[blparent] Working outside or in the home

Tue Feb 10 20:31:44 UTC 2009

Thank you all for the great feedback.  You are all so honest.  Every
situation is different for different people, and I know I have to make the
decision that is best for me and my family, but you all gave me food for
thought, questions to ask myself.  I appreciate it all! 

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 11:41 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Working outside or in the home

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
>
> _______________________________________________
> blparent mailing list
> blparent at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blparent:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/jopinto%40pc
> desk.net
> 

_______________________________________________
blparent mailing list
blparent at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blparent:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/jhipp25%40sc.rr.co
m