"I raised my kids on the bus": transit shift workers' coping strategies for parenting

Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, Sept, 2002 by Blanche Grosswald

Even drivers whose spouses worked standard hours were able to enjoy some benefits vis-a-vis caring for children if their schedules were complementary. Several fathers whose wives worked days talked of attending parent-teacher meetings, taking children to doctors' appointments, and cooking meals for them, activities scheduled during the daytime. Complementary shifts have the advantage that children can be with a parent more of the time, but the disadvantage that the couple and family as a whole cannot spend much time together.

Extended Family, Friends, and Neighbors For drivers with employed spouses, outside child care was a necessity. Drivers relied on grandparents, aunts, other relatives, friends or neighbors for a certain amount of child care. Summer holidays were problematic for drivers, as they are for many working parents. Many sent children to retired grandparents living in other cities during summer vacations. Although more common among African American families, reminiscent of Stack's (1996) research on ties between black extended families in the South and North, white drivers reported this practice too.

Siblings as Surrogate Parents A number of drivers reported leaving an older sibling in charge of younger children, with varied consequences. One African American mother of five relied on a complicated plan involving school for four children part of the day, her 16-year-old daughter doing some child care, her 12-year-old son helping with two younger siblings, a neighbor, and a paid sitter.

A white mother of five, with a husband currently retired from a military, nontransit, shift job, considered her 11-year-old daughter's experience as substitute parent a learning exercise and good training for independence and self-sufficiency. This mother described how her daughter's role of parent to younger siblings did not require any special prompting:

   She always felt responsible for her little brothers and sisters. She got a
   kick out of being the momma. Even when she's outside playing and I'd be at
   home, she'd still be the momma. So it worked out for me.

This example illustrates both the delegating of child care responsibility to a sibling, and possibly Hochschild's (1997) "needs reduction" theory in the mother's underlying assumption that the 11-year-old needs limited care herself and is ready to provide care to others.

One father spoke of a permanent resentment on the part of two younger sisters toward the oldest due to her having had control over her siblings while both parents worked. Years later, as adults, the sisters still reverted to a relationship based on the unequal power they had as children.

   The oldest ... is the one that got stuck with that surrogate parent
   role.... She was in charge and she was the parent without real
   authority.... So they seem to fight a lot--even now.... It's very easy for
   them to break back in that relationship.... That probably wouldn't exist as
   bad as it was if it wasn't for the way the job happened.

This example illustrates the potential long-lasting effects of altered authority roles within a family as an adjustment to demands of shift work.