Daycare - the internal struggle

Oh daycare. My daily struggle with my values, my preconceived notions and my Scottish frugality. We are getting to the point where the maternity leave end date is in sight. Which brings forth the question: where are we going to send the Babe to daycare? We have already secured a spot at a nearby centre, but I'm always second-guessing the decision. We chose this daycare because it is close to home, a Montessori-based learning model which will come into play when she's older, has three different rooms so she can stay there until she's 5-years-old, and most importantly I got a great feeling about the staff there when I toured the facility. They rock the babies, hug the babies and give the babies the attention I think they need. So why the second guessing?

It's a little expensive, it's close to home but far from work, and then there's the heartache that comes with the thought of leaving the Babe at all. Everyone told me it's difficult to go from spending 24/7 with your child to heading back to work and leaving them for 8+ hours a day with virtual strangers. But I just didn't know it would be this hard. And I haven't even sent her yet! I myself attended several home-based daycares as a child and for the most part thrived in all of them. There were one or two where it just wasn't a fit, but I'm sure that terribly normal. So I'm not so nervous about the idea of her in a daycare. My husband did not attend daycare, so he doesn't have as much of a frame of reference. There are so many internal debates happening in my head right now it is hard to get another thought in. Back to touring another daycare today, something close to home and just as expensive as the first. Why another you might ask? I like to keep my options open and compare prices. It's the Scottish in me ;)

~ H

Happy Mom Day

Happy Mother's Day to all my faithful mother or/and daughter readers! Today the Babe giggled, ate all of her oatmeal (yes, we started solids but that's another post soon), skipped her second nap which resulted in a grumpy afternoon, and gave me some awesome smiles.

I also took a moment to remember my dearly departed mother and stepmother who passed away in 2001 and 2009 respectively. Both fantastic women who I miss dearly.

~ H