Enjoy Or Time To Move On

[Country Kids]

Everyone that is writing about wanting to be a sitter when they grew up and what their teachers said must be really young! I never knew of any childcares when I was growing up. I can't think of one-seriously. I do know where I grew up had a "Nursery School" (preschool) but no childcare centers or moms that did childcare. None of my friends had ever been in childcare and when I was real little my parents worked opposite shifts so I was always with one of them. Interesting-wonder when childcare really took off? The early 90's maybe?

[Cat Herder]

Everyone that is writing about wanting to be a sitter when they grew up and what their teachers said must be really young! I never knew of any childcares when I was growing up. I can't think of one-seriously. I do know where I grew up had a "Nursery School" (preschool) but no childcare centers or moms that did childcare. None of my friends had ever been in childcare and when I was real little my parents worked opposite shifts so I was always with one of them. Interesting-wonder when childcare really took off? The early 90's maybe?

Nope, my first job was as a "playground attendant" in 1985 at the age of 15. The center had one playground and the classes took turns throughout the day using it. I had my eye on that job since I was 10, they only picked the most responsible from our neighborhood with recommendations from our teachers and we rode our bikes to work.

They hired teens who could tolerate being outside in the Central Florida heat for 8-10 hours a day for that position...

[Unregistered]

I've been doing daycare in my home for 25 years...since my oldest was 6 wks. old. It has been a great career for me, enabling me to stay home and raise my own 3 kids and gave them each playmates growing up, while I supplemented our family's income.
Now with the empty nest, I'm continuing to enjoy reliving the fun experiences that I had with my own children. Yes, it's been tough at times juggling this busy job with everyday life and yes, there are days when I'm wiped and want nothing more than to have total peace and quiet at the end of the day, but it is so rewarding and I love what I do!
It is essential to have a positive relationship with the parents and when I've had difficult parents, it definitely makes things much harder! Thankfully those have been few and far between and for the most part I've been blessed with wonderful families!

[Unregistered]

In the late 70's, my gf's mom had a home daycare and she had been doing it for years. Not many mom's worked outside the home back then. When I started my home daycare in the mid 80's, there weren't a lot of providers in my area, but now there are so many!

[mrs.meg]

I have done this so that I could stay at home with my kids. I have become burnt out to a point that I feel like kids are just work, and I am SO tired. My husband is not much support with my own children because he is a workaholic, so I really do not get much breaks. I have NEVER kept kids that parent even remotely close to what my husband and I do. I started doing this in 2005 and took a break for a while, then started back almost 3 years ago.

I think if you had families that were appreciative and had the same parenting style, it would be okay, I just have never had that experience.

I feel very tied down, like I never get a break and I have given my summer notice to one family and they are starting daycare in August. The other family both kids are in school, so I may watch them after school, but I am not sure. I am hopefully going to work part time and haven't worked out the details.

[jojosmommy]

I have done this for 2 1/2 years now and love it. There is no other way I could spend my everyday with my son and still get done the necessary household/parent responsibilities. If I worked out of the home I would spend all evening doing household chores and would spend no time with my son. By being home I have the only balance possible with kids.

There are occassions I count the days to the next holiday or weekend off but that is rare. My son loves daycare and is much easier when the kids are here with him. I think it is about recognizing how lucky I am to be able to contribute to our family and provide my son with the gift of being here for him everyday.

[Lianne]

Everyone that is writing about wanting to be a sitter when they grew up and what their teachers said must be really young! I never knew of any childcares when I was growing up. I can't think of one-seriously. I do know where I grew up had a "Nursery School" (preschool) but no childcare centers or moms that did childcare. None of my friends had ever been in childcare and when I was real little my parents worked opposite shifts so I was always with one of them. Interesting-wonder when childcare really took off? The early 90's maybe?

I'm 36. My mother did home daycare from when she got married in 1969 until she left my father in 1989. Before that she was a nanny from 1960 until she got married.