Am I crazy?

[torontokids]

I left a very promising career as a child and family therapist to open a home daycare 3 years a go. I did it because I really wanted to be home with my girls who were both daycare aged. I have actually loved it. It is extremely challenging and all my years working with children couldn't have prepared me for the job. I am extremely organized and love to do programming and although these skills have come in very handy, I still feel sometimes like I am just treading water with all the work that is involved. This job can be very draining and it requires you to always "be on." I have one of those "go, go go" personalities and I am the person at my previous job that wouldn't take a lunch but keep working and was always doing something. That being said, I find this job pretty exhausting at times. I have learned as I have gone how to make things better e.g. doing most of my cleaning during daycare hours etc but the hours are still long. I agree that although you get to be with your kids, the quality of time spent is not the same as when 1:1. My eldest found it very difficult to share me and her behaviour could be pretty horrible at times as a result. She is now in school and I can't attend any of her field trips or in class activities because I knew it wouldn't "fly" with my clients. I have been very fortunate and have had amazing parents in my daycare (with few exceptions) and I know they respect and care about me. I am 6 mos pregnant and I do not think I will reopen after my mat leave with my new little one. I have enjoyed this but I think with Bill 10 and just pure exhaustion I will look into something else. I am torn because I don't want to place my child in daycare after the year so this is something I will have to figure out!