Oct

23

I Got It!!

October 23, 2004 |

I didn’t want to say anything until it was a sure thing but…..I got that full time mystery-shop scheduling job I applied for! If you remember I was getting anxious that they hadn’t called me back and I was very bummed about it, sure that it meant that I didn’t get the job. On Wednesday the manager from the company I interviewed with called me. She explained that they simply needed to talk to my boss at my other scheduling job to coordinate things. While I knew my current boss wouldn’t be a problem, I didn’t want to jinx everything, you know?

So my current boss called me yesterday afternoon and told me she just had a long conversation with the owner of the new company and felt I would be getting a call very soon. Sure enough 2 hours later there was a message on my voice mail. Of course I had to be on the phone with my husband when she called me though right? So I have to call her today to go over everything and get started. My current boss is also sending me over a new account to start working on. So I’m up to my eyeballs in work right now but that means more money. And with Christmas right around the corner I can handle that :wink:

I know you guys have asked about daycare and what all of this means. It means that I will be closing my daycare doors gradually. I have enjoyed doing daycare for the last 4 years for the most part. Most of the kids have been really great and have touched a very special place in my heart. There are those children that have been a challenge but I wouldn’t trade the fact that daycare enabled me to stay home with my children like I always wanted.

One of the toughest lessons I learned doing daycare? You can’t reach every child. That one was very difficult for me to accept. Another lesson I learned? There are a lot of people out there that feel their children are more of a burden than a blessing. That one broke my heart. And the most frustrating lesson? There are very few parents out there, in my area anyway, that respect daycare as a real job.

Examples?

  1. I had a parent once that when we were talking about my being up all night with my newborn and being tired she said “Well at least you don’t have to go to work or anything.” What did she think I did with 10 children in the house all day?
  2. I had a parent, whose child was extremely difficult - aggressive, mean spirited, lots of anger in that little body, inform me on a Friday evening that she would not be paying me. She said she needed to make her car payment and because her husband had taken the week off unpaid to go on a hunting trip she didn’t have the money for both. I charged her late payment fees and when she paid me the following week she paid me twice what she would have if she had paid me on time but she still paid me. And was never late again.
  3. I had a parent that complained because I wouldn’t take their child before 7am. I set my hours as 7am-6pm as most people that live in our area work 8am-5pm and have a 30 minute commute. She said it was obvious from the wording of my contract that I didn’t want to work anymore than my set hours and she said this in a very snide tone. I replied that I felt an 11-hour workday was long enough. Her response? Well what’s the difference of another half hour or so, you’re home anyway.

There are lots more but I won’t bore you with the details. You get the idea. This will be a gradual closing. Most of the children I have enrolled right now will be starting Kindergarten with Olivia next year. So it only makes sense to keep them on and let them finish out the next 10 months.

I have a couple of kids that only come one afternoon a week for 3 or 4 hours so that’s not a problem to continue either. Then I do have one little girl that is 16 months old that comes full time but I will keep her on until she goes to school when she’s 5. It will simply mean one other child besides my own but she is the same age as my youngest. I am very close with her mom and feel indebted as her mom has helped me immensely over the last 4 years. So I simply will not take on any new kids and not replace the ones that leave.

Besides once the kids start school next year there will just be my 2 youngest and her. I will get my freedom back. Going to the store or to appointments will be doable with 3 children (I’ve done it with 4 and more). And I won’t have to take a day off and lose money to do so anymore either. It means a lot of change for us and these are changes I am ready to make.


Comments

4 Comments so far

  1. Bev on October 23, 2004 10:33 am

    Sounds great! Congratulations!

  2. turtlemama on October 23, 2004 10:35 am

    Congrats on the new job!!!! I thought about doing in-home daycare, but honestly…after watching a majority of the toddlers in this area at the local parks..no thanks. I don’t really care for other people’s kids…I mean some of them are ok…but I just don’t have it in my to be around them all the time! LOL

  3. Kerry on October 23, 2004 12:15 pm

    Congrats on the new job :smile:

  4. Katie on October 24, 2004 9:22 am

    Congrats on the new job!

    I enjoy reading your thoughts on running a daycare out of your home. I’ve never really considered it because I think I’m over the state ratio limit with just my own kids. haha

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