Daycare – Might Not Be So Bad?

Claire and I met the director of the daycare she will be attending once April rolls around. We were supposed to go last Thursday, and Neal had arranged to have the day off, but on Wednesday afternoon, the director called, apologizing profusely, to say that she was coming down with a flu and doubted she would be in the next day. When I mentioned that my husband had taken the day off, she said she would come in, but I assured her that it was fine. I mean, people get sick. She said that she rarely gets sick; running a daycare centre for over 20 years gives you one hell of an immune system.

Neal ended up not being able to take Tuesday off, so he got a lift into work with a coworker and Claire and I headed over for our appointment at 9:30. I have to admit that I was a little nervous – the night before, I had some trouble falling asleep. We had arranged a spot for Claire at this daycare, and paid the deposit, back when I was still pregnant. As protective as I was of my baby back then, I am definitely even more so now. What if I walked in and hated the place? The deposit is refundable as long as we provide enough notice, but then we would be starting from scratch, and it is insanely difficult to find daycares that will accept babies under 18 months old. If you factor in location and price, it becomes even more so. Those were things I really looked for when I found this place – the location is good whether Neal is home or sailing on a ship, and although it is certainly NOT cheap, it is cheaper than the other daycare centres that accepts young babies.

I did not need to worry. The director is a warm, loving woman who obviously still loves her job – and the kids under her care – very much. She went through all of the centre’s policies, and I did not have problems with any of them. She took Claire and I on a tour of the centre (and ohmygod, the place was brimming over with cuteness!). They have a strong focus on outdoor activity (the director told me that they don’t recommend parents send their kids in their “good” clothes because not only do they have food to stain their clothes, but dirt, mud, paint, etc), which is very important to me. The kids get homemade meals for lunch and snacks (including things like lasagna – me thinks my daughter will be eating better lunches than me!).

Near the end of our meeting, the director also picked Claire up, and Claire took right to her, snuggling in and giving her one of those hugs that just make my heart soar. Of course, Claire probably would have freaked out had the woman picked her up at the beginning of the meeting, but that’s to be expected when meeting strangers. I just felt like Claire was giving her stamp of approval – we’ll just ignore the fact that she would probably have a completely different opinion had she known what was actually going on.

I only cried once, when the director was talking about the orientation week and how I would probably go sit in the car and shed a few tears. But I left there feeling really good about the place. It’s not going to be easy, but at least I know that Claire will be going to a fun, educational place. I would never knock SAHMs – I was raised by one and always intended to be one myself – but I can also see the positive side of daycare. These are people who have degrees in early childhood education, so she might learn more at an earlier age. I see Claire’s social skills improving already by spending time with other kids when we go to the weekly library program. I don’t like the thought of only getting a few hours in the evenings and weekends to spend with Claire, but part of me (the Non-Mom part) is looking forward to going back to work. I do feel it is important for Claire to see her mother have a career.