I'm Very Grateful My Kids Are Not In Daycare

[Kiki]

Maybe it is just Monday....

It's just Monday!

[dave4him]

ITS THE reason i am home with my kids in the first place. But its been almost two years and unless i get some more kids to watch, im going to have to start thinking about putting my little ones in daycare! Which i am not looking forward to, so im hoping i can get some more kids soon

[SunshineMama]

GOOD! Because being a parent who has to work and who keeps her child home when she is sick, rarely gets a vacation day for something other than a sick child or because her provider is taking the day off, never complains about time her provider takes off, always pays on time, always asks about her child's day, always says thank you and tries to show appreciation, and never leaves her child in daycare a *second* more than she has to, it's really disheartening to come here and see the people you trust to care for your child talking about how much better they are than you. It's really hurtful.

You are definitely not the type of parent that we gripe about! I brag about my parents who come and pick up their sick kids and care for them You sound like a wonderful mother!

[Kaddidle Care]

I didn't have my children late in life for someone else to raise so I stayed home and did a bit of Childcare at that time. Funny thing is, where I work, the majority of us have never put our children in Daycare.

[Meeko]

I know perfectly well that some parents have no choice but to work hard and put their little ones in care. Nobody is disputing that. If someone works hard for 50 hours a week and uses that much day care...I don't have a problem with it. They are doing whatever it takes to pay the bills.

HOWEVER.....I think some of us here think it's sad when a parent works 30 hours a week and yet has their child in day care for 50.

I accept that maybe from time to time, a mom needs some time to get her hair cut, or visit the doctor or dentist. We all need some down time.

But for many moms (yes...I have had LOTS over the years), it is the norm to drop off when the day care opens and pick up when it closes....even though they only NEED care for half that time. I've had moms drop off at 6AM when they don't have to be at work until 10AM. Or pick up at 6PM on the nose, even though they were done working by 2PM. And for no other reason that they wanted to. No errands run, no appointments...just sat at home watching tv or whatever. Day in and day out. I've had children with me all day while their mother was at home ALL DAY. She'll drop off in her jammies and pick up in her jammies.

Now I could stop some of that if I did contracted hours....but I'm not the mommy police. I just wish more moms WANTED to be with their kids.

[Blackcat31]

...just for clarification....I did not think OP was talking about "those" kinds of parents.

I read: "I'm very grateful my kids are not in daycare

I am thankful to be providing daycare and having fun while I work....but I am very glad my kids do not have to be in daycare.

Am I a minority??? It seems as though it comes so easy for most parents to drop off their kids (most of the time earlier than they need to be dropped off) and never ask questions at pick up such as how were they today or what did they do? It just comes SOOO easy for them and I don't get it."

...as if leaving your child in care was as simple as getting a haircut or whatever.....the general tone of what I read was not at all pointed towards parents who leave their children everyday or all day when they aren't working. IMHO, it read it as if it was more geared toward the fact that parents use child care (easily) at all and are missing out on their children growing up.

[Blackcat31]

....and FWIW, I do think it is terribly sad that there are parents who work 30 hours a week and use 50+ hours of child care services.

I am sure some parents feel as though they are paying for it so why not use it (and all sorts of other excuses) but that wasn't the point I was trying to make.

[3girls]

Thats why I do HDC

I try to weed out "those" parents, but saw them all the time at the centers I worked it - I would say they are the norm at centers around here. All of my families right now stagger shifts to use as little DC as possible.

[My3cents]

ITS THE reason i am home with my kids in the first place. But its been almost two years and unless i get some more kids to watch, im going to have to start thinking about putting my little ones in daycare! Which i am not looking forward to, so im hoping i can get some more kids soon

What are you doing to advertise? What are you doing now to advertise?

I think you need to take a monday, and get out there and put your name out there, go meet and greet. Put up signs, introduce yourself to your competition and get a working relationship going with the public. Do you live in a neighborhood that has no kids? Too many daycares around you? You need to sike yourself up and get the ball rolling. Introduce yourself to the local schools. When your college student comes in to help you, get her out there advertising for you also, her first assignment. Best-

[My3cents]

This thread is mute in point- What does it matter the reason the child is in daycare. Bad parenting is bad parenting. We have all seen it. I like to think that MOST parent's love their children and are doing what is best for them. If they need time to themselves to be a better parent- so be it. We all have issues and our own quirks. As long as I am being paid and the child is being cared for all is well. If you resent the over time then put a price on it- if you feel the child is not well of from not seeing the parents, tell the parents. I see both points and I do feel for the child, but we are all different and our styles are different. Sometimes kids that are in daycare are prob better off then in the home life they have. sad but true

Just remember you are a difference maker esp in these growing years-

[Ariana]

...just for clarification....I did not think OP was talking about "those" kinds of parents.

I read: "I'm very grateful my kids are not in daycare

I am thankful to be providing daycare and having fun while I work....but I am very glad my kids do not have to be in daycare.

Am I a minority??? It seems as though it comes so easy for most parents to drop off their kids (most of the time earlier than they need to be dropped off) and never ask questions at pick up such as how were they today or what did they do? It just comes SOOO easy for them and I don't get it."[/I]

...as if leaving your child in care was as simple as getting a haircut or whatever.....the general tone of what I read was not at all pointed towards parents who leave their children everyday or all day when they aren't working. IMHO, it read it as if it was more geared toward the fact that parents use child care (easily) at all and are missing out on their children growing up.

See I thought she was qualifying it (those parents) by saying the bolded part above. This is why I was thinking she meant *those* parents. I guess it could be read both ways...

[JenNJ]

Wow. The judgment on this board towards working parents is disgusting lately. Between some of the views in this post and the vacation post, I can see that some people here really look down on woh parents. You all realize that these parents chose you to care for their kids and likely if they didn't most of you would need a job outside the home, right?

I feel very fortunate that I am able to stay home with my kids, but I know that not every parent is cut out to do that. My friend is a great mom, but she likes to work too. Work is fun for her and she likes that down time. It doesn't make her a bad parent. In fact, I think the fact she knows what her limitations are as a parent makes her a better parent. She doesn't have the patience to be with her kids 24/7. She knows how mentally and emotionally draining that kind of work is. And yes, parenting is hard work.

[DaisyMamma]

I just wanted to point out that if you own a daycare and your child is in it, then your child IS IN DAYCARE ::

[My4SunshineGirlsNY]

Maybe it's not fair for me to imply the parents don't care...the real feeling of my post was that it is VERY hard for ME to leave my kids, and when they were in daycare I asked a ton of questions at pick up because I worried about them so much....I have the severe separation anxiety issue and would of loved for dropping off my kids to be more natural instead of worry about if they were ok or if they were behaving, but I feel like a minority because dropping them off for someone else to care for them was extreemly difficult for me. Therefore I am greatful I don't have to drop them off at daycare and worry.

I should not imply the parents do not care...it just sometimes it feels that way because they don't ask questions about how they were or what they did or give me the feeling that they know what I do is hard work and they appreciate it. It is nice to know or hear that what I do as a daycare provider is appreciated by the parents. Know what I mean?

[youretooloud]

I suppose I can't speak for everyone but I don't think these are the type of parent we're talking about. There are plenty of parents who work and have their kids in care that are interested in their day when they pick them up, spend vacations with them and if they get an unexpected day off rush to pick them up so they can spend time with them. I would say 90% of parents are like this thankfully

I don't have a single parent who doesn't spend every possible moment with their kids. I have one parent with some major emotional problems, so she can't handle her kids anymore... but, 99.9% of my kids go home to parents who love to be with them....and, it shows too. My kids and their parents are really awesome.