Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
people who obsess over "awake time" are under the assumption that all or most kids go to bed at 8pm apparently. when i was working and going to school my kids were in daycare sometimes from 630-7am until 530-6pm. part of that time i worked at daycare, other times i didn't. they aren't aggresive children, we didn't fail to bond, and they are still young so i have plenty of time left to spend. i've said before the choice to use daycare when they were young was the lesser evil since the alternative was not being educated and working long hours for low pay their entire childhood.
anyway, when they went to daycare at 630-7 i had to wake them up at 5am. that means they were AWAKE with me for 1.5 - 2 hours in the morning as i got them ready, fed them (if they didn't eat at daycare), watched cartoons - whatever. after waking up so early they would take looong naps at daycare. i don't think my kids have ever gone to bed before 10pm. i don't see how it's even possible for a kid who's in daycare until 530 or 6 to be in bed by 8:00 after you factor in commute, dinner, bath, and then a little play time, tv time, winding down - whatever you want to call it.
with the schedule i have now i sometimes go 3 days straight without seeing my kids. THEN i'll be off and don't go to work at all for 7-8 days sometimes.
anyone who thinks if a parent REALLY wants to that they can stay home with their child and not work is delusional (but it's also ironic that they have an income from home) or they had/have a husband with a substantial income. our house is totally 100% paid for. our cars are 100% paid for and they are nothing fancy (1998 gmc truck and 2004 cavalier) and STILL we both have to work.
the "if i can do it so can they" attitude is so out there. everyone doesn't have the same circumstances and if everyone could stay home with their children then nobody would have a job as a daycare provider would they.
As a parent who has been there, and a provider who understands you, Thanks
