Developing a friendship with parents

[Judy Trickett]

Did it take you awhile to get to this point? To feel no guilt at any time?

Yes. No. Sort of.

I have always been an assertive person. And, before daycare I worked in an industry where the prevailing belief is that you generally, in the real world, cause your OWN problems. So, having that as a background of knowledge I guess I never really felt any guilt because I honestly believe that daycare parents get themselves terminated. Why should I feel guilt for the actions of someone else?? KWIM?

Really, ANY dcprovider I know would much rather work with the families she already has and knows then to have to terminate and start over with a new family. Most of us will do just about anything (within reason and within the terms of the contract) to keep a current family. So, if it gets to the point of termination one has to ask WHO is really at fault here? Parents get themselves (and their child) terminated. I won't own that guilt nor will I accept responsibility for it.

The minute daycare providers STOP wearing their hearts on their sleeves and start wearing a business hat instead is the day their daycare BUSINESS starts to become VERY easy and stress-free.

And then providers allow society to get inside their heads with the misnomer that you can NOT be a daycare provider and be kind and compassionate toward children while still being a BUSINESS owner and acting as such. NOTHING could be further from the truth. That paradigm is a double-standard that we need to stand up and refuse to allow be applied to us. It's unfair and it's ridiculous.

Daycare is Business. Period. Lots of parents do NOT want to read that but I speak the truth. It's business. It is.