Those Of You With Your Own Young Children In Your Care

[EchoMom]

My kiddo gets first dibs at me during daycare and after. If she needs me, she gets me and the other kiddos have to wait. That might seem harsh to some, but the reality is I am a mother first and a daycare provider second.

This is my kid's house, I am her mom... I won't treat her as a daycare child.

I agree. People can like it or not, agree or not, but I think this is pretty well said. I provide excellent care for the children I have, but they are at daycare. It's a great daycare, they have excellent toys, activities, friends, meals, etc. But it's not their home. It's a 2nd home, but it's not their home. Their parents (NOT judging, just reality) CHOSE (for whatever reason, doesn't matter to me, I don't mind) to both work and send their child to someone NOT their parent NOT at their own home to be cared for. That's fine, and they have an excellent time, but that was not MY choice.

I turned my home upside down and reconstructed my whole career/life in order to be home with my DS but still work. To not miss anytime with him. To know exactly what's happening in his early years.

So not everything is exactly the same for my DS and the DCKs. But I think that's fair. Fair doesn't mean same, IMO.

My DS doesn't nap in daycare room, he naps in our King bed. He gets more turns on the trampoline, because it was his birthday present. He gets to eat the ripe tomatoes from the plants because it is his garden. The DCKs know that my DS is my son and sometimes he gets "special" and they know it's because "DS lives here." None of them are suffering because of that.

However, my DS still has to share. He still has to be nice. He still can't hit or be wild. He still has to help and clean up. He still has to wait if someone NEEDS me more than he WANTS me. He still knows that I hold babies and feed babies and have to clean up and am busy sometimes.