5 WTF Reasons People Hate Daycare

When I had my first son, I was a typical newbie parent. I also was and am in a unique situation because my husband and I both work at home. So, initially, I didn’t know if I would use the wonderful utopia that is daycare. At that time, I didn’t know much about daycare, except that it was pretty much a necessity for full-time working parents.

While that is true, there are many other reasons to use daycare. First and foremost, a parent is allowed to use daycare because they damn well please. There is something that gets my panties in a bunch about a parent, who is doing their best to raise their kid and provide for them, being told the “best” way to care for their child.

What I am saying is this: Staying at home with your children is a wonderfully viable option, if it works for you. However, many families cannot afford to have one parent stay at home. Or, in many cases, a mom may choose to work for personal fulfillment or to stay on the career track. Staying at home or working is perfectly fine; if both parents choose to or need to work, daycare then is a necessity.

In other situations, like mine, the lines are blurred. I suppose many people can say that I did not “need” to work full-time from home, but I want to, and I provide for my family, and that is my choice. The same could be said of my husband, who also works full-time from home. So, we decided to use a half-day daycare program as the best option for our family.

Right now, I really like our setup because both of our young children (a two-and-a-half year old and a one-year-old) get out of the house until noon and have social stimulation and interaction. After that, I pick them up, and they come home for a long afternoon nap, while my husband and I continue to work. When they wake up at about two or three, I spend time deeply gazing into their eyes and lavishing my love on them for the rest of the afternoon.

KIDDING. Mostly, I try to minimize tantrums, throw snacks at them while they watch Sesame Street like zombies, and attempt to block out intermittent high-pitched screaming all afternoon long. As hellish as it sounds, I still enjoy spending this time with my kids every afternoon when I’m done with work. But if I was working full-time, I wouldn’t hesitate to use full-time daycare.

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