-free, I didn't mind not taking annual leave during summer-in the UK, schools are off for 6 weeks over summer and taking vacations then is usually more expensive and resorts are full of kids, so I was happy taking leave at other times. I was also happy being on call over Christmas, because I don't celebrate it. But I have to say, I found that colleagues who were parents were far more likely to abuse leave policies than those who weren't. Maybe I just had selfish colleagues, but we had one with 3 children who routinely arrived late and left early to collect her kids from school (whilst being paid for a full day's work, and with sanction from our line manager, who was a friend of hers, because 'it's difficult being a mother'). We had another who refused to use her annual leave to take her kids to the dentist/doctor/meetings at school etc and instead insisted this was an emergency, even for preplanned visits. I don't mind working with parents, but some take the p**s.

I had a job once where we switched out working weekends and on Father's day weekend I overheard my supervisor telling someone they could put me on to work as I didn't have a father. (My dad had died some months before.) I still can't believe she said that.

If you can't keep it in your pants, at least keep it out of my vacation calendar.

With or without kids shouldn’t matter, whoever asked for it off first. The worst though was when I went into labor over a holiday weekend and they told my husband too bad, other coworkers had already asked for the weekend off. He dropped me at the hospital, used his lunch break to come for the delivery. I had to find a ride home the next day. That is another scenario, but that, and emergencies (death, medical, etc) are the only situations that should take priority.

I had a job where the manager could not/would not have a set schedule for anyone but one guy. I didn't care what he did, but I wanted it then be a 'cookie cutter' M,T 6-2 Th 10-4 Sat 2-10pm and rinse/repeat each week. So I could then schedule my home life around work. BUT NO, each week was different, try to figure out when I could or would attend games for one daughter and be able to get the other one to her lessons. I didn't last,but 5 weeks. Too much chaos for home life.

"Think about that child's memories" .... how bout no? I didn't tell you to have kids. I didn't knock you up! Your kids rent my fucken problem! Lol. It's not my responsibility to plan my PTO for another person. Why in the f**k would I plan my own time off around another persons schedule just because I don't have kids? If you want those days off... request them off first. Otherwise f**k off! Why should you get preferential treatment when I put in my request weeks or months before you? So Im supposed to plan my vacation days.. hwhich I requested off accordingly...) & then change all of my plans at the drop of a hat just because Kathy didn't follow protocol & just assumed that she could f**k up my days off all because she has kids? Ya.. no. I don't think so! What about my memories? What about the valuable time I have left with my own parents? Don't you think my parents want to their kids on the holidays!? Why are your kids or family more important than anyone else's? Why

1. Absolutely request days when the school calendar rolls out. Plan better. 2. Remember that not everyone is going on vacation during spring break, it's that somebody has to be home to watch the children.

I mean, what about the parents of the child free person? How can they spend their holiday with their adult child if the child is working? My mom still wants us to come visit during Christmas and summertime. I have no kids, my brother has two, and those are the times of year we get to visit with each other (and March break.) Fortunately we are all teachers, but my dad wasn't. His schedule rotated so one year he'd be off for Christmas, and the next year he'd be on call (he worked for the natural gas supplier in town, so only needed to work in case of emergencies on holidays, same thing with weekends and nights, two people always had to be on call in case someone smelled a leak.)

No children by choice here. When I was a bartender and single I always volunteered to work holidays. I did Christmas or T-Day on the following Saturday. So I got an actual weekend free and coworkers could spend the holiday with kids and family and people are generous with tips and gifts when you're working a holiday. Then I got married and settled into an office job. Female coworker had a tradition of day after thanksgiving shopping with her adult daughter so I worked. I moved departments and the young lady I worked with was divorced with young child. I worked whatever holiday her son had off so she could spend time with him. I never scheduled vacations around spring break times anyway because everything was more expensive and booked. I'm an off season tourist. NYC in February is cheaper and less crowded. September and October at the beach or in Canada is also a good time because all the kids are back in school and it's hurricane season on the coast. Just get travel insurance 😉

As a person with three kids I absolutely agree that I should not get priority and that child free people should get the time they want off, too, BUT the one little spammer in the works is CHILD CARE. I had to squeeze out some extra time off last school holidays because our usual vacation care changed there hours and we were unable to get spots anywhere else. They also close for 4 weeks over Christmas, assuming that parents’ workplaces are shut down then (I’m a nurse - mine doesn’t). Arranging around childcare is an absolute nightmare, sometimes.

If I know I want a holiday off, I book it off months in advance. I have heard other coworkers complain that they had to work a holiday. I tell them that they should book it off, months in advance. If you can't do that, then stop complaining, because it is your own fault you have to work.

As a single, child-free person, I already pay more taxes to support other people's kids. You're not getting my time off, too. 👎

Why would you need time off and not request it in advance? They literally give you a whole calendar of school days off when school starts. If you want those days off take that thing straight in way back in August and start getting it worked out instead of trying to put people out like you didn't know they get a week off for spring break, Christmas, etc the day before it happens. I used to work at a place that gave holidays off based on seniority and the employees picked their top 3 and they made sure everyone got at least one. I thought that worked pretty well and was fair...however, most of us worked the holidays though bc we worked for tips and it was the busiest time of the year. As a parent and an employee, you literally go into a job knowing you won't get to spend as much time with your child as a SAHP would. That's just the facts, regardless of whether you are there bc you want to be or bc you have to be.🤷🏼

Ask for the time in a timely manner..it is not my problem if you can't do that..and YES..I have kids..2 of them

I requested PTO 6 months in advance for an out-of-state family wedding, with flight/hotel/car rental all booked, and my request was approved. 1 month before event date, boss told me that a coworker wanted PTO during that timeframe. I told him of all my pre-arrangements, so he told coworker "no-go" for them!!!!!

We don't have kids. However I work in a school, so my husband likes to book his days off in school holidays. A few times, he has been asked to swap by someone with kids, more often than not he agrees provided he is asked nicely and before we have booked something. It's a pain only getting holidays when kids are off because a lot of stuff is more expensive. Luckily, he and his co-workers talk about holiday plans in a friendly manner. As his family is in a different country, he is very firm about his summer but in return he checks with others before things like Christmas and Easter.

When my children were younger, we drew holidays with the caveat that no person worked the same holiday two years in a row. For the most part we worked what we drew w/o complaint. After my children grew up if a co-worker with small children drew Christmas morning, I always offered to switch with them. But that was my choice, not a requirement