Losing your childcare provider is a pest!! I am devastated; we are losing our lovely nanny as she has decided to leave us. She is going because she wants to go to university to get her degree and she can’t get a part time place. I am glad that she isn’t leaving because she doesn’t want to work for us anymore and she seems genuinely upset too, but in some ways that is worse as both her and I are really sad. I never thought I would feel this way about an employee.
Losing your childcare – the emotions
I worked in HR in my past life and regularly had to make people redundant or action disciplinary sanctions and whilst I did feel for them and even find it upsetting not once was I reduced to tears. This was a business decision and they were employees not friends, but in this case I was literally in floods of tears when I found out. I am never very good with change and I have just loved having her look after my boys so I found it really hard to come to terms with. I have been feeling really sad for my kids too as they are so happy when they are with her and I worry they too will be hurt when they don’t see her anymore. Perhaps this comes from our family moving countries when I was a little one which resulted in me not seeing my nanny anymore and maybe I can still remember that disruption – maybe that’s why I don’t like change? Or maybe I am just a creature of habit who is over sensitive and not just a little bit loopy… No matter what the reason the past few days have been a bit emotional and stressful.
Losing your childcare – the stress
This week has not only been emotional, but also a huge stress. We are lucky as our nanny has given us several months notice, but it has still sent me into a tail spin as I work and need childcare on at least one day a week or I will have to leave my job. It has taken me such a long time to start my new career as a baby swimming teacher and I am really loving it so would hate to have to stop. Fortunately after a mild panic my family have stepped in and my mum has assured me she will look after the boys until I find someone so now therein lies the issue. How do I find someone else I am happy to leave my children with? Our current nanny used to work at my son’s nursery so we already knew her which meant I felt comfortable and knew how good she was, but I am stressing about how I will know whether someone new will be ok with my precious boys.
So it is back to the drawing board on the childcare front and all the questions are coming back round again: childminder, nursery, nanny, mothers helper, aupair? I know that these are all first world problems and not the end of the world, but in my world the most important thing is who looks after my children when I have to work?
Kx
