I agree with you dream...it's a lot tougher than I thought but, like most jobs- any job it can burn you out if you let it. It's been a balancing act for me lately to find that middle ground where I'm running my business in a professional manner but, it's can't ways be my way or the high way. We are dealing with kids/families but I've come to learn through the help of other providers on this site and the others that I'm talking about, when it comes to our policies - we need to stick to them. At least for me, that rings truth.

I'm not perfect- far from it and I was on my way to burning out trying to do all that you said above. In my yoga pants ( actually still in those ) painting every day, spending every day filled with lots to do. I found out that I'm going to burn out that way and not letting the kids be kids. I've been a work in progress and so is my daycare but my intentions are there and I wonder about some of these other posters who just seem to be so negative. I woudn't want to leave my kids in the care of someone who kept doing it because they just didn't want to work for someone else and or can't make this type of money somewhere else.