I Hate My Job Lately

[Unregistered]

I realize that we all have times when we feel this way and at the end of the day I won't quit, but....I hate my job right now. I am losing 3/5 kids due to two mat leaves and another to a move; & the sh*$$iest part about it is that I will be left with the two that I want gone. My dream is to get those two replaced too, but it is really slow and due to the local economy, lots of new home dc's are popping up.

I don't really know why I am so unhappy right now. I think it's because of the crappy, over indulgent parenting resulting in brats. But idk for sure if that's it either. I'm just tired.

I go on holidays at the end of the month and hope things begin looking up. I guess I am venting. I am just starting my third year with my dc and my second year of doing it full time. Maybe I have reached that two year hump. How do I keep going when all I want to do is quit?

[Shell]

I have no real advice because I am closing next month after five years happyface , but I totally understand how you feel.

This job is tough, and we put up with so much, so often.
The hardest part, I find, is that you can't rely on a steady paycheck- if a child leaves, we have to scramble to find a replacement. It's just hard not being able to have any security. Oh, and feeling like a prisoner in your own house!

My only suggestion is the time off- it really does help put things in perspective and leaves you refreshed. Hang in there!

[KiddieCahoots]

I agree with Shell.

And just for the record, think the first part of your post could have been written by most of us at one time or another. I refer to it as the revolving door of daycare. And the stressors of $ is enough to get someone down.

Once you get other clients signed up, you can be more finacially free to work on replacing the dck's that do not fit.

Like Shell said.....Hang in there!

[CraftyMom]

I am going through the same right now. I so want to quit! This is the lowest I've been in daycare in a long time, mood wise. I do not enjoy a single aspect of it at the moment. I have a difficult kid leaving tomorrow, maybe that will help. I'd LOVE to say bye to him today and don't come back tomorrow but I'll **** it up one more day.

Then comes the needing to replace him and the interviews which I HATE! Then comes having a new kid, I do not like the new kid phase at all. Getting them acclimated, getting to know them ,etc.

I also have another kid that I would like to let go. But I have yet another going to preschool at the end of August. I can't afford to lose them all. Oh and we are going on a fairly expensive trip at the end of September, so losing them all now while I'm trying to pay for it is stressing me out!

[Josiegirl]

I completely get what you're saying. I'm in a mood-dip right now too, due to a couple of kids that are more than challenging. And a couple of my better listener more cooperative kids left when school got out. I'm biding my time until school starts again when my group will change a bit. I seriously hope it helps you when the changes occur and for me too.

Hope your time off helps you!!

[Annalee]

I realize that we all have times when we feel this way and at the end of the day I won't quit, but....I hate my job right now. I am losing 3/5 kids due to two mat leaves and another to a move; & the sh*$$iest part about it is that I will be left with the two that I want gone. My dream is to get those two replaced too, but it is really slow and due to the local economy, lots of new home dc's are popping up.

I don't really know why I am so unhappy right now. I think it's because of the crappy, over indulgent parenting resulting in brats. But idk for sure if that's it either. I'm just tired.

I go on holidays at the end of the month and hope things begin looking up. I guess I am venting. I am just starting my third year with my dc and my second year of doing it full time. Maybe I have reached that two year hump. How do I keep going when all I want to do is quit?

:hug:There have been times when the only thing that kept me going was knowing I had to make money to support my family. The older I get, I realize how important taking care of yourself/family is even if it means losing some clients. Set up your hours/days of operation/vacations to benefit you. Find a support system with other providers or this forum. Many times these people may not fix your issue but they can LISTEN well. I have been a vent machine to a mentor friend since December due to some renovating that is driving me crazy while trying to work daycare. I sent random text to my daycare friend...sometimes she replies, sometimes not,but I have got it off my chest. Walk 30 minutes a day....works wonders....being outside clears your head. Just some things that have helped me along the way. Owned my own FCC for 22 plus and been in child care much longer than that and oh how I wish I learned some of this sooner...just passing it forward! It is not easy to implement change into child care but it is well worth it once the change takes place and you will feel stronger for standing up for your SELF! Best wishes

[B4bybunn13]

Wanting to Quit Desperately

I was so happy to get a job at the Disney YMCA here in Orlando. I have a Bachelor's and I took the classes and training and I was pysched to get the job. But after the first week I felt like one of those people who were pulled into a timeshare. The ratio here is bonkers: anywhere between 20-30 kids for 10 hours with two teachers, and that's just my three year old class. I was extremely concerned how out of out 30 17 of them have some form of aggressive Autism. I've only been there 3 weeks and I've been bitten, slapped, had shoes thrown at me, and I've told the directors who basically just turn the other cheeks. I literally had to help one dad get this psycho 3 year old autistic girl off his daughter because the crazy was pulling her hair out of her scalp with one of those sadistic laughs only to learn from the dad that this was the 4th time that child has pulled her hair out. He has told the directors tondo something about it and apparently they haven't. I even asked one of the directors to tell the dad about his child's violent behavior and she said she would-only to put on a fake smile and lie right to his face when he came to get her.

Some of the parents I've grown children close to, and I do really love the kids- it's mainly the people I work with that are making me want to quit. The teachers are lazy, they hate working together; the directors are liars and turn blind eyes to what the kids do. That same girl that pulled the other child's hair out smacked me full in the face after I took some CDs from her and bit me with another laugh. One of the directors tried to claim that I hit the girl and that she heard me hit her in a class of 30 loud kids and no matter how I defended myself she wouldn't listen. Even when I showed her the hand print on my face and the bite mark on my wrist!

Next thing I know I'm.being told to go to the.office, only to sit there for 3 hours. Literally when one of the directors came out she just looked at me and said oh, forgot you were here. The whole three hours they were laughing and talking about someone's beach vacation! Another hour later I was finally called in and told to go home and not to call. When I asked was I fired they said no they just had to talk to the other directors. I didn't even get to tell what happened!

Now it's been six days and I haven't been called for a shift or to be told if I'm terminated or not. How do the adults act like kids too? I've decided that as much as I love teaching, this is obviously not the place to do it. It's full of incompetence.

[Sahmmie]

I hate it too. The long hours. The lack of appreciation. Being referred to as "the daycare lady." Psycho parents who turn on you for no reason. Indulged, spoiled rotten kids who are supposedly little angels at home. The constant flood of infectious diseases in my home. The clutter and mess. The lack of time for my own kids. It all ****s.

But I do actually love babies and toddlers and that's part of the reason I keep doing it. Every now and then I get a few good parents and a few cute kids and things go well for a while, but when it's time to find new families it's a nightmare.

Right now I have two good families but I need one more. I've had three people in the last few months hire me and then back out for no reason. One of them accused me of lying at the time of interview which is crazy. The other just didn't want to go back to work after I saved her spot for months and then accused me of "setting the date" for her to go back which is ludicrous. She told me when she was going back and I held the spot for her till then and even offered her two more weeks when she wasn't ready. But she made me out to be the bad guy.

The other lady was even more psycho. She hired me, paid a deposit, and within days was advertising looking for care on fb and another site. When I messaged her asking her why she flipped out and said I had lied about things and she'd changed her mind. Really? First of all, how would she discover after the interview that I had lied about something (which I didn't)? Secondly, if that's the case why didn't she contact me and tell me she was no longer interested in having me care for her child? My guess is that she wanted to keep me in limbo (holding her spot) while she explored other options and when I caught her she got ugly because she was ashamed of herself.

Ugh.. people are crazy.

[Sherrihoos]

Wow! So helpful to read others frustrations! I dont feel so lonely today!! This job is so hard I wonder often if it's worth it!

[AmyKidsCo]

It IS hard! I've been doing FCC for 20+ years and some things that help me are:
- Taking my paid days off.
- Shortening my hours.
- Joining a FCC support group.
- Being here.
- Going to CC conferences.
- Not working on weekends. Sometimes I even ignore work texts and phone calls.

ITA that filling openings is the WORST, but it's worth it to find "good" families.

[Ariana]

This is for sure the hardest job that I have ever had! I used to hate it a LOT more just a few months ago but thanks to some amazing advice on here I am dealing with it much better.

I think my main problem was not being detached enough. I was worrying about the kids, annoyed with the parents and would continue being annoyed after the day was done. Now I come here and write my annoyances on the venting thread and let it go. I also no longer care about the kids as much as I used to. I care for them by providing food and a safe place to play but I no longer care about developmental issues. If they are 3 and cannot talk I am not involving myself with it. The parents are smart enough to know their child needs help. At the end of the day I let everything go and I stop myself if I am complaining about something to my husband. I am not perfect by any means but I am doing so much better!

I had to make this job work for me and by letting all of these external influences get me down I was getting in the way of my own income and happiness. Try and find some way to solve the problem. Tweak your hours, change your daily routine, anything to help you have a good day

[Suzanne]

so glad I'm not alone

I really needed to read these comments today. I've been feeling the same way lately. I have several kids leaving in the fall and I'm doing everything I can to advertise the spots. Meanwhile, I'm so tired of being in my house, changing poopy diapers and breaking up toddler squabbles. I know part of it is we've been having a lot of rain and its hard to get outside every single day but boy do we need it.
Thanks for venting! It made my day! :-D

[CityGarden]

This job is the most taxing job I have ever had....

Taking plenty of time off is key for me to be my best at this job.

I also started advertising for shorter hours once I have all my spots filled I plan to let go of my two full day clients.