I walk into after school daycare to pick up Ethan and Reese, and I’m so excited to see them because I’ve been traveling a lot and working really long hours in the office. While I’m eagerly waiting for them, one of the daycare workers looks at me and simply says, “Oh, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Oh! Are you kidding me?! Like I don’t already have enough guilt, being a working mom and having my kids in daycare. Whether or not there was ill-intention with her comment, it still struck me like a dagger. The truth is that I love after school daycare, and my kids do too! I know I cannot possibly be alone; in the U.S., nearly half of kids are being raised by two full-time working parents.
Daycare can not be a dilemma – in fact, for most people it’s a necessity.
There are clear winnings with daycare – one being the friendships! There were so many friends that Ethan and Reese made just because of after school daycare. Because they never had classes with these kids, so they would have never interacted. There are also the friendships that we as adults, my husband Matt and I, made.
Matt is notorious for picking up our kids, scanning to see what parent we might have something in common with, and approaching them to build a bond. Some of our best friends have been made that way. Can I say Homework Club, right?! The fighting us parents have to do to get homework done with our kids can be draining. Homework Club at daycare offers another adult to help them with that, as well as peer support buddies.
I love being able to review the homework after they’ve already fought with someone else to get through it, and be able to give them that extra support and reinforcement at the end of the day. Then finally, independence.
You’ve often heard me say that I believe my number one job as a parent, outside of keeping my kids safe, is to raise independent adults.
What better way for my kids to learn about independence than when they’re away from me? There is so much they will have to learn to do on their own, without mom being right by their side every single moment. Now this isn’t to say that I don’t think there are benefits to kids being home – I see that when I have the opportunity for my kids to come home after school.
But I want to share with you that there is no longer a daycare dilemma. Get over it! Think about the positives, and the things that your children are walking away with. Love and embrace the fact that your kids are getting things outside of just within your own home.
If you are struggling, feeling like you’re a crazy, busy, working mom, I also have a free download for you here on my website. I invite you to take a look, and see what other tips could help you through this journey!