Feeling overwhelmed... Time for first termination..

by Brooke91 Today at 6:58 pm
Hi everyone

Very new to the forum, but am liking what I see so far!

So right now in my care I have 6 little ones between the ages of 2.5-5. Plus my own son who is 22 months.

I have come to the conclusion that I am in over my head and would like to downsize my group of little ones.

So I have decided to start with the boys who are brothers( 3 and 5)... They are the two that I feel overwhelm me the most.

My problem is they were the first family I had gotten.. I did make up a new contract a couple of weeks ago but DCM still has not sighned and given it back yet.

I have been feeling this way for awhile and would like to know your ladies thoughts in this. How I should approach mom come Friday. I just don't feel I could handle both the boys full time starting the end if June.

Help!!
Reply

i can totally see why you're overwhelmed! that's a lot to have right at the beginning. i've eased into the business gradually, and i still feel overwhelmed with 6 at times. i also had 2 brothers early on...not my first family, but close, and they were totally too much. i had to terminate them after not too long, partly due to their behavior, and partly because the dcm was ALWAYS late paying.

i believe that honesty is the best way to handle these things. there must be reasons why these boys are particularly overwhelming to you, and it's okay to admit that. sometimes dcf simply aren't a good fit. i think that's reason enough to explain to the dcm that it's best not only for you and the other children, but for her boys, that she find a place more suitable to their energy level or whatever. The key is to keep it as neutral as possible, and make sure to tell her that it isn't personal. as any parent knows, it's hard not to take things regarding our children personally.

A good out is explaining that you are changing the structure of your daycare to care for younger children and won't be offering school aged care anymore. You have also decided to care for less children so you can offer each child more 1:1