I am so sorry you had this experience. You will no doubt find it difficult to trust the next caregiver until she "proves" herself, and that makes it hard on all of you. It does sound like this person did not plan carefully or do her research. She would have had a contract ready before she began, and she would have understood that transition is tough for everyone. I spent about 8 weeks doing my research before I opened, and it has made my opening easier than I expected. It annoys me that someone would see this as a "I'm home anyway, I'll just do daycare and make money while I'm home anyway" venture instead of realizing that this is a business, and the dynamics of adding extra children to your own is REAL WORK! I certainly feel that I earn every penny, I'm not just hanging out at home plopping the kids in front of the tv all day... Just my 2 cents' worth. I hope you are able to find someone like the ladies on this forum and that your next daycare experience is positive!