Sitting On Other Kids!

[Snowmom]

Some... sorry to say I couldn't wait to see them go.

Some I miss every single day.

Several I have kept in close contact with for many years.

This is my most favorite daycare kid ever............with her own son!

She's 27 now and we talk on the phone often and chat on FB almost daily.. She came to me at 6 weeks old and it broke my heart to leave her when we moved away when she was three. We have never lost contact. I have photos of her going to KG.....graduating high school, graduating college, getting married and having her son etc.

...and yet I forget the names of kids who left 6 months ago! Go figure!

That's so awesome!
I hope I get to keep in touch that long with my favorites.

There have been a couple who I still miss regularly. In those instances, it's always the whole family I miss, not just the kids.

And there's some that I celebrated leaving too. Seriously... my husband and I literally went out to dinner and drank nearly 2 bottles of my favorite wine in celebration of my upcoming problem-free week ahead.

[Sunchimes]

I just bought a birthday card for my first daycare girl. I got her at 6 months and she stayed until she went off to pre-k at 4. She's been gone a year, although I still saw her at pick up since I had her brother for another 5 months. He left last winter for PPCD. I went to her dance recital, but it was 3 HOURS LONG, so I didn't stay to the end and see her. I got to see her brother, but he is autistic and other delays. It had only been 3 months but he didn't even acknowledge me.

I still see my 2nd and 3rd kids at WM aka the Town Social Center. They both stayed a year, have been gone 2-3 years, but they still run and hug me when we see them around town.

Last summer, I was at a yard sale and a little boy ran up and hugged me. Umm?????? Then I saw his grandma and knew who he was. He was just with me every other Saturday for about 6 months when he was 2. I couldn't believe he knew me. He was a doll then and now, and I felt horrible about not recognizing him. But, he was twice as big!!! I'm good at pretending, so he never knew.

There are others that I have no interest in seeing again. I don't miss them one bit.

I have one now that I am already dreading losing. She's just 1, and mom says she will be here until I kick them out crying and screaming. ;-) I think I would actually do pre-k for this child. Of course, she's just now starting to talk and walk, so opinions may change. ::

[BumbleBee]

Some yes, some no.

When I started I had this darling little girl who was 7 months old. Her parents were awesome in every way. They moved away when she was about 15 months old. Just last week I got a call from her mom asking if I had a spot because they were moving back to the area. Sadly I did not, but I put her on my waiting list. The little girl just turned 3.

Some kids I miss because I know their parents are screwing them up royally. Don't miss most of the parents though.

Oddly, some of the toughest kids I miss the most. Go figure. Drove me up the wall with worry and frustration while they were here but now that they're gone I find myself worrying about them even more. One kid who left was starting to head down the right path while he was here, he was 10 I think. Now he's coming up on 12 and has been in juvie multiple times on drug possession charges.

You can't save em all, but darnit all I wish I could.

[e.j.]

At one point he was trying to get away from everyone and hollered "I DONT EVEN REMEMBER YOU!!!"

That was my lightbulb moment.

Three years of care, gone for maybe three months tops, and he didn't even remember us... So yeah, I enjoy them when they're here.

Oh, wow! The poor kid! Must not have been a fun time for you either!

It's true, though. I've run into kids who I had watched for several years and if it's been long enough, they really don't remember me or the day care at all.

[Stephnrich]

Some I miss a lot, most I really don't. It is kind of sad that most of them won't remember us, but I'd like to think they will remember the happy feelings.

[Play Care]

That is a horrible story!

Well, yeah.
He was a great kid and I LOVED having him in care. Missed him terribly when he left. Was thrilled to have him back for a day.
was DEVASTATED to realize that he had NO memory of the past 2 1/2 years

He did warm up eventually, but that was the last time I watched him. The next time his mom asked I was full. I felt for him, but I also felt for the other kids too. And the kids in my FT care are always my higher priority.

[DaveA]

Not really. I enjoy them while I have them, but then it's out of sight out of mind.

This is me. I enjoy occasionally seeing an old child/ family in public, but aside from that when they're gone that's it.

[hope]

Many are out of sight, out of mind. As much as I adore all the children I care for I usually don't miss their parents. I do have a family that I have become close with and I do invite the family to do things off hours. These kids I will always think about and care dearly for. Parenting makes all the difference. I wish parents realized how their behavior affects their children.

[CraftyMom]

Most of them no, I do not miss them. There are a few though.

I learned the hard way that they forget me as soon as they leave.

I had a dcb that it broke my heart when he left, he was one of my favorites and I did not want him to go. He ended up being on my son's soccer team a few months later (he and my son were best buddies in daycare). I was happy to see him. He remembered my son, gave him a big hug. Then I bent down for a hug and he ran to his mom and hid behind her leg. Then he saw my mother in law, who is my very part time assistant, and ran past me to give her a hug! I was heart broken! How does he remember her, who he only met several times, but not me...the one who took care of him day in and day out for a year and a half?

Anyway, since then I learned not to miss them

[Leigh]

My first couple years of day care I had a wonderful little boy. When he went off to K he no longer came here (mom teaches at the school so he didn't need b/a care) but one day they had a teacher inservice day so mom asked if I could take him. He had only been gone a couple months at this point. The other dck's were so thrilled to see him and he just looked like a deer in the headlights. At one point he was trying to get away from everyone and hollered "I DONT EVEN REMEMBER YOU!!!"

That was my lightbulb moment.

Three years of care, gone for maybe three months tops, and he didn't even remember us... So yeah, I enjoy them when they're here.

Wow-I still remember my preschool teacher from 38 years ago! I can still remember exactly the layout of her school, and even one of the songs we sang, the snacks we ate, and some of the toys she had!

[Blackcat31]

I've been in business for over 2 decades....I've had somewhere between 250-300 kids come through my doors over those years.

Some made a life long impact on me, my business and/or how I do things (some negative and some positive) and others have come and gone without a blink of an eye.

Some I miss and still stay in touch with, some I miss and have never seen again. In some cases, its just the kids I miss and in other cases just the parents...while in some cases it's the whole family.

Some I do NOT miss at all but remember them as if they were here yesterday and some I don't miss at all and/or hardly remember.

[childcaremom]

Most of them no, I do not miss them. There are a few though.

I learned the hard way that they forget me as soon as they leave.

I had a dcb that it broke my heart when he left, he was one of my favorites and I did not want him to go. He ended up being on my son's soccer team a few months later (he and my son were best buddies in daycare). I was happy to see him. He remembered my son, gave him a big hug. Then I bent down for a hug and he ran to his mom and hid behind her leg. Then he saw my mother in law, who is my very part time assistant, and ran past me to give her a hug! I was heart broken! How does he remember her, who he only met several times, but not me...the one who took care of him day in and day out for a year and a half?

Anyway, since then I learned not to miss them

:hug: That's hard. I had a few that I thought for sure would remember me... nope. Heartbreaking.

[Play Care]

Wow-I still remember my preschool teacher from 38 years ago! I can still remember exactly the layout of her school, and even one of the songs we sang, the snacks we ate, and some of the toys she had!

Not to be sexist, but I do wonder if it's because he's a boy? I had a little girl here the same time as him, and when we see her out, she does remember me/what we did, etc.