Alright mommas. Let’s talk about the nightmare that is childcare. I’ve always known it’s a pain, sure. However, this is more. Much, much more…
First, you have to decide what you want to do when you have to go back to work. Well, let’s back up. To go back to work or not? For me that was an easy choice – I have the best job in the whole wide world. Also, a LOT of student loans☺ Then, you have will to decide – daycare? Nanny? Do I really want my baby surrounded by other illness-carrying children ALL the time? No. However, I personally didn’t know anyone well enough to feel comfortable being alone full time with my baby. So, daycare it is. WOW are there a lot of daycares! However, I quickly found out, spots at said daycares are slim pickings. Montessori? Private? Christian-based? Close to home? Close to work? Some have cameras, some don’t. Some have nifty apps to check in on; some aren’t so with-the-technology. Teacher to child ratios, uniforms, tuition (OH! The TUITION!!!!) So much to think about I didn’t even realize!
Then comes the ACTUAL taking him to daycare. I was prepared for it. I got this. I’m not so much a helicopter parent – he will have fun and be well taken care of and off to work I go! Right? WRONG. Pan to me, the sniveling crying mess of a mom who didn’t want to actually walk out that door and leave him with a bunch of strangers. I mean, he will be with THEM more than ME when it comes down to it!!! How is that OK?!? Ugh, that was a hard concept to grasp.
Now here I am, now 3 weeks into the “daycare experience”. He has now been scratched once by one of his little friends. He had low grade fever with a little stuffy nose last week. Yesterday, I had to go pick him up because he had 3 episodes of diarrhea. Is this what’s in store for me? Getting a phone call about once a week that either myself or my husband must drop everything all because he pooped funny? Or was fussy? Now I’m exaggerating, but needing to be picked up twice already in 3 weeks seems like a lot. I have patients booked and can’t just cancel their appointments on the drop of a dime to go get him. I would have a lot of unhappy families! How do people do this and make this work?!? Can I just bring him a doctor’s note signed by myself (I joke, I wouldn’t do that!!!)? Now hand, foot, and mouth is going around… Oh the horrors. What if he needs to be out several days? So now we have a back-up. And a back-up for our back-up. It really DOES take a village.
On a serious note, I do love our daycare. The people that take care of our little man are awesome, and I am so grateful for them for taking care of my little man, and to let me come to work and take care of all your babies and kiddos, which I absolutely love to do!
