New Daycare

I remember so vividly being terrified of sending my baby to daycare. I wrote about it often, thought about it constantly, and dreaded going back to work after having Parker. But we were fortunate enough to have two teachers that absolutely love Parker to this day. Saying goodbye to them was one of the hardest “mommy moments” I have had in a while. With Matt’s new job, driving Parker an hour west and then an hour back east to our jobs would equal 3-4 hours of driving a day, which is just too much for all three of us. Even though Parker would have “aged up” into a new class eventually, it is still so hard to leave people you trust and have grown to care about. All of us cried, and all of us wished it could be another way…:(

Parker’s new daycare is about one minute from my work. As comforting as I thought this would be, it is actually very distracting! When Parker was an hour away at the Sears Daycare, I could more easily push away the urge to run over and snuggle him. I also came to terms with not being at his therapies because there was no other choice. With having him so close, I find myself wanting to be there during my lunch and rushing to get him after school. I do love getting more time with him, though!

The daycare he is at is brand new, and on the local high school campus…which has its perks and pitfalls. It is clean and fresh, and follows my school district schedule. On the other hand, all of the procedures for driving around high school kids, picking up, supplies, etc. are both different for us and new for the staff there. We are still getting used to the changes!

His teachers are nice, but since they are new to the building, and the kids are all new to them, they are overwhelmed….and I don’t feel like they are forming a particularly close bond with Parker (or me) quite yet. They do the best they can to show him attention, but they don’t have the same level of intensity and desire to learn about him and help him in the ways we got used to.

I am hoping as we settle into the school year, we will get closer to his teachers, and let go of the hurt of leaving great people. I am finding it interesting to try and wear my teacher hat and parent hat at the same time and empathize with everyone involved. We will see how it goes!