Saturday, September 26, 2009

Daycare = Anti-christ?

Oh boy, how long has it been since I last posted? I did write a thank you note to you, my dear readers, back in August before I left on vacation with the fam. That was a cop-out, because I didn't have the time or energy to write a real Hatewatchers-worthy post.

And where have I been since August you ask? After Labor Day, I prepared myself to go back to corporate work. I haven't been "off" this summer sunning in St. Tropez -- I've been on maternity leave taking care of Baby Boy. On September 9, I walked into my office building and Baby Boy started daycare onsite. Contrary to what many other working mothers told me, I didn't cry, get depressed, etc. I also didn't blow up the phonelines at daycare and did not stop by to see Baby. No need to...he's fine. Husby and I pay daycare to take care of our son during the day while we work hard for our family. I have full trust in daycare and will continue to until they give me reason not to.

The vacation was a much-needed break from hell, i.e., other parents. (This is my variation of Jean-Paul Sartre's most famous line of dialogue, "Hell is other people.") As you know, if you've read any of my past posts, I hate other parents. Not ALL other parents, just ones that piss me the fuck off. Which, is about 99% of the parents I come in contact with. Actually, I should amend my comments and redirect my anger towards other mothers. Fathers are not so bad. Women suck. Again, please understand I don't mean all women suck and I don't mean all fathers are not so bad. Some fathers suck, too. I will pontificate on that in a future post, I promise.

Okay, I'm off the topic once again. So, back to daycare. Yes, know-it-all moms, I am aware that daycare is a hotbed for germs and Baby will catch colds there. No shit! You know what other location is a germ factory? OFFICES! Yes, from Monday through Friday, I am surrounded by people coughing, hacking, snorting (no, not the fun stuff, just regular snorting), sneezing, wheezing, burping and all sorts of bodily functions. I have gotten sick quite a number of times from work. And yet, I still go. Amazing!

Listen, Baby Boy is going to be exposed to germs. It's life. I want him to enjoy his childhood, which means playing with other kids that may or may not have colds. I want him to play in the dirt and have fun. That's what NORMAL children do.

Another retarded comment I hear from other parents. Now this one I get from moms and dads. "Daycare is soooo expensive!" Yes, it's so expensive. I should just hire a unqualifed person to watch my child so I can pay her/him the minimum wage or less. I may be able to negotiate this person down further if there is a lack of CPR training, credentials, references, etc. Isn't it sad how we love to nickel and dime people that take care of our children, enrich their minds and ensure their wellbeing? Teachers, daycare workers, nannies, au pairs, etc., are all are paid "too much."

I look at it like this. I work at a Fortune 500 company. I want to have peace of mind during the workday so I can get my shit done and get it done right. A big part of that peace comes from having my Baby being taken care of by qualified and loving people. Those people should have the same type of benefits I do: paid holidays, sick days, health insurance, life insurance and all that good stuff.

Now, caretakers having those benefits doesn't guarantee nothing will ever happen to my child. It simply means my child is taken care of by people that have fair and balanced benefits. People that can call out if they are sick. People that have vacations. All those benefits cost money. I am happy to pay what I pay because I know that you pay for what you get.

In the end, the most important thing is that Baby is happy. And boy, is he! Already a smiley guy, he smiles even more now. Already a great sleeper, he sleeps even longer now. Already a great eater, he eats even better now. What more can I ask for? Some would say, a discount coupon. I would say, just keep my child happy and healthy.

Things are gonna happen. Bumps and bruises will occur at daycare. You know how I know that? Because all of these things happened and will happen on our own watch. Let's not go insane and expect our children's caretakers to be perfect people until we are. Besides, perfect is boring. Don't you want to play in the dirt sometimes?