The One Time I Quit

I once had a friend who had an ADHD child, before ADHD was a well known or understood condition.

Her son was asked to be removed from daycares and schools time and time again. Devastating for the parent, heart breaking for the child. I knew this child and even my own son didn't want to be around him. This boy faced rejection on every level.

It was with this family in mind, that I adopted my ''never give up'' attitude. Man! I've had my moments. But when push comes to shove, I think of my friend and her son. And I think, "I'm not going to do that to this family."

I had one family that eventually I had to ask to find a new childcare provider. It was the hardest thing that I ever had to do. But in the end, I saw no other option.

There was a 'sexual' factor to a lot of the behaviors that were disturbing. It started out with curiosity issues, which is a phase that isn't out of the ordinary with young children. It started feeling more uncomfortable when the older of the 2 boys started saying inappropriate things about one of the girls I was tending at the time. I talked to the parent as these things occurred and I was assured that they talked to the boys. But the incidents kept coming up. The behavior and talk really made me wonder where a 4 year old would come up with these ideas. My instincts were telling me that these were not ideas that children come up with on their own. Again, I talked to the parent and voiced my concerns. Again, she talked to her boys. It was when other parents also voiced their discomfort with this family that I asked the family to find another daycare provider. It was the toughest conversation I have ever had with a parent. Because I also hoped the parent would look deeper into the source of my concerns. All I had was a feeling ...

Protecting the children in my care is my priority. I have often wondered about these boys though. I hope upon hope that my instincts were wrong. But what if they were right. Could I have been an adult they could have come to??