Some parents who don't want to be around their kids

[bright sparks]

I think it's easy for everyone to judge the parents staying at home but none of us have all the facts necessary to make an accurate judgement on the where and why of things. How does anyone ACTUALLY know that the parent sat on her ass all day and ACTUALLY thought "thank god I have the day away from my child" ?? A lot of what has been said on here does imply that this is what is thought of those parents or could easily be interpreted as so, but the fact is none of us know. Perhaps yes the doctors appointment is only for an hour but maybe the parent can get a lot of other things done while they are out which would be slowed down if their child was in tow. What about those parents who struggle to keep themselves together and self-care needs to prioritized for their mental well being. This actually makes them better parents and is in the best interest of the child and the child is left with a daycare provider who has an educational program, is helping their child develop well and providing a safe environment for them while the parent does what they may have to do to keep themselves together, all be it that for some, this may simply be lying in bed all day.

I believe that it may be a shame for the child to be dropped off at opening time and picked up right at closing time, but how about instead of being passive and tip toeing around the situation, you state with confidence that you would like the parent to pick up and drop off at slightly different times to make the day shorter for them. It's your business and if you don't like the way a parent is acting then say something. If you don't feel you can, then IMO the chances are that it's because it oversteps the boundary of a daycare providers role and just highlights the fact that this is simply a difference in parenting styles.

People leaving one sibling with grandparents and not the other while they go away is something that I could never do and taking two weeks off and not spending any of those days with my child is again something I would never do, but this isn't about me and there is nothing I can do to change these people so it's wasted energy getting angry about someone else's actions that do not effect me. I also doubt it will scar the child for life enough for them to be an alcoholic....if you actually research causes for addictions this wouldn't necessarily stand out as a common cause? Also the child at this age would be happy as long as they are loved by someone, and children don't even form long term memories until approx 3yrs old so I don't think we need to over react about. How is it any different TO THE CHILD, if they don't see a parent all day because they are at home or if they are at work? The kid, at least for our general age group, are none the wiser and aren't any worse off as long as who they are with loves them and cares for them.