The Hardest Part of Being a Working Mom

In case you didn't know, being a working mom is hard!  There are so many decisions that a mom agonizes over when it comes work and family.  But hands down the HARDEST PART OF BEING A WORKING MOM IS CHILDCARE!!!

This has been a constant strain, struggle and cause of sleepless nights in our house for the last eleven years.  Crazy isn't it. 

Maddie was born in May 4, 2000 and since I'm a teacher, I had off until we want back to school after summer. That was July 28, 2000. That marks the begining of our journey with daycare.  And here we are in 2011 still enjoying the world of childcare.

Kylie started at a local daycare on Monday.  I have to say, I'm really not the greatest fan of daycare centers.  I like a homey feel.  I like my little one being with just a couple other kids and a mom/grandma. 

But sometimes in-home settings don't work out really well and sometimes the loved grandma-type retires!  So after looking around a while we decided on a facility that we felt comfortable with. They have an awesome schedule and after years of working around challenging in-home care schedules, it is really nice to have consistent hours.

Here is Kylie on Monday morning on her first day of "school."

Isn't she soooo cute!  She was happy to go and did great!  In fact, I waited to write this post as I wanted to get the whole week in so if we had any major issues, I could report them!

But thankfully, no problems.  Kylie played well, she napped, she ate and never cried.  I would say that is a good week!!

Believe me, I know we will have problems, that is the nature of childcare, but here is the recap of the things I liked about the week.  (And yes, I will have to look back at the post sometime in the future to remind myself I am sure..)

1. I love the fact that a staff member greeted my child and made her comfortable every morning.  They were genuinely (or great fakers) happy to see her and made my departure seem natural!
2. I appreciate the fact that my child's teacher is with her all day.  No mid-day teacher changes!
3. I LOVE the watchmegrow.com video cameras!! It makes me feel like I am involved when I can ask about the interactions that I can see on camera. 
4. I am grateful for the daily report pages that tell me what was for lunch, how long my child napped, and when diaper changes occured and other sundry items. This makes me feel like I am a part of my child's day.

Being that I am not a newbie, I know that things will not always be great, but I do know that the first week is vital in a childcare setting.  Kylie is happy and doing great.  That means the world to me.

Interestingly, this facility is owned by a couple of "momswhoknow" and I think it makes a difference.  If you have never had to leave your child in daycare, be thankful.  If you have, you understand what I mean when I say what a relief it is to know that Kylie is safe and happy.  Truly, one of the greatest gifts to a parent is not having to leave your child crying while you go to work.  Cause I'm sorry, it doesn't matter that "she only cries for a minute." And telling me that "as soon as you leave she stops crying" doesn't make my heart hurt any less.  

 Hopefully, this is just the begining of a great childcare relationship!