(MCT) — With their patience growing increasingly thin, Chicago parents continue to grapple with child care issues and ways to keep their kids busy as the teachers strike enters its second week.

The work stoppage, which took place one week after most students started the new school year, now promises to keep families in limbo until at least Wednesday and leaves many in the lurch. Without offering an opinion on the specific sticking points, several parents voiced frustration with the educators' willingness to shutter schools amid the bitter contract battle.