Kicked out of Day Care!

Can you believe anyone would do that to this face?

Kicked out might be a bit of an overstatement, but when I picked her up today, our provider said “I don’t think I can watch Little S anymore, my husband says it’s too stressful.” She said that trying to watch her and the 18 month old is just too hard because Little S takes so much time that she gets stressed not watching the 18 month old. 

Mind you, Little S is only there one day a week, and the 18 month old is only there in the mornings 1-2 times a month on the same day. He wasn’t even there today or the last time she was there. so, I think there’s more to the story than she’s letting on. Once I’m sure Little S is zonked out for the night, I intend to call Day Care Lady and ask her to be honest about what it is-otherwise how can I hope to find a situation that will work if I don’t know what the problems are.

I suspect it’s sleep related. Little S and sleep aren’t good friends. She would only nap in the Day Care lady’s arms, and not for very long. I’ve been reading all the sleep books to work on a plan. Just last night I thought maybe I would try some “Cry It Out” because she had been waking up in the middle of the night and taking 90 minutes to get back to sleep. Well, stubborn Little S cried for about 2.5 hours when she awoke until 12:30 when I decided I needed sleep. This isn’t even hard-core cry it out. She’s next to me with my arm around her and my face next to hers. I told the Day Care Provider about it as I left and she commented that “yes, Little S was the most strong-willed child she had ever known in her years of watching kids.” I think there was also some mention of how we would have our hands full, but I was too much in a mental tizzy trying to remain calm to really listen.

Everyone who is upset for me is upset that she pulled the rug from underneath us with no notice. (She did say she could watch her next week, but I will try to avoid that if possible) Especially since just a few months ago she asked if we would consider more days because her husband was getting some hours cut. I’m upset because I don’t think she’s being honest. I’m looking at it like a performance review and if we don’t know what to work on, how can we succeed. (Mom needs some more work-life balance maybe)

Except for the ordeal of having to find someone new, and the abruptness of it all, I think Big S and I are kind of okay with it. She was convenient, but she was just a sitter. Not someone who we ever clicked with at a deeper level. Maybe that was the problem too. She has a close relationship with the other mother down the street. I didn’t know that being a BFF was a requirement for Day Care.

Onwards to tap into several options that I’ve already thought of. If nothing else, I know this economy has more people than ever looking for jobs, so something ought to work out. I’m optimistic it will be even better for her than this was. I’m just a friggin’ Pollyanna that way sometimes. Which I guess will be handy with a stubborn child.