My normal pickup time to get the kids is 6pm.

Is it weird to feel guilty that I left work at 4:30p to run some errands before coming back to work to get them at 6?

I feel a little guilty but at the same time I'm paying for the daycare whether they stay 8 or 9 hours. Might as well take advantage of the free time (baby-free), right?

Oh, it's on-site work daycare. I do morning drop off and evening pick up every day.

Maybe I could have been nice and let my kid's teacher go home early before the holidays. I didn't. (My kids weren't the only ones there that late.) When we take this kids out of daycare in 2 weeks (switching to an au pair), I do plan on getting a gift for all the teachers that watched them during our stay at this daycare.

I do appreciate the daycare and the teachers there.