Posts Tagged ‘daycare’

Mama Bear

Friday, July 17th, 2015

As the type of person who has always been very involved and invested in everything I have done, I am constantly struggling with how best to balance my involvement in Rory and Charlotte’s daycare. Perhaps it is my type-A personality or my inability to rest on my laurels. Whatever the reason, I am constantly focused on ways to improve my own surroundings by proactive involvement.

But the problem is that with two kids, a full-time job, and a general lack of sleep, I am hard pressed to find enough hours in the day to take on new and additional causes. Yes, that may sound like an excuse, but given the demands of the legal profession, I truly do not know where I would find the time.

That being said, a number of issues have arisen lately which lead me to think I ought to be better involving myself with our daycare. The board has vacancies, the search committee for a new director is (in my opinion) in dire need of leadership and vision. We sat through a lengthy parent meeting this week which I left feeling wholly unimpressed.

My first instinct in such situations is to raise my hand, take on the responsibility, and try as I may to fix it. But then the other half of me thinks that my limited time might be better spent doing my research into an alternative pre-school/childcare center. I am trying to take my time and make a rational decision — as opposed to simply just jumping in to try to solve it.

Wish me luck.

Forming a Community

Monday, July 13th, 2015

The program at which Haley will be attending pre-kindergarten is brand new. We haven’t gotten much information about it so naturally we’re anxious and curious about how the year will go. Fortunately, we’re not alone. A group of parents in the same boat got in touch a few weeks ago, and a few of us met over the weekend.

It was great getting Haley together with some kids who might be in her class. Immediately after playing with one of the other girls for a few minutes, Haley announced in classic Haley fashion: “Maddy is my best friend.” It’s great that she’ll see familiar faces when starting school, even if everything else about it is rather unfamiliar.

I think I enjoyed the get-together even more that Haley did. It was great to meet like-minded parents who had the same level of interest in their children’s education. Most of the families are in the same school zone as we are, so these are faces we might be seeing regularly for years to come. It’s weird and invigorating. Having kids that were only baby/toddler age had been sort of isolating for me.

Sure, I would meet nice moms in the neighborhood here and there, but no one I felt bonded to, and I think the lack of structured unity is the reason why. Some families we met through preschool and other classes were great, but it just wasn’t that many hours together. With kids as full-time classmates spending so many hours a week together, it seems like there’s a shift. School is such a big part of a family’s life; it’s only natural that that’s when and where strong bonds are formed.

I’m truly looking forward to the school years ahead. It may be a bumpy ride, but at least there will be commiseration. And who knows, maybe we’ll all make some lifelong friends.

Informed Customer

Friday, July 10th, 2015

Rory and Charlotte’s daycare is undergoing yet another changing of the guard. His center is undertaking the third executive director search in just under two years. And I’m not positive what to make of it.

As I’ve commented on here in the past, we’ve had our frustrations with Rory’s center, but, on the whole, have been quite satisfied with the care and teaching Rory receives there. Charlotte seems to be thriving, as well. And they both clearly like being together each day. Their teachers love regaling us with tales of visits to the other’s classroom, and they clearly enjoy being dropped off and picked up together.

As I’ve lamented before, each time we experience a staffing change, I find myself somewhat disconcerted. I tend to wonder whether there is something “wrong” that I should have been able to discern in my lengthy childcare research when Rory was only a few months old. I experience overwhelming mommy guilt at the thought that he may not be in the best possible place day in and day out.

The center is hosting a parent meeting to discuss the turnover and I look forward to receiving more information. I am also ramping up my own efforts to visit and review other possible daycare and preschool options in hopes of feeling as though I have truly surveyed all available options. I highly doubt we’ll be making any immediate changes, but gathering information now at least helps inform just how frustrated I should be by the current situation. Hopefully it’s not too much.

So Far So Good

Friday, September 6th, 2013

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Rory started daycare this week. After a reasonably smooth transition period last week, this was the first week he stayed full days. After the first day, I have to admit, I doubted our well-reasoned and over-analyzed decision to move him from a sitter to a child development center. He had a terrible time napping the first day, and only slept for a total of 1.5 hours over-all. As a result, when his daddy picked him up at the end of the day, he fell asleep in his car seat. Then, when we woke him up to eat his dinner and get ready for bed, he cried the entire time. I know he was simply overtired, but it was still very hard to watch him so upset. And, from a purely selfish perspective, it was hard to spend the short window of time I saw him that day fighting an exhausted child… especially when I was used to playing with him for a few special moments each evening.

The only saving grace that first night was reading the notes from his teachers and knowing that he was all smiles all day long. I also spoke with his teachers at two different times during the day because they had questions about his schedule and how they should handle certain things that they had encountered during the day. I was pleased to see them so willing to reach out and proactively seek my input. It helped put me at ease — somewhat.

In an effort to calm myself a bit, I wrote out slightly more detailed instructions and spent a little longer during drop-off talking with his teacher. I’m not certain if it was necessary, but his second day went far more smoothly. He napped just over an hour in the morning and in the afternoon. He was happy throughout the day, and even remained in good spirits when he and his daddy arrived home. There were far more smiles involved that evening. I’m hoping it’s a harbinger of things to come.

Do I really want to know…

Friday, October 26th, 2012

From Friday Mom – Jaime:
I hate when daycare calls. It’s never for a good reason. And it never fails to freak me out.

But after I flipped out on them for NOT calling my cell when Andrew got a cut on his head, they’ve been a little more overzealous than usual about calling us. Every single time Andrew bumps into another kid on the playground. Which is often.

Andrew’s supposedly a typically little boy (not that I have any real basis of comparison). He will never walk if he can run. He plays rough. And he often runs into other kids or stationary objects on the playground.

So we got yet another call from daycare today. Andrew and another kid were playing soccer when they ran into each other. Andrew was supposedly fine, but had a bump on his nose that didn’t go down even after they had ice on it.

This is, of course, exactly what a mom wants to hear right before heading out from the office to pick up our kid.

I don’t want to say I’m a totally overprotective mom. That’s in me, for sure. But usually, I can temper that with some semblance of reason. Except when I think someone or something hurt Andrew…

I drove like a bat out of hell all the way to daycare, which is no small feat in north Jersey rush hour traffic. I was almost daring some cop to pull me over so I could tell them I had to get to daycare to check on my kid.

Andrew was fine. The rational part of me knew he would be. But I couldn’t really believe that until I saw him with my own eyes…

Have a good weekend everyone. And to those of you on the east coast, I hope you fare well in the storm they’re predicting…

Daycare—From Disapproval to Jealousy to Acceptance

Monday, May 21st, 2012

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
I hate to admit this, but not that long ago, I had kind of an unfavorable impression of daycare centers. Not that they were all horrible places unfit to care for a child, but that they weren’t ideal. I found it hard to understand why and how a mom could leave such a young child in the care of people she doesn’t know very well.

I’ve come a long way, baby.

Now that I am a mom, I can think of lots of reasons to utilize a day care. Not only is there nothing wrong with it, it has a ton of advantages. The people who work there have a great deal of experience with little ones, and likely received additional training. I try to be a good mom, but I’m flying by the seat of my pants over here! Not only can the teachers tell you what your child’s behavior is like, but they can probably give you some tips as to why they act the way they do, and how to handle many situations. You and your child may not know the teachers well at first, but over time they come to be additional trusted adult figures, which I think is great for a kid to have outside of his family.  I have friends who even use their daycare teachers as babysitters for date nights. Sounds pretty perfect to me.

I think it’s good for a child to see both of their parents contribute to the work force and provide for the family. After all, people who aren’t entirely convinced that women can do anything men can do probably haven’t had enough examples of it in their experience. Also, being a stay-at-home-parent is not easy, can be incredibly tedious, and not everyone has the right temperament for it. I applaud parents who can recognize that. Moms or dads shouldn’t miss out on the experience of working if they enjoy it and feel pride in it. Daycare kids also get a level of socialization that kids like Haley just don’t. And I don’t socialize much, either. I also miss my working wardrobe, which is much less full of mystery stains than what I wear these days.

This is all not to say that I regret staying home with Haley. I think I am well suited for it and I know it’s the best choice for our family. While I miss working sometimes, I feel accomplishment at the end of the day. It would be nice to have another salary coming in, but we appreciate what we have and it helps us focus on what’s important. My life is not glamorous, but it is meaningful.

Like anything else, there are advantages and disadvantages to any decision you come to for your family. All we can do is try our best to do the right thing for ourselves, and respect those who have chosen differently.