Liz Atwood is back with another Tween Tuesday:

Field days, field trips, concerts. This is a crazy time of year. I recently dashed out of work in time to attend my older son's band concert, but was disappointed to discover that my digital camera battery wasn't charged. In the next three weeks I'll be helping chaperone a field trip, taking the morning off to go to a end-of-the-year party and trying to squeeze in time to attend another concert. I'm debating whether to also help with field day because apparently the school desperately needs parent volunteers.

So what's a parent to do? We don't want to miss these moments in our kids' lives, but there's no question they play havoc with work schedules and child-care for younger siblings. How many of us have skipped work for a day or a few hours to watch our kids take the stage for 10 minutes? What's been your experience? How have your bosses responded?

Photo: Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun