Has Anyone Ever Just BEEN DONE With This DC Thing?

[Annalee]

I bet most people...whatever their job......have times when they feel like throwing in the towel.

I've been at this for about 28 years now. Some days I think I must be stark raving mad to do this for a living.

Last night, my four year old high functioning autistic DCB was heading out the door with his mom. He suddenly stopped...shouted "WAIT!" at his mom. When she asked why, he said "Coz I need to hug her!!" and came running back for a hug.

There is no other job in the universe, other than being a mother, that gives that kind of job satisfaction. He'll probably drive me crazy several times today, but I will remember last night and just count to ten!!!!!!

This job is frustrating at times (normally thanks to the parents and not the kids )........but it has the best rewards ever in other areas.

[Blackcat31]

!

This job is frustrating at times (normally thanks to the parents and not the kids )........but it has the best rewards ever in other areas.

Yes!! When I do close up shop someday it WILL be because of the parents. NOT the kids.

[Childminder]

I have been watching other peoples children for 49 years and have gone through cycles of burnout many times over the years, usually the times coincide with periods in my life when personal issues are not going well. This past winter was probably the worst ever.

Lately, in the past ten years, i find that the parents cause me wanting to quit. So many are inconsiderate, spoiled, entitled and dishonest and it has become more of the job to deal with them than the children. That and the State restricting our business so much.

I have 7 more years of dealing with the discontent and then I'm done. If DH had not lost his job in '08 or if he was able to make half of what he used to we could survive and I would be done. I know we can live at poverty level, it's not fun, but we can do it. We have been since '10.

[Annalee]

I have been watching other peoples children for 49 years and have gone through cycles of burnout many times over the years, usually the times coincide with periods in my life when personal issues are not going well. This past winter was probably the worst ever.

Lately, in the past ten years, i find that the parents cause me wanting to quit. So many are inconsiderate, spoiled, entitled and dishonest and it has become more of the job to deal with them than the children. That and the State restricting our business so much.

I have 7 more years of dealing with the discontent and then I'm done. If DH had not lost his job in '08 or if he was able to make half of what he used to we could survive and I would be done. I know we can live at poverty level, it's not fun, but we can do it. We have been since '10.

I like to call today's parents High-maintenance parents which leads to high-maintenance kids......wow, how times have changed!

[SignMeUp]

I bet most people...whatever their job......have times when they feel like throwing in the towel.

This is exactly why I have a problem with people who think childcare providers must be Happy in Their Job Every Single Second.

It is not a reasonable expectation. And it is not what I want to model to children, either as a parent, or as a childcare provider. What will these children think when they have 'negative' emotions? That they are lesser human beings? That they are incapable of the 'proper' emotions?

To expect to have only "happy happy joy joy" as an emotion is not what being a human being is all about. To me, it is about treasuring the happy times, and digging deep to find the skills necessary to survive the difficult times. You grow as a person when you survive tough times, whether that is physically, financially, emotionally, in job satisfaction or in personal satisfaction.

And hopefully those difficult times make the good times feel even better.

To the OP: None of that means that any individual should not make the choice to close their childcare if that is what is right for them!

[coolconfidentme]

Today I got a text with a pic from a DCM. It was her shoe DCG loosely tied for her, with the word THANKS! (we have been working on that one for awhile.) This is why I keep going...

[deliberateliterate]

This. Right. Now!!!! I'm only on year 2 and I dread every day. I feel like my house is never clean, toys. Toys. Everywhere! I have 3 kids of my own (3,5,7) and they don't even play with the toys in the playroom after daycare is done for the day. I'm sick of saying "don't talk with your mouth full" as I'm about to vomit because I just can't handle how disgusting it is watching one dck eat. Everyone seems to fight all day long. They're all just on each other's nerves and in turn it gets on my nerves.

If I could quit tomorrow, yea I would feel bad for my dcf's, but I'm not real sure how bad. I want to enjoy what I do and I'm just not.

A huuuge ditto to almost all of this. Except for me, it's one kid's constant boogers getting over all my stuff that grosses me out.

[SilverSabre25]

generally i feel that way anytime I have two poopy diapers, three crying kids, four children screaming, one nagging me for more food, two trying to get held at once and one asking me for permission to go poop....all at once. And I only have 5 of them. Do the math. ::

[SignMeUp]

generally i feel that way anytime I have two poopy diapers, three crying kids, four children screaming, one nagging me for more food, two trying to get held at once and one asking me for permission to go poop....all at once. And I only have 5 of them. Do the math. ::

:::::: I think my toughest year was the one that I had eight children. Seven in diapers

[melilley]

I go through that often and I have not been doing it long at all. ::

Same here. I've wanted to "quit" this whole week.

[melilley]

]Daycare is really all I know, and all I have done before and after college (many years ago at this point). [/B]I kind of feel stuck sometimes because the alternative is likely to go back to work for someone else in a center, making less money after I would have to pay for child care for my own children. I really think even when my kiddos are older, this might be the best gig around as far as being there for them when they get out of school, summers, etc.

I do regularly fantasize about getting rid of all this daycare stuff, and keeping my house CLEAN. I deep clean on Sundays, and I tell you, by Monday morning, someone has pooped and stunk up the whole house, someone pees on the floor or drops a cup filled to the brim with milk, and my hardwoods have taken a beating (despite area rugs).

I can relate to BC about being your own boss, I just can't work for someone else. Well, I have done it, but not for very long before I can't take it anymore. Some of us just have to be our own bosses, I guess ::

Same here. I have a degree in child development and I worked in a couple of centers for 14 years before opening my home dc and before that I nannied/babysat. I remember walking into my first interview and thinking "this is what I want to do for the rest of my life". Fast forward, I really hated working in a center (having a boss and having to do what they thought (corporate) was good for the children, but I swear corporate dc higher upers don't know squat about child care. It is nice to be able to spend time with the kids rather than having to please someone else with the bs things they want you to do that take away from time with the children. It just gets frustrating sometimes.

[Chellieleanne]

I think about it but then realize, I am happier doing this than working retail/customer service or heaven forbid for someone else! I cannot stand working for anyone else now. I have been a stay at home mom since late 2010, worked for 3 months last year in a field I hated(call center) and started my daycare. I love being a stay at home mom to my kids but I am even happier with being my own boss and running my business how I want to run it. The best part of it all though is the fact I can quit any time I want since we don't need my income so I don't feel that need to keep working even if I wanted to quit which I think really helps with how much I get frustrated at times. Like this week and the next 5 weeks where I will have a SAC sister to to ft dcb and she drives me crazy