One of the things I love most about the summer is getting out to the parks and finding other daycare 'families' and their care provider out there. I thoroughly enjoy talking with someone who knows what it is like to walk in my shoes and hear their stories.
I enjoy watching others interact with 'their' kids and see what I can take away from that. I have seen one extreme to the other. One provider that called each of her children 'honey' and 'dear' and had her kids crawling all over her, vying for her attention .... to another overly strict person who seemed to have only one voice - loud and domineering. Then there are all the other ones in between (most of them fall somewhere in the middle of those two examples).
I love the conversation that comes up with other moms and daycare providers. Especially when we 'speak the same language' and we share our stories and experiences in a positive and encouraging manner. As any full time mom or daycare provider knows, spending 10 - 11 hours of your day in a child oriented world is lonely. I crave adult interaction in my days. And to find the company of another adult in a park where the children are happily playing and we are still doing our job ... is a gift.
It seems one can always find the negative in a situation. I talked with one other daycare 'mom' that told me of the other babysitters in the area that wouldn't even talk with her because of their competitive nature, vying for the business of the children in the area. This mentality amazes me. I don't consider other babysitters as my competition. I just consider them as other choices for the parents. I think finding a daycare that ''fits'' is an individual choice. What one person is looking for in a daycare is different from the next. I don't try to sell myself as something I'm not ... but I try to give a full picture as to who I am so the parents can make the choice that is best for them.
I've also talked/heard many stories about the ''parents they babysit for'' in a negative fashion. Once again this is something that I have rarely experienced. I often say that I have the best bosses in the world. There seems to be a mutual respect that we share, in keeping with the shared interest in their child. I feel valued and supported and part of a team in looking out for the best interest of their child (maybe this is because the parent has shopped around and found that what I have to offer 'fits' their needs the best?).
The conversations I enjoy are the ones where we share ideas of how we tend to our 'families'. Activities, routines and just the day-to-day stuff that we encounter. When I ran into a 'daycare mom' the other day and found out that she had been running her daycare for over 24 years, I felt that there was a wealth of knowledge to be gained by her experience. And in return, I think she also appreciated another voice that understood and heard her. I was busy video taping the kids and explained to her about my daycare blog for my parents and she was intrigued. With as much wisdom that she had, I think she also took something away from our brief encounter.
I enjoy being in a position of 'shared experience'. I don't relish the idea of a conversation being turned into an excuse to put down parents or other child care providers. I think everyone who takes care of children has a vast amount of knowledge to 'put into the pot' for others to learn from.
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