I am a SAHM but also watch 4 other children. I think it is wearing on me. I get taken advantage of a lot and although they sign a handbook and I do enforce it I now get lied to a lot or just not informed about things.
example last week a little girl told me she threw up the night before. Her mom made no mention of her even not feeling well. Lo and behold, last night DS wakes up throwing up. I am off today and will probably have to take off tomorrow becuase dd will inevitably get sick next.
This means DS has to miss his first soccer clinic and dd has to miss school and dance all becuase this MOTHER didnt want to stay at home with her kid.
I have been doing this for 5 years and with the sickness, getting taken advantage of and the wear and tear on me and my house I AM THROUGH!
Anyone have any advice? If I quit, my hubby still has a good job but I dont know if he would go for me actually just watching my kids and my nephew.
Is cutting down on the number of kids you take an option? Maybe if you just watch one or two other kids it wouldn’t be as much stress.
(In the slight defense of the mom who didn’t warn you her kid was sick: is it possible the girl just threw up once the evening before and her mom blamed it on something she ate and didn’t think there was any reason to keep her home the next morning?) I’m sorry your kiddos got sick. I hope they’re all feeling better soon.
What I am hearing is a worn out, frustrated and exhausted mother.
If you do not need the money then opt out.
If you do then cut down on the no of children you mind.
Check with local preschools about what their sick rules are as I suspect that lots of parents leave sick kids and therefore put healthy kids at risk and they must have a policy to try and avoid this problem.
Lastly treat yourself to a relaxing massage or beauty treatment!
Oh my. This is the story of my life! I’ve been doing a dayhome for almost 7 years now and it is also wearing on me. I really like that it is a job that I get paid for but I still get to be home with my 3 kids (11, 7, and 3. And one on the way). I hate that I cannot drive my daughter to dance class or be a helper at school, etc. I feel like I cant take a day off even when I am sick becasue parents will be upset. I also get taken advantage of at times. Like when kids are supposed to be picked up at a certain time and they keep pushing it to later and later. AHhh. I am seriously thinking of telling everyone that I am only going to work Mon-Thursday. that way I will have Fridays to be with my 3 year old and my new baby and also i can go to playgroups/swimming/etc with my own kids or go to appointments. I always have to drag 6 kids to all of my appointments and it is getting crazy for me. I worry that I will lose kids by doing this but 4 days of work and 3 off every week would make me relax a bit more. I am getting overly stressed! I know my daughter would love it to be just me and her but I need the $. Not sure what to do!!
poptart how do you do it ? I would be a mess in one week. I think taking Fridays off is an excellent idea, hopefully the kids you mind have a [name]Nanna[/name] nearby who will help out one day a week.
Let me dream for a minute. I dream that the government could provide enough money for all people with preschool kids so that they could afford to stay home (if they wanted to) without having financial problems.
Mothers what would your wish list look like so that you aren’t frazzled, tired and worried about money?
Hugs and best wishes to all the wonderful supermothers of the WORLD!
If you are concerned about the loss of income or your husband’s reaction, I think you should plan ahead for those things. First, examine your household budget (or ask your DH if you can review if he mainly does that). Find areas you can cut costs. I’m almost positive there are a few changes you can make – grocery bills can be cut by using coupons (but the time and effort may not be worth it if you aren’t interested in many items where coupons are offered), buy more whole foods (not processed/pre-packaged), bulk foods, and staple items, switch to generics, make the most of leftovers, plant some vegetables, etc. [name]Do[/name] you have multiple vehicles? [name]Do[/name] you need them both/all? Can you walk more than drive and save gas plus get exercise? Can you save on car, home, auto, etc insurance? Conserve water and electricity – lots of tips online about these. [name]Set[/name] a more strict clothing (trift stores!) and entertainment budget. Basically, instead of worrying about the loss of income, find a way to cut costs so you won’t miss that income.
Going to your husband with these budget cutting ideas and showing you can make it work with the loss of income should help any of his concerns. I’m sure he understands you are worn out and tired of having your children get sick and miss things because of other kids – after all, you chose to be a SAHM for many reasons, one was probably so you could be with your kids more and be there to take them places and watch them experience things.
Right before #2 was born, I decided to go down to part time at work and then eventually left my job to be a full time SAHM. We lived in one of the most expensive cities in the US at the time and I had to cut out many expenses to afford these changes. We did some more “extreme” things like going down to car (me driving DH to school if I needed the car or just being carless during the day) and even selling our house and moving to a tiny apartment… but there are alot of little things you can do that add up too!
