Thursday, September 16, 2010

The many parts of our system

Today I got one step closer to preparing for my life as a working mother...I hired a babysitter. Timmy's daycare closes everyday at 6pm. Between PJO's 50 mile commute and my commute through the 7th circle of hell LA traffic, neither one of us can guarantee we'll be there by closing time. Considering daycare charges $2 per minute if you're late, we can't exactly show up late, offer heartfelt apologies, and go on our way. So we hired someone to pick Timmy up every day, bring him home, take him to the park, read him stories, and possibly give him dinner and a bath. Presumably at least one of us will be home by 7pm to send her home, and in the worst case scenario that we can't, it's easier to impose on someone that you always pay by the hour than the daycare. I'm hopeful it will work and I like the girl who will be Timmy's chauffeur.

But this sucks. I hate that I have to put him in daycare full time and still hire someone else to cover extra hours. I hate that the measly one hour separating an impossible time to get home from a reasonable one increases our monthly childcare costs by 60%. I hate that there will be 2 places I need to speak with if I want to hear about Timmy's day. I hate that I won't be the one who gets to show up to daycare and have a smiling Timmy running to me ready to show off something he made that day.

But this is our plan. I still would rather have him at daycare than at home with a nanny because I know he needs that environment and socialization. And it is cheaper, even with the babysitter added. But I would be a lot more excited about embarking on our new lives if it were a bit more simple. 9-5 never sounded more glamorous than it does right now.

3 comments:

EH said...

You've probably already thought of this, but have you gotten a DMV report on the person you've hired? And also, you may want to check with your auto insurance to find out if your policy would cover him if, God forbid, there was an accident. Get a copy of her policy limits/exclusions, too.

Sorry. Paranoid plaintiff's lawyer.

There were so many days when I wish I'd had someone like that. I hated the stress of getting to daycare by 6, and I really hated it when I was the last mom to pick P up. He'll be SO much happier to get back home, and it'll be so much nicer for you both to not have to stress about the deadline.

InHouseOutlet said...

I think it's a great idea to hire someone for every day pick ups. It sounds like in the long run, you'll stress out a lot less. Also, the time you will be at home, you'll be able to enjoy instead of scrambling for dinners, baths, etc.

I've been reading your blog for a while, first time to comment. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing and I hope you keep it up once you're working. I'll be curious to see how your transition goes.

Cristy said...

It's tough, I know, to have them at daycare like that. I had the same feelings when I was angry because I couldn't find a daycare that closed after 6. Just know you're doing your best. And, maybe you and your husband can change on who tries to leave earlier on particular days? That way at least one of you would have some time with him. It'll be hard to come home and basically put him to bed, so maybe if you know that a couple times a week you're heading out earlier than 6, no matter what, this will put your heart at ease.