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cheerfuldom 10:36 AM 07-09-2011
Originally Posted by sharlan:
Give me a friggin' break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started providing daycare 27 yrs ago so that I could stay home and take care of my daughters. I went through 10 babysitters, everything from neighbors to teenagers to licensed providers in a little over 2 years. My girls have the horror stories and scars to prove it. Yes, my 32 yo still has a scar from a bite to her chest.

I wanted to provide a safe, loving environment so that other kids wouldn't go through what mine did. I wanted to provide a loving home away from home so that other children would know they were cherished. My "daycare kids" were treated with the same love and respect that my own were. I never played favorites with any of them.

In order for me to not "work" I had to provide an income to help pay the bills. Believe it or not, it costs money to provide daycare. There's an increase in utilities, groceries, tp, gas for the car because I wanted to provide outings that the parents didn't have time for, wear and tear on my home, etc. 8 lunches at McD's instead of 2, 8 ice creams at the drugstore versus 2. It costs "ME" money to take care of someone else's child.

Right now, I provide care for my grandchildren. Do I want them going somewhere else? NO! I want to be an important part of their lives. I want all of their hugs and kisses and don't want to share them. I don't even want to share them with their other grandparents. (Get the picture? Yes, I'm selfish and want it all.) I do know that there are other providers out there who would take great care of them. I am in a situation where I can do it. Not all grandparents can.

I do agree that some of the members here seem to be money driven. This is a forum for providers to bounce ideas off of each other. This is a forum for providers to vent to each other. Many providers are isolated in that they are home all day with a group of children with very little interaction with adults. This forum provides them with an outlet to talk to other adults with the same interests.

Yes, please send young mothers here to read. They need to be educated to learn what they do and don't want in a provider. They need to learn the options available to them.

Oh, and by the way, there are a lot of grandparents and other family members that are caring for children who shouldn't be. The kids physical needs are being met, but the kids social needs aren't. They get wonderful cooked meals and fresh baked cookies, lots of hugs and kisses, but they also get the tv and videos all day long because grandma doesn't have the energy or desire to run and play and interact all day.
Today 10:00 AM
Amen to the bold! You have no idea what a group of children who are in your home will do it. Even if you have a structured environment and well behaved kids, that A LOT of traffic in and out of the home when you include the parents coming and going as well. I have had thousands of dollars in wear to my home and little of it was intention (like kids actually destroying stuff). It is mostly flooring and repainting but also yard work from parents tramping through the lawn (when there is a walkway one foot away) and the like. A constant rotation of toys, equipment, blankets and supplies for all these kids. A new vacuum when the old one dies from overuse and other things you would never think of until you actually had to pay for it.
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