Posts Tagged ‘child care’

I Spoke Too Soon

Friday, April 19th, 2013

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Shortly after I last addressed the subject of childcare, we learned that we were actually much higher on the wait list at one of the other daycare locations we had been considering. Just last week, Rory was offered a spot in the infant class at a childcare center four blocks from our house. We have heard only good things about the place, and have been impressed during our visits, so we accepted the spot. We’re very excited. We may end up shifting him to another school when he gets to be two or three years old. For now, it is a great fit for his current needs.

But, there is a slight catch. Rory does not have a spot until September. As a result, I am now starting the search for a summer nanny. Because we are only going to need a nanny for three months, we opted to get our own nanny for the summer (rather than a nanny share). We liked the other couple we had met, but once our needs changed we figured it was easier on all parties to part ways.

I started my search process this week by crafting a summer nanny job announcement and posting it on a range of websites. I also contacted the career services directors at local nursing and education graduate schools in hopes of possibly finding a student who might be interested in summer employment. I have also contacted a placement agency in the event that my own search comes up short. I have already received some positive responses, so I am encouraged at the moment. Our plan is to bring at least three different candidates in for an interview before making our decision.

Finding a qualified caregiver is a lot of work, but that is not what has struck me the most about the process. The more striking realization is that I have found the process to be a lot more emotionally daunting than I had originally anticipated. As I had mentioned before, our plan has always been for me to return to my job as an attorney once my maternity leave was over. But now reality has set in—I only have a month and a half of this precious full-time mommy time left. Luckily, Rory keeps me busy enough that I can’t really dwell on that realization for long. However, I am savoring each and every moment a bit more than I had before.