Gone are the days of feeling guilt over putting your child in day care. These parents feel good about their kids being in an environment that fosters learning and socializing. Plus, there are benefits for mom and dad too.
While your child is learning and growing, day care also gives parents a little freedom to work, get things done and simply have some alone time.
Freedom
“I love dropping my kids off at day care! Why? The kids get to play, learn and grow. They spend no time vying for my attention while I am working, no time messing up the house (because no one is home) and they are free to be themselves.” — Robin W.
Independence
“I go to work and love it. I don’t wish I was with the kids because I know we are being independent, not co-dependent, people. We love to spend time together at night, in the morning and on weekends and it works for us.” — Janell G.
Socialization
“I don’t have any guilt about dropping my two-year-old off at his Montessori toddler program three days a week because he loves it. He goes in happy and leaves happy. He’s able to socialize with other kids his age and learn a lot more there than he would sitting at home with me all day. In order to get work done, I often turn the TV on for him. I feel a lot guiltier about him watching TV than I do taking him to a place where he does all kinds of reading, music, crafts, art projects, learns Spanish and more!” — Noelle P.
Me time
“My daughter loves Montessori school, or I wouldn’t take her. But more so, it makes me a much better mom when I have a break. If I am with my infant daughter 24/7, I get frustrated, impatient and bitter. I love her more than anything, but sometimes Mommy needs to get away from the constant demands. Then, at 5 p.m. when I pick her up, I’m refreshed, relaxed and ready to play with her until bedtime.” — Rhea L.
Friendship
“In the beginning, it was hard. But as it progressed I kind of liked it. He’s meeting new friends. So much of the early years of a kid’s life is spent at home and with his or her parents. And seeing the transition from ‘just wanting mommy or daddy’ to ‘leave me I got this’ is kind of cool. Sad. But, cool.” — Joshua T.
Influences
“I am a stay-at-home mom who regularly takes my child to day care. He is an only child and at 2 years old, I want him to have other influences besides myself and my husband. Since we do not plan to have any more children, I want my son to have plenty of experiences being around and playing with other kids.” — Manal M.
Quiet time
“It’s lovely to pick him up and hear all of the new ideas, topics and stories he has been exposed to during the day. It gave us new things to talk about and new things I could teach him. I also loved having time during the day to pursue my own things, have some quiet time for writing and getting things done around the house that needed attention.” — Pamela M.
Productivity
“I am a career mom of three boys (ages 13, 10 and 1) and have absolutely zero guilt about having my 1-year-old in day care. I love the interaction my son has with other kids his age, and his teachers are really nice, caring and seemingly drama-free. Even on days I take off of work, I still take him to day care for two reasons: It’s truly a break for me to not have to deal with a child so that I can get things done and he genuinely likes going and is comfortable there. It’s part of his daily routine.” — Sue N.
silly quote
“Are you kidding me? After a while I barely even slowed down my car. I didn’t drop my kids off, I threw them through an open window.” – Chris G.
More on child care
Making day care drop-off easier
Common fears about day care
Work at home moms and child care
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