Do Any Of You Ever Want To Just Quit?

[Brooksie]

One of the main reasons why I do daycare is so I can be home with my own kids, but sometimes I feel like I still cant really spend time with them and cant go anywhere with them either. Its like I'm here for them ... but not really here for them. Kind of defeats the purpose in a way.

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I'm right here with you. I tell dbf all the time that the point of doing DC is being defeated. DD does not do well with the dc in her house and I'm so exhausted at the end of the day I feel like we don't get to enjoy the small amount of time its just us. It sucks. Wish I had advice, but all I can offer is :hug:

[Annalee]

I have been feeling this urge to quit doing daycare lately. I hate when I get this feeling. It happens occassionally and usually I get over it. But lately its getting more intense of a feeling. I dont know if Im getting burned out or what.

I love all the kids I have in my daycare right now but a couple of the parents drive me insane. I constantly catch them in lies or they try to sneak their kid here with hidden illnesses. I'm obsessed lately with bleaching & cleaning everything because of the funk these parents have snuck in here. Its so frustrating to me lately. I also started watching an infant recently and he definitely has his good and BAD days. The last 2 days he hasnt napped longer then 1 hour all day, and hes 5 months old... so when hes awake he cries & cries. At the end of the day, I'm just exhausted.

One of the main reasons why I do daycare is so I can be home with my own kids, but sometimes I feel like I still cant really spend time with them and cant go anywhere with them either. Its like I'm here for them ... but not really here for them. Kind of defeats the purpose in a way.

Does anyone have advice on how to get my daycare mojo back? Or maybe I need to change jobs. I feel bad because there are families that are calling me for childcare, but I dont even want to call them back because I'm just feeling "not into it" right now.

FCC can be isolating at times....I get most burnout during this time of year due to the extra stresses of the holidays (making ends meet financially), knowing assessment is coming in Jan/Feb the, basketball season begins for my boys, etc...Usually the time off between Christmas and New Years helps.... I feel my daycare/home/family don't get what they need from me during this time which makes me feel kind of like I am "failing" my duties.

We have a local FCC support group here which helps but sometimes I have found I just need to re-group myself....not easy to do for me. One of the re-group things I did years ago was to revamp my contracts/policy to allow more time for my family....i.e. school holidays, personal days, vacation time....these have all been mentioned, however I found some therapy for myself while writing this post....I hope u get to feeling better! :hug:

[Blackcat31]

Old thread. (2011)


NOT that the info and advice isn't worth revisiting, just want to make sure some of you who quoted Mamabear know that this is from a while ago and she probably isn't going to respond.

[Atroya]

I am very burned out. Been doing DC for 3.5 yrs. Looking for a job that will be flexible enough that I don't have to put my own kids in daycare. (I have a 12 yr old and a 9 yr old). I am going to be picky.

I could go back to my old job, but it is a 30 minute drive and winter is coming...and I hated working there to begin with, even after 13 yrs of being there. Even remembering all the crap that went on there...it still seems more enjoyable than dealing with all these issues/bad behavior/bad parenting/late payments/parents that think they can just drop off and pick up as they please/etc.

I don't enjoy it anymore, my kids are frustrated, I am frustrated, I can't spend the time with my kids that I want to, am tired of being stuck here from 7am to 5:30 pm. I used to get off work at 3 pm.

[Unregistered]

I have been feeling this urge to quit doing daycare lately. I hate when I get this feeling. It happens occassionally and usually I get over it. But lately its getting more intense of a feeling. I dont know if Im getting burned out or what.

I love all the kids I have in my daycare right now but a couple of the parents drive me insane. I constantly catch them in lies or they try to sneak their kid here with hidden illnesses. I'm obsessed lately with bleaching & cleaning everything because of the funk these parents have snuck in here. Its so frustrating to me lately. I also started watching an infant recently and he definitely has his good and BAD days. The last 2 days he hasnt napped longer then 1 hour all day, and hes 5 months old... so when hes awake he cries & cries. At the end of the day, I'm just exhausted.

One of the main reasons why I do daycare is so I can be home with my own kids, but sometimes I feel like I still cant really spend time with them and cant go anywhere with them either. Its like I'm here for them ... but not really here for them. Kind of defeats the purpose in a way.

Does anyone have advice on how to get my daycare mojo back? Or maybe I need to change jobs. I feel bad because there are families that are calling me for childcare, but I dont even want to call them back because I'm just feeling "not into it" right now.

No matter what job you have, you will always feel this way from time to time. I think it might be time to take a small break where you can just be with your kids.

[Crazy8]

Old thread. (2011)


NOT that the info and advice isn't worth revisiting, just want to make sure some of you who quoted Mamabear know that this is from a while ago and she probably isn't going to respond.

ugh, hate when I waste my time reading a thread to find its old, LOL!!! BUT, in this case Mamabear is still around (posted in the last week or so) so maybe she will respond and let us know how she got over this hump back then. I think we all feel this way from time to time!!

[Unregistered]

YES, like today, i have a new parent that wants to hang around at drop off, and gets worked up cuz dck cries, well yes, he makes him cry and then thats when he leaves, im so sick of it, its only been one week!

[jenn]

Yep! By Thursday almost every week! LOL! Then I have my weekend and I feel better and then the week starts all over again. We have a fairly thankless job. We do the work that most parents won't do or don't want to do. We put our heart and soul into our work. It's a tough job. I think it is ok to feel done now and then. Hang in there!

[Unregistered]

Some thoughts

Hello, I'm relatively new to child care, and I think one of the benefits to being new, is that I come with fresh perspective. I opened in January but business didn't to take off until May and steadily getting busier. Financially it was hard, but the work is paying off. One reason I haven't been completely full is that I've been picky from the beginning, balancing a need to pay bills with a need for sanity. My advice is to get very comfortable very quickly letting go families that bring you stress, whether it be the children or the parents. Listen to your gut. If you get a bad feeling that a parent is going to bring negativity to your home, or be flaky etc, say no or cut them loose as soon as you realize it. If the baby cries all day....let them go. If the child is difficult.....let them go. Remember you are doing this for you and your family. Also remember that everything works out how it should, so there's no need to worry about the family finding someone to replace you! You can also look at it as being in the best interest of the family/child you are letting go. It's better they go somewhere they are happy. I've lived by this and it has resulted in my group slowly getting more compatible and harmonious. I'm one of you who wasn't sure she could make it, and still have days I want to check job listings. I understand if you live in an area with few options, and it's a balance. But I realized I was turning away potential new clients because I was stuck with ones that I was unhappy with, and that I would be better off keeping my options open.

I love the flexibility I have. I've heard of providers giving 6 months or a year notice when they want to take time off which seems ridiculous to me. Here is where the fresh perspective comes in handy again. I have it in my policy that I will TRY to give 30 days notice, but that doesn't always happen. I am a single mother of three and things come up. What may ease your guilt is to understand that parents find ways to work things out in my short experience. I've gotten very creative, and still coming up with ideas. You could give notice and close on a weekday to get time for yourself....and then another down the line during summer for family time. Take time off, take time off, take time off. We left behind the 9 to 5 because of having to ask bosses to take meager vacation time. It's a trade off. I am available 24 hours, but I think this applies to all of us when I say you need to balance that out with taking a day off here and there. As with anything, some activities may need to be sacrificed, but make up for it other times. You are in a partnership/relationship with your clients and it needs to be a two way street. You are providing a service that allows them to earn money, so you both have to juggle your schedule at times. stop feeling guilty.

On the family time issue I've got one for that as well. Before I started this, I heard many former providers say they were "less" available to their children while in the business. Part of this goes back to taking more time off as I mentioned above, and also perhaps a perspective change could help. Now that I'm in business I see what they meant/what you all mean about feeling guilty about having to divide your attention. Maybe think of it this way: right now I am with my toddler every day, and I'm home when my school ager gets off the bus. I get to nurse my toddler every day. My children see me home, and are learning that the world doesn't revolve around them. If I was working a regular job we would not have any of the above blessings, and my children would be in another daycare anyway! Without me there! So to me it still sums up to me being "more" available, especially when you consider I can take time off whenever I need within reason.

#1-get comfortable letting the difficult ones go
#2-take more time off
#3-consider that your children would be without you for possibly 50 hours a week if you go back to work.
#4-be strict about drop off and pick up times. I contract with each individual family for only the time it takes to get to and from work, and I charge if they are late/don't answer the door if they are early. They need to ask you in advance if your okay with them picking up late. I know that's a bit off topic but it seems like many of you are letting customers take advantage.

Good luck. I plan to stick with this at least one year to really give it a chance. I sacrificed a lot to get here, and I'm not going to give up that easy!

[MelissaP]

Hello, I'm relatively new to child care, and I think one of the benefits to being new, is that I come with fresh perspective. I opened in January but business didn't to take off until May and steadily getting busier. Financially it was hard, but the work is paying off. One reason I haven't been completely full is that I've been picky from the beginning, balancing a need to pay bills with a need for sanity. My advice is to get very comfortable very quickly letting go families that bring you stress, whether it be the children or the parents. Listen to your gut. If you get a bad feeling that a parent is going to bring negativity to your home, or be flaky etc, say no or cut them loose as soon as you realize it. If the baby cries all day....let them go. If the child is difficult.....let them go. Remember you are doing this for you and your family. Also remember that everything works out how it should, so there's no need to worry about the family finding someone to replace you! You can also look at it as being in the best interest of the family/child you are letting go. It's better they go somewhere they are happy. I've lived by this and it has resulted in my group slowly getting more compatible and harmonious. I'm one of you who wasn't sure she could make it, and still have days I want to check job listings. I understand if you live in an area with few options, and it's a balance. But I realized I was turning away potential new clients because I was stuck with ones that I was unhappy with, and that I would be better off keeping my options open.

I love the flexibility I have. I've heard of providers giving 6 months or a year notice when they want to take time off which seems ridiculous to me. Here is where the fresh perspective comes in handy again. I have it in my policy that I will TRY to give 30 days notice, but that doesn't always happen. I am a single mother of three and things come up. What may ease your guilt is to understand that parents find ways to work things out in my short experience. I've gotten very creative, and still coming up with ideas. You could give notice and close on a weekday to get time for yourself....and then another down the line during summer for family time. Take time off, take time off, take time off. We left behind the 9 to 5 because of having to ask bosses to take meager vacation time. It's a trade off. I am available 24 hours, but I think this applies to all of us when I say you need to balance that out with taking a day off here and there. As with anything, some activities may need to be sacrificed, but make up for it other times. You are in a partnership/relationship with your clients and it needs to be a two way street. You are providing a service that allows them to earn money, so you both have to juggle your schedule at times. stop feeling guilty.

On the family time issue I've got one for that as well. Before I started this, I heard many former providers say they were "less" available to their children while in the business. Part of this goes back to taking more time off as I mentioned above, and also perhaps a perspective change could help. Now that I'm in business I see what they meant/what you all mean about feeling guilty about having to divide your attention. Maybe think of it this way: right now I am with my toddler every day, and I'm home when my school ager gets off the bus. I get to nurse my toddler every day. My children see me home, and are learning that the world doesn't revolve around them. If I was working a regular job we would not have any of the above blessings, and my children would be in another daycare anyway! Without me there! So to me it still sums up to me being "more" available, especially when you consider I can take time off whenever I need within reason.

#1-get comfortable letting the difficult ones go
#2-take more time off
#3-consider that your children would be without you for possibly 50 hours a week if you go back to work.
#4-be strict about drop off and pick up times. I contract with each individual family for only the time it takes to get to and from work, and I charge if they are late/don't answer the door if they are early. They need to ask you in advance if your okay with them picking up late. I know that's a bit off topic but it seems like many of you are letting customers take advantage.

Good luck. I plan to stick with this at least one year to really give it a chance. I sacrificed a lot to get here, and I'm not going to give up that easy!

Thank you for this. It is a great reminder. I have been feeling this way for a long time and you have reminded me why I am doing this. I don't do this for my families, I do this for MY family. And I need to remember that this is MY business and nobody else's. I make the decisions for what's good for me and MY business.
Especially the part about not working for a boss that tells you what to do. Don't let you parents tell you what to do.
Three children that I try to love dearly are on to other adventures. I am happy that these three children are leaving. They are the ones that make my life and business hell and I don't care for their parents. They take advantage of me and make me feel bad of things that may come up (illness, appointments, etc.). It's not worth it to me, and I need to remember that MY family is more important then them and my mental health is the most important thing. Again, thank you.
Melissa