Adventures in Babysitting
Oh, how I wish this post was about my fantasy wife, Elisabeth Shue (waterfallsceneinCocktail), but it's not. Sigh.
Probably one of the biggest decisions to make when planning to raise a child involves childcare (and not near as divisive as the breast vs. bottle debate). We considered ourselves lucky, as we received a referral to an individual who kept a handful of kids in her home. She had daycare experience, yet we saved a considerable amount of money on a weekly basis as compared to what a typical daycare would've cost.
Well, in the "we got kicked squarely in the teeth" department, our sitter told us the day after Christmas that we had exactly two weeks to find another arrangement because she was "resigning". Well, crap. Not really what we had planned on putting on our "To Do" list for the new year. So began the phone calls in an effort to find a place that was affordable yet provided an environment that Leah and I felt was best for Nicholas. Prices ranged everywhere from $85-170/wk, and arrangments included a woman and her elderly mother watching kids to a daycare requiring an annual "membership fee" (what the....? Does he get a monogrammed shirt or cardigan sweater?).
So tomorrow, our little man starts in his new place. It's a daycare that bills itself as a learning center. It's accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. He'll have scheduled lunch and nap time, a class pet (a bunny rabbit), playground time, and all of that. Leah and I toured the place on Thursday and felt really good about it. I told her that I wish we could be an invisible presence on Monday...Just to make sure that his transition goes well. I don't know how traumatic a change of environment like this is to a 13 month old, but I can't get down on one knee and explain to him about new friends and all of that. I'm sure he'll be OK, but a part of me will be thinking about him all day tomorrow.
Probably one of the biggest decisions to make when planning to raise a child involves childcare (and not near as divisive as the breast vs. bottle debate). We considered ourselves lucky, as we received a referral to an individual who kept a handful of kids in her home. She had daycare experience, yet we saved a considerable amount of money on a weekly basis as compared to what a typical daycare would've cost.
Well, in the "we got kicked squarely in the teeth" department, our sitter told us the day after Christmas that we had exactly two weeks to find another arrangement because she was "resigning". Well, crap. Not really what we had planned on putting on our "To Do" list for the new year. So began the phone calls in an effort to find a place that was affordable yet provided an environment that Leah and I felt was best for Nicholas. Prices ranged everywhere from $85-170/wk, and arrangments included a woman and her elderly mother watching kids to a daycare requiring an annual "membership fee" (what the....? Does he get a monogrammed shirt or cardigan sweater?).
So tomorrow, our little man starts in his new place. It's a daycare that bills itself as a learning center. It's accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. He'll have scheduled lunch and nap time, a class pet (a bunny rabbit), playground time, and all of that. Leah and I toured the place on Thursday and felt really good about it. I told her that I wish we could be an invisible presence on Monday...Just to make sure that his transition goes well. I don't know how traumatic a change of environment like this is to a 13 month old, but I can't get down on one knee and explain to him about new friends and all of that. I'm sure he'll be OK, but a part of me will be thinking about him all day tomorrow.
posted by Eric C at 11:37 PM
2 Comments:
most day care centers are really good, my mom works at one, but you should deffintly pop in unexpected from time to time and check in, if they are doing a good job they wont mind you checking in,(dont let him see you though because as a child care provider i dont mind if they came by but to get him wanting to go home diffrent story)most day cares welcome you to come in and check up on your kid.
No worries, Eric. We worried, too, but my nephews enjoyed themselves, and it's a good place for them to learn social skills.
Post a Comment
<< Home