Burnout: do you ever suffer from it?

[sunnydays]

Thanks jam560; it's so nice to have confirmation of my own beliefs from an experienced provider. I feel like there is way too much pressure on parents and daycare providers to create super kids who can read, write and create works of art before they are toilet trained

[mlc1982]

Lately, I have been feeling the same way --- burnt out! I often wonder if I am doing the right thing by keeping my daycare running but know it's the best thing for my kids.

I think part of the problem is that I have put too much pressure on myself to be the person to teach the kids academic skills or keep them occupied with crafts/activites. With my own kids, I have an age range of 9 months - 2 1/2. I am slowly learning that free play is wonderful and there is no harm in it. Knowing that I am not constantly thinking of a new activity or craft to do with the kids has taken a lot of the stress away. I will do something the odd time but for the most part, we do a lot of indoor and outdoor free play. I wish the parents could understand more that this is a good thing for their children.