Trouble with a Mom

[Crayola kiddies]

I do have a transportation authorization that the parents do sign but in all honesty I don't go anywhere with them. I have it in case there was that one in a million chance that I only had one child for the day and I could go to a beach or splash pad or museum or something like that. But when the parents sign on they know that we spend our days here cause I live in a rural area that would require transportation to go anywhere. so if parents want their child to go to play groups, library, parks, OEY Centers this is not the daycare for them cause I don't drive a bus. I book my own appts for evenings and weekends as well as swimming lessons ect. I don't volunteer at my kids schools, or go to parent teacher meetings ( do them over the phone or hubby goes) cause I work .... It would be no different if I worked in an office I wouldn't be taking days off to go see a school concert.
I think I am one of the rare people that is not doing this job for my children .... I'm doing it for me .... Because I enjoy this and I need to have an income and because any job I have had before netted me less money and then I had to pay daycare, gas, lunches, clothes, my time sitting in traffic, ect. I make more money now then I ever have and I don't have to pay daycare or anything else and my commute is 15 steps.... I can't wait till next sept cause my youngest will be heading off to full day jk and my daycare will finally be mine because my child challenges everyone of my parenting skills.

[Inspired by Reggio]

...I think I am one of the rare people that is not doing this job for my children .... I'm doing it for me .... ....

You are not alone ~ I do not have any children at home and am doing this solely for ME .... I left working in centre care to work at home in order to have more control over my work environment, work life balance and health which is for me and benefits my family as well because I am well a BETTER HEALTHIER ME as a result

Like you after 20 years in the field I realized that I was working 100 times harder in a more stressful regimented environment caring for more than double the children and dealing with more STRESS and for much less money in my pocket at the end of the day.

I love working from home for ME in a happy enjoyable environment that is more authentically in tune with my child rearing and early learning philosophies than a 'centre' could ever be and not to mention that IMO my clients get a better individualized service for LESS than they would working in a centre ... yes their child might tag along on the occasional appointment but in exchange they have the same consistent caring caregiver from open to close and never have to worry about arriving to a 'stranger' they have never met caring for their child or not being able to communicate with someone who actually 'cared' for their child at pick up or drop off like regularly occurs in centres when staff take time off work for appointments