Former Work Reflections TMI

TMI reflections on work as child care provider. 

 This is an afternoon for reflecting on my former work in being an early childhood caregiver and some thoughts about this profession and my own experiences.  I have been blessed to have had some very positive experiences with positions I have held after moving to Texas and there were also others that I made a choice to leave, all for very different reasons.  I found myself reflecting back to one in particular and to my experiences in regard to child care in a very different region of the country from where I had previously lived. 

After moving to Texas, almost 15 years ago already, I decided to return to offering my services as a private childcare provider as opposed to taking another center-based position for a number of reasons, the most significant of which is the fact that salaries for childcare providers in this region are terrible (at least as far as I last knew).  I know those thankful for any position that doesn’t pay less than minimum wage might think I was displaying an attitude and expectation of some kind of privilege, but I see it differently.  I think that the commitment that early childhood care providers give to providing other people’s children with a loving, caring and supportive caregiver while they are working, is undervalued and underpaid.  

I have quit some child care positions (all for very different reasons) but this is one I find myself reflecting on today. 

One job that I quit was for a child caregiver position (or so I believed) that turned out to be not what I thought I signed on for.  I learned too quickly that I was also to be responsible for the care & behavior control of the new puppy and any accidents resulting from her, not yet being housebroken, therefore it would be up to me to make sure that this didn’t happen.  There was also another dog who was living in the laundry room because of the new highly energetic and much larger puppy.  This dog used doggy wee wee pads and it was my responsibility to take care of this also.  And then I learned that I was not only to take care of the children’s belongings and dishes, but to also understand that if I was a good person and good employee, I would desire to be helpful to the parents and to clean up after them also when they needed help because I would be happy to do so, and also because it would reflect badly on me as an employee if I was to feel otherwise and choose to make a different choice.  And then there was the part about feeling that I didn’t need to be paid for the hours when the children were sleeping when I was providing overnight childcare.  I clearly disagree as I was spending my nights in the parent’s home as the person responsible for their children who would meet any of their children’s needs that might arise at the times when both parents were away.  I also also had one of the little girls with me each night because she was too scared and could never remain in her her own room.  Caring for her was not in any way my issue.  She was a super sweet and lovable little girl.  It was the belief that I didn’t need to be paid for my time during those hours.  This was the final and definite tipping point where I felt disrespected and taken advantage of enough that I no longer wished to continue to be in their employment.  (There were red flags from the beginning, but being inexperienced in these matters, I had opted to believe the best.)  I then had to tell my minister and former 90s/2000s top Canadian fashion model employer that I am a childcare provider and that I didn’t believe that I had signed on to be a lady, so I was no longer interested in retaining the position.  No, I didn’t actually say that.  I made up some other excuse.  I gained the experience though to never let these kind of questions go unasked or unanswered.  She also wasn’t very honest or forthright about the fact that she was seeking not just childcare for her girls, but more of a lady (a person there to care for both the children and pets and be responsible for the upkeep of the home).  Oops, I shouldn’t neglect to add that I didn’t have the responsibility of keeping up with the housekeeping and laundry because that was the responsibility of their early morning through afternoon childcare provider and housekeeper.  That was a big thing to forget to add.  I believe she went home around 3pm if I remember  correctly.

I did also provide childcare for some amazing, appreciative and generous people whose desire was for their children to receive good care and their children were the reason that I was there and what the position was about.  Them and taking care of things pertaining to them.