Hhhhmmm...I dunno...
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Lately, I've been tossing around the idea of watching a child (or children) in my home. I would love to contribute to our household income and I stay home most of the time anyway, so why not make some money while Scout and I are hanging around the house, right? But then I think of all the drawbacks. Scout would be forced to spend every day with another child. Forced to share her mommy, her toys, and her space. Her routine would be altered. I still nurse her down for her naps. How would I go about doing that with another toddler or baby around?
I know all of that happens when a sibling enters the picture. But to me, sharing her daily life with another member of the family is very different than having to share it with some random child. One of the advantages of us waiting a while to have another baby is being able to give Scout all of our attention for the first few years of her life. Opening up our home to another child 5 days a week for 8-9 hours a day kind of cancels that out.
I'm sure she would enjoy having a playmate sometimes, but I would just feel bad that she'd have no choice but to play with this other child day in and day out. Or would she even care?
I know this may sound rude or finicky or whatever, but IF I did decide to open up my home to other children, I would have to like them immensely and get along great with their parents. How awful would it be to get stuck with a super difficult and challenging child and rotten parents that annoy me? I think I am asking too much. The planets would have to align just perfectly for me to end up with the ideal babysitting situation.
Obviously, it seems I have already made my decision. When I "think out loud" about it, it appears to be a bad idea. But then when I think of the money aspect, it really makes a lot of sense. I know that there are probably lots of stay-at-home moms who babysit in their homes. How do they make it work? I'm sure there must be a way to do it, but I'm just not sure how.
I know all of that happens when a sibling enters the picture. But to me, sharing her daily life with another member of the family is very different than having to share it with some random child. One of the advantages of us waiting a while to have another baby is being able to give Scout all of our attention for the first few years of her life. Opening up our home to another child 5 days a week for 8-9 hours a day kind of cancels that out.
I'm sure she would enjoy having a playmate sometimes, but I would just feel bad that she'd have no choice but to play with this other child day in and day out. Or would she even care?
I know this may sound rude or finicky or whatever, but IF I did decide to open up my home to other children, I would have to like them immensely and get along great with their parents. How awful would it be to get stuck with a super difficult and challenging child and rotten parents that annoy me? I think I am asking too much. The planets would have to align just perfectly for me to end up with the ideal babysitting situation.
Obviously, it seems I have already made my decision. When I "think out loud" about it, it appears to be a bad idea. But then when I think of the money aspect, it really makes a lot of sense. I know that there are probably lots of stay-at-home moms who babysit in their homes. How do they make it work? I'm sure there must be a way to do it, but I'm just not sure how.
Labels: deep thoughts, family, finances, home business
posted by Unkempt Mommy at 11:58 AM
6 Comments:
If it is meant to be, God will provide the perfect child/family. I wrestled with the same thing a while back and *poof* a friend and her husband began having their schedules overlap. Noah and I now go to her house 2 or 3 times a week. We show up when daddy leaves for work and about 3 hrs later, mommy comes home and Noah and I leave. Perfect for us and a little added income.
Check with mom's groups in your area and see if they have any moms with childcare needs that would fit in with your schedule and lifestyle. Just an idea.
There's no reason that you would have to offer full time care - there are a lot of families that need part time care and believe me it is HARD to find a part time caregiver!!
I have an in home daycare, and my own kids are 10, 6 and 1. I nurse Will down to sleep for naps (the other kids get put down first and then I nurse him down. It works fine. There is an adjustment period and some "sticky" moments now and then, but on the whole it's very positive and enjoyable.
The more I read the second comment the more I think about how PT caregiving could be a good idea. Ya see..we have a woman who lives in our community who (I think is still) hiring for PT care for her newborn due in June and I keep wondering if we should. I can barely keep up with the two here..and with Natalie only getting around by a walker she is getting into everything! LOL So I dunnoo..I'm kind of in the same boat with you. I really haven't decided if I should call. But we need the money badly, too. While I ponder what the heck to do..good luck with whatever you decide!!
I have been thinking the EXACT same thing lately. And I understand 100%. I still have not taken the plunge and taken in a child, but the money does sound nice.
It doesn't make financial sense for me to stay home with my son, so we found a mom with a toddler (7 months older) who takes care of the two of them. I really like and trust her, and I like that my son gets to learn sharing and patience and all the important skills you learn from having a playmate. The other mom picks him up and drops him off at our house, and they spend time at our house, and their house, and at playgroups, playgrounds and museums. It works very well for us. We found her on Craig's List, and she and I spent some time together with both kids so that I could assess whether our parenting styles were compatible, and she and my son could get to know each other. It's wonderful to see my son's face light up when the two of them arrive in the morning!
Oh, and she nurses her daughter down for naps, and it works out fine. I think that is the hardest thing for her, getting the kids down for naps, but she's worked out a system.
My son's birthday is a few days apart from Scout's, and we've had this childcare setup in place since the older girl was about 13 months and my son about 6 months old.
Oh, and one need I saw a lot was for after-preschool care for part time preschool. A preschooler wouldn't need naps, and could follow verbal instructions and walk beside you.
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