To all the working mothers out there with children in daycare, whoa! My hat goes off to you. Today, I respectfully, bow out. Today we gave the daycare thirty day notice. We are going back to our wonderful, blessed nanny. There were multiple factors which lead us to the conclusion that a nanny was in fact absolutely necessary during this stage of our lives, but even so, there were still some reasons tugging at me to continue with daycare.

For one, Gadget has three best friends “NoahJerenAndCharlie.” It’s one word to him. He speaks about these boys as if they were quadruplets separated at birth. I asked him if he plays with Caitlin, and he clearly told me, “No, she’s a girl.” LOL! My son! We are going to have to find a group environment for Gadget in which to continue his development. When he started preschool, the ABC’s where a challenge, but today he can (pretty much) sing the entire song by himself. I am so proud of him!

Reason two is that I’m not sure how Gadget is going to get the learning activity without a structured environment. The ABC’s are just one example. I have been singing that to him since he was born, and he only caught on at daycare. There are so many things he comes home talking about, and I’m not sure I have the energy to lay out a lesson plan for home.

Oh, but on the other side. The list of reasons for a nanny is so long and has so much depth the decision was easy for me. A nanny is cheaper than daycare especially with the added cost of all the healthcare deductibles for sick baby visits. As my blogging friend, Denene, says describes “the mental, emotional, and physical gymnastics of it all.” She was really talking about marriage, but managing a household with two young children is a huge part of marriage right now for me.

But like I said, there are a billion reasons on the other side of the list. Some mornings I hear myself yelling at Gadget because he’s not getting dressed quickly enough. One parent reminded me that it’s not his fault that I have to go to work, so don’t take it out on him. I feel worn out before I even reach to work. The few days the car was in the shop and we had back-up in-home care, it was like I was in heaven. I just woke up, got dressed and went to work. No looking for four socks, dressing little people that don’t want to be dressed, and negotiating with a three year-old that he should sit on the potty.

On Monday mornings I look like a bag lady. I have diapers and wipes for the Lion, clean sheets and blankets, two lunches and sometimes back-up clothes if they were soiled during the previous week. Then, some days, having to go grocery shopping with the boys is the final stab. As if I hadn’t exhausted all my energy running around the daycare trying to convince the Lion to put on his jacket.

Basically, I am super stoked to be going back to Marina Poppins. The stress and anxiety will significantly decrease. Oh, and did I mention that I found my dream job?! Between getting a nanny and finding my dream job (in the midst of the process right now, I’ll let you know if it works out!) I am in bliss mode. I am truly excited for this next phase of our lives, one where I am rested and calm when I arrive to work.

My posting has been light because I am in the thick of it now, and I haven’t had the energy to finish any of these posts that I started weeks ago. I have about twenty posts, halfway finished. I saw my pageviews were kinda high today, which motivated me to finally finish this post. Thanks for coming back around even though the content has been slim.

February 11th, 2010 • Motherhood.

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