Without a Doubt

When I first went back to work it was not easy by any means. The grueling schedule, getting T.D. to adjust to a new daily life, and the juggling act all exhausted everyone in our household. I wrote about how worried I was about her being in daycare and just the sheer fact that it wasn't H or me who would be with her all day long.

Now that the journey through daycare is coming to a close I know without a doubt that we did the right thing in choosing that particular center. It really was just a feeling in the beginning that she would be in capable hands. They had plans for any type of disaster, natural or otherwise and they served healthy foods. It was clean and the children looked happy. And clean.

Over the year we found that the staff is truly genuine and caring. They work hard each day to make sure the children know they are loved. T.D. was always happy when I picked her up and she thrived while there. They did a fabulous job of keeping her on our schedule and doing that with all the infants. That is no easy task! Our wishes and how we wanted her raised was what mattered. It really hit me though last Friday afternoon when I picked her up. As I gathered up her stuff to leave for the day various teachers said goodbye to her using their own pet names for T.D. Lil' Bit and Bottomless Pit the most common. These are not infant teachers either but ones from various classrooms that she does not go to. They make it a point to know each child. As we left the building I saw that it was raining a bit and I covered T.D. with my coat. One teacher stepped out and said, "Here, I'll walk you to your car with my umbrella. We don't want T.D. getting wet." It was a sweet gesture and she held that umbrella over us both as I wrangled the ever-independent T.D. into her carseat. As this teacher started to walk back to the building she turned and said with a smile, "We are sure going to miss her. We sure will."

I knew without a doubt that we had chosen a good place for our little dictator's first year. She was happy and safe. She loved those women and her little friends and vice versa. It makes me sad that there are people out there who think that children in daycare are starved for attention and put in a corner neglected. I know not all places are as wonderful as ours, but that doesn't mean across the board all centers suck. Nor does it mean I have not developed a relationship with my child because she was in daycare or that she is loved any less. That is a load of crap.

I hope that someone reads this today and knows that they are doing the right thing if they are putting their child in the care of another. As long as it's been researched and the parents feel good about the place it's fine. It's what has to be done more often than not. Believe me some days I've felt that she has gotten more attention in daycare than at home because I'm trying to vacuum or simply take a shower.