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Come back when you have worked all day every day for at least a couple years and see how you feel then. It doesn't have anything to do with your age. Perspective will change after you have the sole responsibility of caring for children day in and day out.....it is not the same thing as parenting your own 3. If you still don't like the forum, start a different one. Do whatever you want. But don't expect an entire forum to change here just because your perceive it as negative.
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I didnt appreciate this comment either.......
Come back when you have worked all day every day for at least a couple years and see how you feel then. It doesn't have anything to do with your age. Perspective will change after you have the sole responsibility of caring for children day in and day out.....it is not the same thing as parenting your own 3. If you still don't like the forum, start a different one. Do whatever you want. But don't expect an entire forum to change here just because your perceive it as negative. -
This is perceived as offensive? I tossed out the first three random jobs I could think of, considering I had Subway for dinner, had gone to Walmart for some shopping before picking up my kids, and was skimming over a thread on the latest up-and-comers in Hollywood on E.T. or some such site while wondering about whether or not to write this thread. I see absolutely nothing offensive about it. I named three different professions, all three in the forefront of my mind at that particular moment. Why would it be offensive to be a greeter at Walmart, or to have a job at Subway?
I will say this, even though I disagree rather vehemently with the picture you all paint of this forum, I love the way you are sticking up for each other. The sense of community is nice. I would have loved some input from parents on this though. I'm curious about their take on it.
Do I expect, or even want, this forum to change? Um, no, and I don't believe I have stated that anywhere. I said I was honestly curious about why there was so much negativity. You all answered with your thoughts on it, which I appreciate. Did it change my perception? No, it did not, because the way people describe the threads here is vastly different from the way they come across when you actually read them. And that's okay, because the beauty of the internet is that you can just close a page when you don't feel like reading it anymore.
Like I said, I truly appreciate everybody's input. I ask one courtesy though: instead of automatically assuming that something is meant to be offensive, why not just ask for clarification?
Oh, and one more thing: I work 40 hours a week. In a daycare facility. Just thought I'd mention it.Comment
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I remember when I first started reading these threads / posts . Some of the discussions seemed a bit snarky , unflattering to parents. Now I just skip over the discussions I see as upsetting to me . It's not worth it to argue viewpoints. But I will step up and say something if I feel a poster is being downright mean about the child . It has rarely been a problem .Comment
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Why would you suggest ANY alternate employment options, especially minimum wage jobs that require no skills or education? It didn't seem relevant to your question. It's offensive because it implies we are better suited to work at low level jobs, and have no business caring for children or owning our own businesses. As a person with an advanced degree and a large amount of cash invested in a licensed facility, I didn't appreciate it.
Please link specific posts that have struck you as particularly snarky and derogatory, and demonstrate how clearly we all hate our jobs. I'm sure those posters would be happy to provide you with some clarification.Comment
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Working at a daycare is STILL not the same thing as running your own in-home. Again, come back and see how you feel when you have actually done our job. Right now you are doing about half of the job, unless you are also the owner and manager of the daycare which it doesnt sound like. Trust me, it is not the same thing at all.
Good luck to you.
I know I sound snarky but this is after years of people thinking my job is so cushy. I have had a number of people see what I do and think "hey I can do that"......none have lasted over one year. I do not complain/vent/or really discuss my job at all but for this one forum and a select few local provider friends. That is all I have for support.Comment
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I don't mean this rudely but what difference does it make?
From my experience on this board, parents rarely visit. There are lots of mommy groups and parenting sites to seek advice, support and information from. Yes, there are a few parents that do visit and even a few that stay on as long term members but rarely if ever has this board been aimed at parental support.
It's a daycare board. ALL About daycare.
As a provider daycare consumes a HUGE portion of my life.
As a parent, daycare is a small portion of the big picture.
So obviously you are going to see 100 providers weigh in on something before you see 1 parent give input.
Posting about parental perspectives when providers vent is like going on a motorcycle forum and complaining that they aren't covering topics like cake decorating or lawn mowing.
Also, like someone else pointed out...perspective is different and unique to everyone. It's pretty clear that you are in the minority in perceiving this forum to be negative. So maybe, (and AGAIN I do NOT mean this rudely) but just maybe the negativity is YOUR perception and not necessarily the way everyone else views this forum.
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This forum has been a wealth of knowledge ,support and ideas for running a happy daycare home.I am at the end of my carreer(30 yrs). I have found the people posting for the most part very helpful.When you work caring for non-related children in your home it can be very difficult.Having this site to come to for good and bad (hard)issues is wonderful. As another poster noted the issues often discussed are the tough ones(crying babies ,late parents ,meshing our homes and families with the childcare ect) .The easy times we do not have to discuss as much. The original poster will see if she runs her childcare at home how challenging it can be. The other day my Grandson was talking to his mom.He started his conversation with "no offence Mom but" my daughter stopped him right there and stated"honey if you start with "no offence "then you know that what you are about to say is offensive.She had a point. I think most people who run a family childcare care about the children and familes they care for.That doesn't mean every day is a piece of cake. I am sure parents get sick of the rules and wish we would just do our job. My clients all had time off paid and new before signing contracts what was expected. In 30 yrs I only had to term 2 children .Comment
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You know what, I think I've gotten about all that I will out of this question. I asked why there was so much negativity and snarkiness, and basically most of the answers either denied the negativity or added more snarkiness.
If you really believe that, you are so misguided it's not even funny.As a parent, daycare is a small portion of the big picture.
Cheerfuldom, I do not appreciate your derogatory attitude. You have no idea what my day entails. You wouldn't appreciate me saying, "Gee, spending the whole day in your own comfortable home, making up your own rules, that sounds like SUCH a hardship," so please do not judge my job without having any clue whatsoever.
I am in the field of early childhood education because I truly love young children and want to help educate them and support their families. I am obviously cut from a different cloth than you home daycare providers. I wish you all the very best in your business endeavors, and I thank you for the illuminating answers.Comment
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To the OP, I have read through many of the threads and I have seen both positive and negative. IMO, it is the nature of what we do. I worked in childcare centers for years at the beginning of my career, before I got my Master's Degree.
Working in a center is challenging in it's own right. There are still challenging behaviors and challenging parents, but I had support. I could refer an angry parent to the director. I didn't have to worry about my paycheck. And I could go home at the end of the day and stop working. I miss the 40 hour work week and talking to my co workers.
Since I started my own home based preschool and childcare, typically, I work from 6:30 a.m-6:00 pm providing direct services to kids. I spend an additional 15-20 hours a week outside of these hours updating my website, marketing, returning potential client calls, preparing paperwork for client packets, working on payroll, filing for taxes, food program paperwork, lesson planning, billing, and more. My work weeks are long so I do vent. Daycare.com is an amazing resource for providers and has helped me to troubleshoot more than one difficult situation with a client.
Are there negative threads on here? I am sure. We all have rough weeks. And 70-80 hour work weeks take a toll. Working with young children is exceptionally rewarding work, but it is also challenging at times. Having a community to share the good and bad with, whether online or off, helps caregivers continue to do the important work they do each day.
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To the OP, I have read through many of the threads and I have seen both positive and negative. IMO, it is the nature of what we do. I worked in childcare centers for years at the beginning of my career, before I got my Master's Degree.
Working in a center is challenging in it's own right. There are still challenging behaviors and challenging parents, but I had support. I could refer an angry parent to the director. I didn't have to worry about my paycheck. And I could go home at the end of the day and stop working. I miss the 40 hour work week and talking to my co workers.
Since I started my own home based preschool and childcare, typically, I work from 6:30 a.m-6:00 pm providing direct services to kids. I spend an additional 15-20 hours a week outside of these hours updating my website, marketing, returning potential client calls, preparing paperwork for client packets, working on payroll, filing for taxes, food program paperwork, lesson planning, billing, and more. My work weeks are long so I do vent. Daycare.com is an amazing resource for providers and has helped me to troubleshoot more than one difficult situation with a client.
Are there negative threads on here? I am sure. We all have rough weeks. And 70-80 hour work weeks take a toll. Working with young children is exceptionally rewarding work, but it is also challenging at times. Having a community to share the good and bad with, whether online or off, helps caregivers continue to do the important work they do each day.
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Umm, you're painting everyone with a very broad stroke and putting yourself above and beyond the group of providers here. Totally unfair and self-righteous. Sorry, I don't speak my mind all that often but had to speak up on this comment.
I think you'd find the majority of us doing this profession because of our love of children. I say that because no matter what profession you pick, you're going to find the unhappy and the disgruntled. A lot of people here have a college education, years and years of experience, take trainings and workshops. Most of us(Never say all) are not uneducated. I have done this for 30+ years. Sure, there have been times when it was too trying to feel I could make it another day. Did I bitch? Sure! Do I still bitch? Sure! But I wouldn't trade this profession with any other.
The thing about forums and the written word altogether is that so much can be read between the lines. So much misinterpretation. And it seems like it's easier to offend people that way.
IF you find these forums to be hateful towards families and children, that's sad. As everywhere on the internet(and quite often in the real world) I tend to ignore what ticks me off, makes me feel hurt, sad angry or bad. I take what helps and leave the rest. Ok, well except your one comment.
We're trying to help you see we do love the dcks and dcfs(most of the time) even though we have to let off steam. You're here to tell us we appear like a hateful group. Maybe we can all just agree to disagree........nicely.
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omg. hilariously self righteous.
I do have a clue what your job entails. Many of us here are educated and have or do work in centers. We know what your job is for goodness sakes and we know what ours is as well. If anyone is only seeing half the picture, it is you because you have not run your own in home daycare yet. Have fun joining the real world. Please do come back in a couple years and update us. Seriously you would be welcome. you will need the support at that point. Godd luck to you.Comment
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I think we've been had. :
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When my son was a teen (he told me this years later when the statue of limitations had run out : that he used to go on forums and try to get people upset for his amusement. He turned out to be an upstanding citizen though. 
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