Ready, Set, Daycare
I always saw myself being that cookie cutter, super-hot, breastfeeding machine, of a stay at home mom.
Early in postpartum, that dream was shot right out of the sky. The next thing I saw was myself in a job interview when my son was just two months old. I knew the question would come up...I knew it. I knew it.
Not to my surprise, the next question I hear, "So is your son in daycare or childcare, so that your able to stay faithful to your duties here"? This question had rolled through my head many days before and after my interview. "Yep, he's taken care of. I'll figure it out".
That day, I found myself surfing through my contacts and list of friends on Facebook, wondering who I trusted. Who I didn't. Did I trust anyone with my kid?
Days went by without a slight hope for someone to watch the baby, until a week later, a friend finally had said she didn't mind. Then another friend. Then another friend. Soon I had lots of inconsistent options. Once I started working, he was bouncing all over Gods green earth: mommy friend to mommy friend.
And let me be clear. This was not their fault, it was mine. I knew I was NOT ready for (gulp)...day...care. Okay I said it.
Many of us moms suffer from the anti-daycare syndrome. We think, "no one will take care of my kid better than me"!
And your right, no one will. But that's point to sending them off into the daycare world. We can't always be there to protect them from scenarios in our minds that most likely aren't even happening to them.
Us moms all have a mom gut. And if that mom gut is telling you something isn't feeling right, for sure, don't ignore it. But don't hate the idea of your child not being safe, just because he or she is not with you.
After seven long months of jumping all over, and myself eventually quitting my job, I finally came to the realization that I needed to work, and my son needed stability while I did.
Ready. Set. Daycare.
This is most definitely one of the best decisions I ever made for my son and myself. I see now how good it is for him socially, emotionally, and educationally. It was also beneficial for me in the same ways!
So if you have to "daycare", take it from me and your mom gut.
