How Hard Is Your Job?

[youretooloud]

It depends on the group. I have one hard child now, but she's been very sick, and it's probably going to be a while before she's feeling 100%. She was hospitalized, and she needs a lot of attention, and she also hated other adults because she assumes they are going to hurt her.

Other than that, this group is awesome and easy.

Honestly, I think this job is easy. I don't think I would have the energy to work at a center or outside the home, but even though I work very hard, at least I know I have the flexibility.

For instance, today, I don't really feel all that great. So, I'm going to let the kids watch tv for a while. Then, they can play playdough or color...but, I'm not planning on doing any projects. It's just going to be a freeplay day all day.

But, if I worked outside the home, or went to school fulltime, I think I'd have to stay home and rest up.

[christinaskids]

I think my own son is the worst part about my job honestly. He is 18 mos and is a little turkey. Throws fits all the time and screams constantly. Everytime i cook, he is throwing a tantrum the WHOLE TIME EVERYTIME cuz he really loves to eat and wants it now. Its hard to get him to go play cuz he doesnt want to play with toys, he wants to play with the toilet brush and clean the toilet like mommy does, he wants to sweep like mommy does. Hes constantly in the cupboards to play with the pots and pans and gets in the fridge to open food and pretend to cook like mommy does. I let him stir food as i cook sometimes and he wants to do it all the time. Ive called my hubby crying because of him before and when you add a colicky baby it is not fun. I hope he grows out of it soon. Aye.

[Ariana]

the hardest thing for me is the monotony and isolation. i love to learn new things, challenge myself with personal goals and have that daily interaction and change and that is all polar opposite of daycare.

This is exactly why I went back to university! It helps a LOT to have something mentally stimulating to look forward to!!

[Heidi]

I think my own son is the worst part about my job honestly. He is 18 mos and is a little turkey. Throws fits all the time and screams constantly. Everytime i cook, he is throwing a tantrum the WHOLE TIME EVERYTIME cuz he really loves to eat and wants it now. Its hard to get him to go play cuz he doesnt want to play with toys, he wants to play with the toilet brush and clean the toilet like mommy does, he wants to sweep like mommy does. Hes constantly in the cupboards to play with the pots and pans and gets in the fridge to open food and pretend to cook like mommy does. I let him stir food as i cook sometimes and he wants to do it all the time. Ive called my hubby crying because of him before and when you add a colicky baby it is not fun. I hope he grows out of it soon. Aye.

yeah...bench, chair, or playpen off to the side=crying spot. It's probably time! If you need to cry, you can cry here. I will come get you (or you can come back) when you are are done.

My dc twins are 18 mo's. They are also into everything they can get their hands on. There are a lot of closed doors and gates up in this house right now. I just started a crying spot because one cries at the table all the time, too, then gets everyone else going. I put him on the bench, and said "when you are done, you can come back to the table. This happened 3x in one day, twice during the same meal, and then he got it...no crying at the table bub!

[lovelife]

its not too bad now, I find that my job never ends. When I use to work, I can leave my job and go home, but now I feel like I never leave my job.

I feel the exact same way.

[cheerfuldom]

countrymom, I used to have a really hard time with that too. Its a whole new world when you have a dedicated daycare area. I close the door at the end of the day, head upstairs and I am home! I dont let the daycare kids run loose upstairs and get on the furniture so that area feels separate from daycare area.

[MNMum]

I've worked for 10 years as a NICU nurse. Always parttime after having children. So I'd work 2 or 3 days at the hospital, then come home and "work" taking care of the kids, house, husband. Now I'm doing daycare 4 days/week.

Is it harder? Yes. I don't sit down except to give a bottle (and that is always interrupted with walking bottle feeding to deal with something else) from 7am-1:30pm.

More stressful? Right now it is. I'm new at this, so figuring out what rules I want parents to abide by has been difficult. I've been a pushover most of my life and while I want to help out the working parents...they are going to have to pay for the extras. The babies have been REALLY HARD! I'm not very good at tuning out loud screaming babies. My own three children rarely cried, and never to the point of me not being able to figure out what they needed. Personally, I think babies should be with their mommies, but our society has nixed that for so many babies.

On the other hand, at the hospital, sometimes I wouldn't sit for 8 hours straight, except to put a few numbers into the chart. At least I'm at home, occasionally getting a few home things done, and not having to commute. I'm doing this as much for my husband as I am for myself, and my children. I think it's made his working life a little easier, and lightened his load at home. And my children are getting a lot out of it. My 9 yo and 5 yo daughters love to "run" the daycare when they are home (and they are good at it!) My 2 yo asks about his friends when they aren't here on the weekends.

As for money...I'm working about twice as many hours to break even with my RN job...

[wdmmom]

The benefits to working from home by far outweigh being in the working field. Here I can "show up for work" without having my hair combed and be wearing sweats. I don't have to worry about a boss liking me or being written up for bologna reasons. If there's something I don't like, I know it's up to me to change it and I like having that choice.

The downfalls are not being able to leave, having to do all the shopping in the little off time you have, working long hours, and don't even get me going on the germs!

But, I'm making more money from home than I would in the working world, I'm home if my own kids need me and I'm able to keep up on the housework!

I can't even imagine my life being gone from the house 10 hours a day, coming home, tending to the housework, dinner, etc. I think that would be more nerve wracking!

[saved4always]

I was an AVP for a very large worldwide bank before I chose to stay home to care for my own children (actually- didnt have much of a choice, my daughter was the one that wouldn't cut it in daycare). Anyway, I can tell you that it is MUCH MUCH MUCH EASIER to take your children to the sitters everyday, go to work, and then pickthem up at the end of the day. MUCH easier.

In the corporate world, if you work hard, you get recognition, praise, awards, raises, promotions, etc. You get a lunch break (which I would use to work out), and lots of mini-breaks throughout the day. You get a quiet car ride (if you choose), to be alone in your car on the way to work, and have time to yourself to just think. You get to dress up and wear cute clothes that won't be messed up chewed up goldfish and milk. So much easier! And even though I worked 45-50 hours a week, it wasn't so bad, because I could directly see my income increasing. I had the power to make $100 an hour if I wanted to...

I now make $3.33 per hour per child. I wake up earlier. My days are longer. I do not get a lunch break, I do not get to wear cute clothes or socialize. I do not get promotions, or raises (unless I give them to myself). I do not get to exercise in the middle of the day. I do not get alone time. I do not even know what quiet time is...

BUT.... I do get to see my child take her first steps and say her first word. I do get to read to her all day, every day (thats her favorite right now). I have become a pretty good cook! I have become "domesticated." AAAK! I am teaching my 3 year old to read and write. I have taught my 1 year old to sign. And I get to teach a lot of other children the same thing! There are lots of rewards to this job, and the best is that I can stay home with my kids, which are the most precious treasures of all.

So... is childcare easier? HECK NO! But is it a lot more meaningful? Yep! We get to shape the future, one child at a time.

I feel the same way you do...it was often easier in the corporate world (definitely much more $$ and often more praise) and much less lonely with all the coworkers to talk to and I usually enjoyed my 45 minute commute so I could listen to my books on tape. I started doing the childcare in my home gig a couple years after I quit my job to stay home with my newborn daughter. There are times it is easier or more difficult depending on how many kids I have. Now I only have 3, no infants, so it is a very enjoyable, easier season. My daughter is now in school (actually for years now....she is in 4th grade...!) so I may re-enter a workplace soon. I love the children I watch but it may be time soon to get out of my house to do my job.

[saved4always]

countrymom, I used to have a really hard time with that too. Its a whole new world when you have a dedicated daycare area. I close the door at the end of the day, head upstairs and I am home! I dont let the daycare kids run loose upstairs and get on the furniture so that area feels separate from daycare area.

This is what I do now, too. I have moved most of the toys and supplies to my finished basement (that my family rarely uses). We use my front room (used to be my rarely used dining room, now a "sitting room") for drop off and pick up, the kitchen for snack and lunch and the basement play room for everything else. I only keep one basket of toys on the first level to keep the childern occupied for drop off and pick up so there is not much on the main level to "hide" so it is back to "my house" after the kids leave. So much better than when I used to use mostly my main part of the house.happyface

[MsMe]

I am the opposite as most of you! I find Daycare SO much more stimulating and exciting then office work.

I started college as for Elem Ed. I worried that I would be a 'bad' teacher and switched to Accounting three years in. I got a job with a small builing company and did reception and accounting work for 6 months before I went completley NUTS!!!! It was SOOO quite, cold, and BORING (oh and I hated the dressing up everyday too! ). There were a few ladies there that were nice enough but I knew after a few months sitting behind a desk was NOT for me. Thankfully my Mother had the great idea of opening a daycare home and I quit the VERY NEXT DAY!!!

Stressfull --Yes Sometimes under apperciated--YES but so so so happy to never have to sit behind a desk every again. I need to play, laugh, move, be messy, silly, and comfy.


The best part is I haven't even gotten around to having my own kids yet!!! The best part is yet to come!

[Angelmichelle]

I'm just now going back to daycare. For the past two and a half years I've been working as a pediatric nurse; I've worked on a brain trauma injury unit with pediatrics on a 3:1 ratio (at the busiest point) and as a private duty nurse in pediatric patient homes on a 1:1 basis. Both of those jobs were fun, challenging, exciting, and except for the occasional code or non-operational/dysfunctional vent not very stressful. I recall daycare being much more stressful for many, many reasons: the non-payment of some parents, the inspections, the paperwork, the rude parents, the unruly children (not many, but enough)... the list goes on. I enjoyed what I did, I did it well and I was sad when I had to close up. Despite what I may have felt like on a bad day I also felt like I made a difference. I was able to keep my house, be home with my children, and make a livable wage. When my husband and I decided to re-open our home our children were ECSTATIC. That means it's more than worth the added stress for no other reason than knowing that I am doing what's truly best for my family.

[JenNJ]

Very unstressful! :: I have an excellent group of parents and kids who know the routine.

I come from a background of retail, waiting tables, and working the 2.5-3.5 year old room in a center. At the center, I had 2 pothead assistants, so I did it ALL myself without a lunch break (never left the kids alone with those two!). I had 26 kids in that class and worked 10 hours a day. That was stressful!

[Countrygal]

In relation to other jobs you have had, how hard or stressful would you say being a daycare provider is? For me, it is pretty stressful working so many hours and constantly dealing with difficult kids but it works for me and i make more than if i worked outside the home. I often have 10-12 kids (the max) and its hard for me to keep them constantly entertained and from tattling on each other. Its not so bad in the summer, this job is way fun in the summer with all the outings! What about for you?

Well, I've only been doing it for four months now (third time in my life). I've worked all service-oriented jobs, a lot of retail and food, and three professional jobs.

In the retail and food my stress was not due to customers, but to bosses. On a scale of 0(lowest) to 10(highest stress), I'd give my retail and food service jobs an 8 - 9.

Along the professional vein, the stress was created by a push to succeed, do better, do more, etc, etc (I am a driven person ) and dealing with employess. Rate it a 7.

In-home Daycare? So far a 2. Only that high because SAHM was a definite 1 for me! I'll deal with the late payments, the parents cancelling at the last minute, the drop-ins, sick kids, etc, etc, all in order to be home and be training young minds again! LOVE IT!!!! The more you love it, the less stress it is!

In the summer I thoroughly expect it to drop to a 1!!!!

However, if I didn't have the wonderful dcparents I do, it would definitely be higher, but NEVER as high as working outside the home was! Not for me!

[AfterSchoolMom]

I'm down to one infant, so right now it's as UNstressful as can be. I am feeling the cabin fever after 7 months of just being a SAHM, but I'm able to get housework and things done during naptime...and there's a lot of naptime lately!

I've worked retail, waitressed, telemarketed, and spent four years as a real estate agent. This is the best job I've had so far. I'm also lucky right now that the family that I have is awesome. I think that makes ALL the difference (I've had some horrible DCP's in the past, and they really ruin the experience).