I'm picky. Sometimes I can't even put my finger on why I like/don't like something, but I have an opinion. And I second guess it. all. the. time.
I admit it!
I'm also pretty lazy when it comes to certain things - it's not unusual to hear me say "please don't ask me to stop at the grocery store on the way home" and "I sure hope my car has enough gas so I don't have to fill up before my commute this morning."
Last night, my wonderful (add every good adjective you can think of here and it'll describe her) sitter called. She is moving - out of the country - and gave her notice for June 1st.
I knew this was coming - she was honest back in November when she took the gig that she would not be staying more than a few months. She even told me in January she thought it would be sometime in July. I nodded and said that I would start working on a replacement. I didn't. I was in total denial.
June is two months away. I don't want to let her go! She loves Spunky Baby (almost) as much as we do. She has watched him since he was 10 weeks old. She is at my house 50 hours a week. She comes over on snow days to watch him while I telecommute. She babysits overnight once a month when we have a date night and get home super-late. She never minds me being 15 or 30 minutes late because I had to *grumble grumble* stop at the grocery store or if traffic was bad. She's always on-time, dependable, caring, etc. - all the things I look for in a sitter. And she is affordable - a rare gem these days. Plus she lives three doors down and walks to our house! How spoiled am I? We love her and she's a part of our family. I know this has been a difficult decision for her as well. But I'm selfish. She's great and I don't want to lose her.
Now, sadly I must find someone else. Daycare? Sitter? Nanny? My house? Someone else's? Center? Other kids? Ages? Location? Cost? Licensed? I issued a plea to friends and family for assistance in finding a suitable replacement - I really would like a personal recommendation rather than resorting to Craigslist or online sites. (Here's where the picky and lazy problems arise.) I have a list of qualities I would like in the next sitter. Yep, I'm being picky. No matter what list I put together, I'm confident that "I'll know it when I see it" once again when the fit is right. I just started looking today and I'm already in a panic about finding someone.
I do believe that beyond the emotional separation, childcare is the hardest part about being a mom working outside the home.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Childcare: Good help is so hard to find!
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I agree with you one hundred percent. For me, finding reliable childcare that works LONG TERM has been a struggle for four years. Nicholas is in his fifth childcare arrangement, and just turned four. We started with a home daycare, which I think is absolutely the best option for an infant. Right before his first birthday we moved him to a traditional daycare. It was MUCH too large, and his teacher (who we loved) quit, so we moved him after only 5 months or so. The next daycare was actually a "day school" for children, and they were the most consistent. It was small (40 kids) and they gave swimming lessons in the summer for free. Then I found out I was preggo with Isabel and knew I'd have to move him. (The day school didn't take infants, and was actually out of my way. No way I was making two stops on the way home. I'm *lazy* too.) He was at the day school for around 2 years. I chose a child development center and enrolled him a month before Isabel was born. When I went back to work, they took her in as well (that was the end of September last year.) Then cold & flu season hit...
Let me sideline for a moment. At my company, we are given 4 weeks (20 days) of PTO (Paid Time Off) per year. It doesn't accrue, you're given all 4 weeks on January 1. Use them by December 31 or lose them. Vacation, sick days, doesn't matter. Use it however you'd like.
Back on track now. From January 1 through February 22, I used nine days of my PTO for child sickness. We took a week for vacation in mid-January. So here I am, 2 months into the year, with only 6 days of PTO left for the remaining 10 months. What's a girl to do?
Did I mention Nicholas had pneumonia and was in the hospital for 3 days at the end of all this???
So what's a girl to do? Pull her kids from that daycare and have a private sitter, that's what. I knew someone willing to stay home (her home, not mine) and keep my 2 kids for the same amount I was paying the daycare ($240/week). She loves the arrangement because she gets to stay home with her young son and my 2 kids, get paid, and get a little bit of housework done. Good deal for everyone.
And the kids have been there 5 weeks without so much as a sniffle.
Moral of the story (book)? Home childcare, whether your home or theirs, beats the germification of 20 kids in a room together all day in the middle of cold & flu season.
Just my opinion. (Just like Sarah, I have one!)
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