[blparent] Working outside or in the home

Tue Feb 10 04:41:17 UTC 2009

Hi.  I've been fortunate enough to work from home so I can care for my 
daughter at the same time.  But let me tell you, it isn't always easy.  It's 
downright stressful when you're trying to get work done and your baby wants 
attention, and you feel pulled in different directions.  I'm lucky because I 
can set my own hours, which means I work hard at night or when Sarah is 
napping, but it takes self-discipline to stick to that when all you want to 
do is sleep, or it's been a long day.  The situation wouldn't work for 
everybody.  Still, I'm glad I don't have to put my baby into the care of 
others right now.

One thing I would say is that if you stay home, it's important to get out 
with your baby.  Kids, even at young ages, in my opinion, need to be exposed 
to different environments and not just kept in the four walls of your home. 
Sarah and I have a great circle of supportive friends from my church 
already, and I don't mind leaving her with them for short periods.  She 
hasn't really been around other children much, but I've been looking into a 
Mommy and Me group so that she can start to interact with some little ones.

On the other hand, my sister's kids have been in day care for most of their 
lives, and they seem to be thriving.  My sister found good home day care, 
and now for her youngest, she's chosen a center with music and gym programs. 
Her kids have done tumbling, too.  Those activities would have been hard to 
provide at home, so there are advantages.  It's really a personal decision, 
and you have to decide what is important to you and weigh the pros and cons 
of each choice.

Jo Elizabeth

"Don't throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds 
water."--Swedish proverb
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pipi" <blahblahblah0822 at gmail.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 8:02 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] Working outside or in the home

>I can give my persoanl opinions on this, but just remember they are my 
>opinions. I don't want to scare or discourage anyone from using daycare 
>centers.
> I've worked in childcare for 10 years now. And personally, I never want my 
> daughter to be in a daycare center. and she will never ever go to a home 
> daycare unless it is a close friend or family member of mine. I have heard 
> too many stories from friends about bad home daycares. And I've 
> experienced one with my nephew. We went to pick him up early one day. 
> There was a little boy who had his leg stuck in one of those floor heating 
> vents. The daycare provider was telling him to get himself out because it 
> was his fault for taking the cover off in the first place. I didn't like 
> this. The kid should have never been able to get it off. It should have 
> been screwed in tightly. I know accidents happen, but that is rediculous. 
> And the way she handled it definitely wasn't right. My nephew didn't 
> return to that home daycare. Too many things can happen when there is only 
> one person about.  I know there are some great home daycares out there. 
> I'm just not a very trusting person when it comes to strangers and my 
> daughter. I run my own home daycare now, so i'm glad there are people that 
> do trust and use them. Call me over protective I guess.
> As for centers, do your homework, and do lots of it. There are lots of 
> magnificent centers. There are some ok ones. And there are ones that 
> should have been shut down by the state. I worked in one of the bad ones 
> for less than a week before I put in my two weeks notice. It was shut down 
> not long after I left.
> The other centers I worked in were pretty good. But even though they are 
> licensed daycares, rules get broken. Ratios  get exceeded. I quit one of 
> the other daycares I worked at because I was pretty much taking care of 
> 23, 3 year olds on my own. The other person they hired to help me liked to 
> call in sick quite a lot. And with budget cuts and all, the center didn't 
> have enough staff to cover when people called in sick. It's little things 
> like that, that make me not want my daughter in a daycare.
> But again, do your homework. pop in to check out the center at all 
> different times of the day. Ask any and all questions you can think to 
> ask. Ask them about ratios and what they do when they are under staffed. 
> Ask about the foods they serve, nap times, when children are ill, anything 
> and everything you can think to ask about.  Like I said, there are some 
> great centers out there. You just have to find them.
> As for me, I'm fortunate enough right now that I don't have to put my 
> daughter in a daycare. And I'm working on making it so I can continue 
> working from home. This is just my personal preference though. I'm an over 
> protective mom who didn't ever think she'd be a mom. And I want my miracle 
> baby happy, healthy, and well taken care of at all times. I don't want to 
> risk anything. So for now, the only people taking care of her, are myself 
> and close friends and family.
> Pipi
>
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