Childcare a Profession

When people think of someone doing childcare, what is it they really think? That it is easy? That it is just a baby-sitting job?
The truth behind being a provider, takes nerves of steel, stamina, and the courage to have someone else's child in their care. It is no easy task.

It is a job that not everyone wants to have, and mothers who need their services, are ever so thankful they are there.

I lived in a University area, where I did my daycare, so I can say that most of my clients were college students. I did care for future lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers. The list goes on. I often wonder where they are today.

Childcare providers are well needed, and should be respected for who they are; for many wouldn't be where they are had they not used the services of one.

For anyone who thinks that it is an easy job, they should consider this: Who dries the tears, kisses the booboos and nourishes these kids every day? Who watches them like a hawk to make sure they aren't going to get into trouble? Who spends the most hours with someone else's children, and who is liable if, God forbid, anything happens to them while in the providers care?

For anyone who thinks that it is a cushy, and safe job, well I beg to differ. A mother will bring her infant to be in your care. To be coddled and cooed and well tended. True. But, what if that small infant gets a scratch; often they do, by doing it to itself. Depending on the mother, she will go off into a fit thinking the provider was not doing her job, or wasn't tending to her child's needs. Not true.

One more way that being a provider isn't safe, is what if the child's mother and father are divorced? What if the father had been in prison, and is no longer there. What if the father stalks the mother, and what if the father follows her to where their child is being cared for? That is something you need to think about, and how you would handle the situation.

I went through it all over the 26 years I did childcare. I dealt with the choking child, the child who shoved stuff up his nose, and many other such incidences, and I managed to keep my wits about me and still be here to tell about it.

Mothers are sensitive when it comes to their children, of course; I am a mother too. I am a mother who chose to stay home with my kids. I would tell them that I chose to work at home, because I didn't trust my kids in anyone else's care.
I understood the need for moms, especially single moms, to make a career for them, and I respected that. I chose my profession to be a home daycare provider to give them that opportunity.

For anyone wanting to go into childcare, remember the huge responsibility that comes with it. When mothers put their kids in your care, they expect the best, and quality care for them, and that is exactly what they should get.

To mothers who are looking for childcare, do all the investigating that you can, to find out where you can get the best care for your child.

For both providers and the mothers, when taking in a child, or looking for childcare for your child, trust your gut instincts. It could save a lot of heartache and misery in the future. Not everyone gets along.

My choice of making childcare my profession, was a very rewarding experience for me, and I benefited from it, as well did the children whom was in my care. I think it has made me a better person today. The people who worked with me on a daily basis, as being their provider, respected me, and the respect was well taken.

You can learn a lot about kids when you have them in your care. They are very entertaining and talented comical little creatures. I always felt sorry for the parents for having to leave their kids, for the hours that I spent with them, was the times they would have learned the most about them.