Of course you can take parental leave and continue to send your kids to a child minder, crèche or school. No one is going to police how much time you spend with your child while on parental leave (well the other parent might!).
If you want to head off on a solo holiday without the kids while on parental leave go for it. If you think that is against the spirit of the leave allowance then take annual leave and when you are on your family holiday take parental leave.
If when you take parental leave you get the opportunity to spend more time with them in the mornings and evenings, dropping and collecting them then that is very valid and many parents often express a desire to be there when they come out of school or pre school. So go for it!
If when you take parental leave you get the opportunity to spend more time with them in the mornings and evenings, dropping and collecting them then that is very valid and many parents often express a desire to be there when they come out of school or pre school. So go for it!
This is more along what I was planning to do, but was worried because it wouldn't be a care emergency. My kids are growing up so fast, just want to see them a bit more before they don't want to be seen with me and to make time for them to spend time with their grandparents that live in another country.
Parental leave is not appropriate for a care emergency, it must be applied for well in advance, reviewed and approved by the employer, and that can all take weeks in some cases. Emergency care is usually a more immediate and unforeseen need and force majeure, as @becky mentions above, applies there. Your employer should have a force majeure policy in place, might be useful to review that so you know the score should the need ever arise.