I don't share their circumstances because they're in finance whereas I'm the owner of a consulting business specializing in the facilitation of remote work for

I don't share their circumstances because they're in finance whereas I'm the owner of a consulting business specializing in the facilitation of remote work for other companies (including some of theirs). So although my calendar is marked busy for months out I'm pretty free to determine what 'busy' means, and can spend time with my kids under terms I thus see fit. Still, daycare is indeed important for social development, commuting is not, and dead time in the car is a waste of both time and money. On that note, per the other comment, the family I'm referring to all live in midtown manhattan where nannies and au pairs are the norm, and socialization amongst such families comes with the ecosystem. I assume people who have nannies in other built-up regions operate the same way, but maybe your mileage does vary.