That Thing That Never Happened.

So a couple of months ago I mentioned that I was going through the training to become a Family Child Care (FCC) provider...for those of you not familiar with military jargon it is the equivalent of running a daycare in your home. Due to some of the guidelines/rules regarding your own children, with the help of my family, decided it really wasn't going to be the right fit for us. As much as I wanted to make it work in my head (and be able to make some money without really leaving the house), my gut was telling me I may be biting off more then what I could chew and that the boys are settled into a good routine...so why change it? 

My most important jobs in life are raising my boys and caring/managing the household. Due to the structure, responsibilities, and demands that J may have with his job I need to be available to the boys and provide them with the best care I can possible give them. Our boys mean the world to us. Am I 100% always there, no. I do take breaks and they do have babysitters. It is also important for them to know how to follow rules that others set and understand that they need to follow rules we have set even when we are not there. I also think it is important for moms and dads to get away together (or individually) without kids to recharge themselves, aka mental health days.

And that is the dilemma that I still feel, part of my reason for wanting to be a FCC provider was to allow parents to be able to work without worrying what their child was doing and who was watching them, to allow for SAHM to have a resource to make daytime appointments, allow spouses with deployed loved ones some time to have a breather...all things that when we were in a different place I would have loved to have. Unfortunately, it just wasn't going to be good fit with our already kinda crazy schedule of sports, scouts, school, and social commitments...oh and all that laundry, shopping and cleaning that needs to be done occasionally ;) . Hats off really to those that are able to provide a loving place that we can trust to care for our children and are able to balance their family needs with the needs of their daycare "family". I met some wonderful providers along the way that do make it work, it just wasn't going to work for me.

All those rules and guidelines really had my head spinning, but I could do it...clean, cook, nurture, lesson plan, "teach", etc...I may not get as much sleep as I do now in order to keep up with it, but I could have done it. The deal breaker for our family were the policies about where our own kids had to be while the house was "open" for business. M would be allowed to go upstairs and play in the "big boys" room due to his age (8), J would not get to(7)...see the dilemma? Same with going outside and playing with neighborhood friends, M it would be ok...J it would not. Could I take all the kids outside to play, yes, however I would become responsible for all the neighborhood kids if their parents weren't outside with them...possibly going over my FCC allotment for kids under my care which would get me into big trouble. Was it worth the disruption, confusion and anger it may cause my children...no. It is important to me that my boys have a safe place to retreat to after school, to feel they can have all of my attention if they have a bad day, and a mom that can drop everything if they run into the house needing a hug. Being a FCC from 7am-5pm (+ or -), would change that.

I hate that I started something that I didn't finish, I hate that I couldn't help some friends out with providing them with childcare that they knew would be responsible and loving towards their children, but I am glad that I was able make the decision that would be the best for my family and know it before too much chaos was set into motion. Do I still watch others kids when they ask? (less then 10 scheduled paid hours/week in my home following the FCC rules for being a non-licensed provider) Hear that doorbell? Gotta go, I think my friend is dropping off her kids so she can run to the commissary ;)




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