The best part of this job and why you couldn’t image doing anything else!?

[Serendipity]

I love the paycheck, setting my own hours, NOT having to deal with anyone I don't want to deal with and being able to take off any day I need to take off without having to have it approved by anyone.

I love that I can have a really intensely organized and busy day or I can have a lazy, do nothing but color and play games kind of day....whatever I chose to do.

[cfred]

Oh, that's the best Serendipity! We've had days here when I've scrapped all the planned activities in favour of baking together. I did that one day last Spring. The kids were older so we made pineapple upsidedown cake, baked custard and bread pudding....just cooked and ate all day. It was fantastic! The kids had a blast!

[sunnydays]

I love being my own boss and growing my business and my knowledge and constantly learning and figuring out better ways to do things, new things to do with the kids, better ways to teach them...etc. I love the pride I feel in my daycare and the happy families and kids I care for. I of course, love being home for my kids and not missing anything in their little lives. I also love that having five other kids here for them gives them the benefit of learning to get along in a group as if they had five brothers and sisters...and I get to send them home at the end of the day and don't actually have to give birth to five more brothers and sisters LOL. And, I can't believe nobody has mentioned this...NAPTIME! I love sitting in my own home and reading a book or reading this forum during naptime...it is divine and cannot nearly compare to a lunch hour at any other job And last, but not least, I no longer feel that Sunday evening queasiness that used to come as I thought about having to rush out the door on Monday morning to take kids to daycare, get to work on time, etc. I no longer dread Mondays...OMG...I just realized this as I typed it...I think I am truly in love with this job!!!

[gramma]

i love payday and naptime LOL

[DaycareLady]

Oh girls, I LOVE these!! Thank you SOO much!! I am sure as I get a few more months under my belt and all the kiddies have somewhat settled in, that I will have more things to add to my list of why I love this job!! I have already had one Mother actually break down and cry saying "I can't believe I have to go back to work and YOU are pretty much going to raise my son, YOU will be spending all the hours I wish I could with him"...that was pretty touching and made me realise just how important it is. I feel blessed when people ask me to watch their child, or tell me that they wouldn't have anyone else do it but me...I know how I feel about letting someone else watch my kids! hehe

[Spixie33]

It is a job that is often looked down at. People ask me all the time how much longer I plan to 'babysit" or do this as if I am wasting my life. Some people treated/talked to me very different back when I was in management to when I started doing this. As if I am not good enough for them anymore because I don't have a career on their level now.

But really...I feel like being someone who helps in raising these kids has to be one of the most important/honourable jobs. I keep them safe and happy and they often make me realize how life is through the ideas of a child when you don't think about bills and to-do lists etc.

People think I should be on a deadline to get out and I started off that way thinking it was a 1 year or two year thing. I set a goal for myself to get past 18 months of doing daycare because that seems to be a big drop off time where home daycares close down. I am now at 2.5 years and have my first group of kids still with me and starting JK this september. I am proud of that.

Somewhere along the way of trying to hit that 18 month mark....I started to like what i was doing. I work hard and work 10 hour days plus evenings cleaning and prepping for the next day and then on weekends have to do a lot of daycare related work but for some reason I am glutton for punishment.

Hearing the children learn something new and get it for the first time or learn new words or songs is so rewarding because it shows the impact you make.

Having families who respect you by paying on time is a great feeling - especially if they make a special trip back to your house if they forgot it in their pocket and without you asking because they are scared they might lose you.

Having the older kids say at the end of the day that they want to stay or they had a fun day is great too.

and you have to find humor in little things that the kids say or do. That will go a long way. Yesterday one of the girls had her dress caught on a toy and was panicking as though it was going to attack her and just her expressions made the whole group laugh. It is those impromptu things where the whole group has a laugh that really make the day.

and there is dancing. Put on some good music and dance around and get paid for it. You can't go wrong....right?

[kidlove]

sunnydays I feel the very same as you, when working outside the home i remember hitting sunday afternoon and my stomache would literally tie in knots (I hated no loathed my job) these days I find myself smiling at the thought of seeing those little faces i havent had in my home for the last couple days, I miss them during the weekends. dont get me wrong friday I look forward to a break, but by sunday afternoon i look forward to a day with my little friends.

[Inspired by Reggio]

My number 1 reason for doing home childcare is WORK LIFE BALANCE ... I have worked as an early childhood educator outside the home for 19 years before choosing to work from home as my own boss ~ so my 'career' did not change when I choose to do this just the location and model from which I work.

Being able to make a honest living doing something I am passionate about and find rewarding and makes a difference in the world ~ I could not wake up every morning and drag myself to an office or factory or other job where I hated what I was doing just because it paid well ... I might make less money doing this, I might have to fight social stereotypes about just being a 'babysitter' but the fact remains I know in MY HEART and see it in the face of every child I've served each and every day for the past 25 years that I am so much more and that is what matters to me ... making a difference in the lives of children!

I work from home now verses a centre because I the control this job offers me ... I control everything being my own boss!

I control the FINANCIAL end of things from the hours I am willing to work, to how much vacation I get to take, the fees I charge, if I want to be full or not, if I get a raise or not and so forth ... no office politics or anything to deal with by MY choices and how hard I am willing to work to ensure my business is a success and no one to blame but myself if my goals are not met!

I control the STRESS I am exposed to because I choose the clients I attract and if to allow them to enter into my service, I choose the behaviors I am willing to tolerate on a daily basis and which ones are deal breakers in either children or clients ... no having to deal with rude disrespectful coworkers or clients day in and day out!

I control my HEALTH by choosing all foods the children eat and I eat, the chemical free cleaning systems I put in place, the illness policy of my program, the protecting of sleep of children and so forth.

I control my VALUES and PHILOSOPHY ... no having to engage in practice dictated by someone else that I might feel is ethically or morally wrong because some ass who works up the chain of command thinks it will be more 'efficient' to do things this way or that and having to tow that company line!

I control my WORK ENVIRONMENT ... I have control to offer a truly emergent curriculum that supports my crew without having to run everything past 2 bosses and the legal team just to get approval for a field trip or outing ... I love the flexibility that being HOME in a SMALL RATIO provides

[Bugaboo]

I love more than anything that I get to see my own children during the day. I love that I can fold laundry and get supper ready during nap time so that my evenings are just for my family. I LOVE that I don't have to commute. I love that I don't have to use a public washroom all day long. I love that I can sit on my comfy couch during my break time. I love the grateful and appreciative parents. There are so many pros!

[Inspired by Reggio]

Oh yes I forgot I I can control when I PEE because when I worked outside the home we had to 'ask' to go to the bathroom like you were TWO because someone had to come relieve you and often there was no one TO relieve you so you were left doing the Tetley tea dance waiting