Am I the only one?????

[playfelt]

I think another sad thing is that often the kids end up paying for the sins of the parents. While I try very hard not to get angry more or not give as many hugs or pats or smiles to some of the kids it is hard when I am having difficulties with the parents to not become annoyed with all the little things the child does. That is the way the world works though in the sense that we go the extra mile for those that go the extra mile for us and have to try hard to meet the other type of parent at least in the middle.

[treeholm]

No flak from me either, although I will confess I've only been doing this for 8 months so I haven't lost anyone yet. I have one leaving to go to school in the fall, and I like her just fine, but she is a client. I can't imagine crying when she leaves. I'm sure there will be times I'll think about her, and I think her mom will stay in touch and let me know how she is doing, but if not, that's okay too. I don't think I'm cold, and I do give the children lots of affection and attention while in my care, but they are not my children or grandchildren.
When I taught elementary school, I was always a bit sad to see the children leave in the spring because they had "grown" on me, but I always got over it very quickly LOL

[kidzandme]

I am very fond of the children in my care. It is a business at drop off and again at pick up, in between it is lovely to hear " I love you" at nap time or whenever the child feels the need to say it, or hear it. What other job would that happen in? I get sentimental but never teary eyed, when a child leaves my care. The same way you would feel after leaving any other person you have spent so much time with, it can be sad. I would not want my child to be with someone all day, that did not at least feel a fondness for them. The same love as your own child? That would just open up a whole world of hurt and heartache, ain't gonna happen.

[sunnydays]

Momof4, I recently discovered exactly the same thing...and I was shocked as well! I was actually disappointed in myself at first when it hit me that I really didn`t "like" this one child...I tried so hard to make myself like him, but it got to the point where everything he did annoyed me I was ashamed of myself at first...felt like a failure as a daycare provider...how could I not like a child? When I finally terminated it was like a ton of bricks had been lifted from my shoulders and I have come to an uneasy peace with it. I like all the other kids in my care and am very fond of them all...so I have come to understand that it is not because I am a bad caregiver...it's just that I am human and some personalities and behaviours just aren't tolerable for me. I now know that if I ever find myself feeling like that about a child, I will terminate again. While, on the surface, I treated him the same as all the others...gave hugs, etc...I can't help but think that he felt the lack of bond between us the same way I did. I do think we have to be honest with ourselves and honest with our fellow daycare providers so we can all learn and grow.