After two years I'm ready to call it quits

[laceylmm]

Being home and little adult interaction plus some strong willed school agers all summer long I'm ready to go back to work. Not that this hasn't been work. But being home all the time has given me such bad anxiety and just stress overall. Here's hoping I don't end up at mcdonalds!

[deliberateliterate]

Ditto. Literally word for word. Except the McDonalds part. bTDT.

[NightOwl]

Eliminate school age kids! Stress goes POOF! Lol.

[laceylmm]

Glad I'm not alone. I've gained probably 20lbs also. But the anxiety is the worse. Just not enough stimulation on my my part and now I just constantly worry about everything. Lol,there's actually a job I'm going to apply for that i hope I get. Pay should be close and hoping way less stressful.

[laceylmm]

My license should still be good for a couple of months so I plan on seeing how I feel overall then making my final decision.

[deliberateliterate]

Glad I'm not alone. I've gained probably 20lbs also. But the anxiety is the worse. Just not enough stimulation on my my part and now I just constantly worry about everything. Lol,there's actually a job I'm going to apply for that i hope I get. Pay should be close and hoping way less stressful.

Yes, anxiety. As soon as that last mom pulls out of the drive way, I feel like I can breath again. Being the sole person in charge of multiple kid's safety, happiness, and development for 9 hours a day is way too much responsibility. I could handle the first two, but it have no clue what I'm doing with the third, and I get stressed knowing I'm not good enough for these kids.

[cheerfuldom]

Do whatever is right for you. Good luck!

[nannyde]

The average provider lasts two years. It's a job that serves it's purpose for a couple of years for many. It's nothing to worry about. It's a completely normal trajectory for the average provider.

[earlystart]

It's almost been 2 years for me too, and I reached a breaking point last month where I knew I had to make some major changes because my level of stress and the amount of hours I was putting into the daycare was not sustainable. I talked with a therapist (which by the way I had to do online via teleconferencing because I can't take time off for doctor appointments!), and she told me I need to brainstorm and figure a way to reduce my workload. So I finally decided I needed help keeping up with the cleaning (my least favorite part of daycare is all the cleaning I have to do off-hours to make the house presentable for parents), so I found a cleaning company that will do 2 hours for $50 and I'll have them come once a week and just clean the living areas/kitchen/guest bathroom. The other thing I'm doing is changing my hours to open 30 minutes later, because I'm not a morning person and at this point only 1 kid comes that early. So if I can get 30 more minutes of sleep, that will help tremendously. And lastly, I'm asking my husband to contribute more to the housecleaning duties and getting my son ready for bed and keeping him busy at the end of the day so I can relax. I'm doing daycare so I can stay home with my 3 year old until he starts kindergarten, or maybe until 1st grade. In the meantime I'm taking online classes to finish my graphic design certificate so I can hopefully transition to that when I'm done with daycare.

I wish all you stressed out providers good luck, and urge you to make changes to reduce your stress, whatever those changes might be.

[midaycare]

I'm sorry you are feeling so burned out. :hug: Every job has it's ups and downs. It sounds like being a home provider has more "downs" for you right now.

[midaycare]

It's almost been 2 years for me too, and I reached a breaking point last month where I knew I had to make some major changes because my level of stress and the amount of hours I was putting into the daycare was not sustainable. I talked with a therapist (which by the way I had to do online via teleconferencing because I can't take time off for doctor appointments!), and she told me I need to brainstorm and figure a way to reduce my workload. So I finally decided I needed help keeping up with the cleaning (my least favorite part of daycare is all the cleaning I have to do off-hours to make the house presentable for parents), so I found a cleaning company that will do 2 hours for $50 and I'll have them come once a week and just clean the living areas/kitchen/guest bathroom. The other thing I'm doing is changing my hours to open 30 minutes later, because I'm not a morning person and at this point only 1 kid comes that early. So if I can get 30 more minutes of sleep, that will help tremendously. And lastly, I'm asking my husband to contribute more to the housecleaning duties and getting my son ready for bed and keeping him busy at the end of the day so I can relax. I'm doing daycare so I can stay home with my 3 year old until he starts kindergarten, or maybe until 1st grade. In the meantime I'm taking online classes to finish my graphic design certificate so I can hopefully transition to that when I'm done with daycare.

I wish all you stressed out providers good luck, and urge you to make changes to reduce your stress, whatever those changes might be.

I starts with a housekeeper a month ago. Best decision ever! I only need her every 2 weeks.

[AmyKidsCo]

I'm sorry, but if you're not happy with what you're doing you should definitely look into doing something else.

[Kabob]

If it wasn't for my dh's crazy work schedule, I'd be talking in toddler-speak all day. I used to hate how he would work the late night shifts, but now it's awesome to have him around to talk to during the day. Maybe have a friend stop by or an assistant now and then? Maybe someone that could do a "special activity" with the kids (someone around here does music time weekly for their daycare kids)?

I haven't been in this business very long, but I did run my own business from home before my previous job and I found that it only works if you have other social outlets. Even then, it can be tough. I fortunately am an introvert so I enjoy my own company most days....and being able to come on here to share experiences helps too.

As others said, do what works for you. Make a few plans and go with it...no shame in searching for the right job for you.

[Indianadaycare]

I'm sorry it's been so stressful for you. Sending a hug your way! :hug:

[coolconfidentme]

After the last kid walks out the door, go for a walk. It seriously will help with the stress level & the extra weight DC adds to your waistline. Try this for a couple of weeks & see if it helps you.