Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Day Care Looms...

For the first 10 weeks of my son’s life, he has had his mother with him every breath of the way.  Holding him, feeding him, and of course, loving him.  And as the pages of the calandar have flipped like an early animation booklet since his arrival, we've been too preoccupied with the fascinating growth and development of our little guy to think about much else.

daycare drawing
It doesn't even have walls!!!
Unfortunately for us, we are not in a position to be supported by my salary alone. I've devised a plan that would slash our budget to mere necessities, and perhaps slash a few of those as well, but I haven’t been able to sell her on it. (How much plasma do I acturally need anyway?). And since I’m not about to start unplying toilet paper, mom will trudge back to the classroom in a week and a half while our son will head to....day care. 
I've been pushing the date from my mind since his birth, pretending that it would never actually come. But time is a stubborn thing, and like an appointment for a root canal, the impending date lurks on that mean old calendar.

We've come up with crazy scenarios, one involving my wife bringing him to school. Just showing up ready to teach with our son strapped to her chest. This may work, until she whips out a breast at lunchtime to feed him while second graders stare, mouths agape while sitting at their desks.
As you can imagine, this will be extremely hard for her.  She is not sure she will be able handle dropping him off.  She is playing the lottery lately, hoping and praying for a miracle. 
I’m sure this is a common issue for all working families, but it sure doesn’t feel very common for uh…her.  She worries that her son will bond with his sitter, forgetting mom and dad all together.  It will be tough for her to let go, she is dreading it.
On the bright side, it will only be for six weeks and then he’ll be home all summer.  But come fall and we'll have to do it again...

4 comments:

  1. Oh I know how she is feeling and went back to work after I had my first. It was September and I had to go back to teaching. My baby wasn't even 8 weeks old, but I did it. I cried that first day dropping her off, but it did get better. Thinking of both of you and at least it is towards the end of the school year and not the beginning.

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    1. We got lucky with spring break Janine, giving us one extra week! Thanks for the words of encouragement!

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  2. I was back to work within the week, and The Wife around the same time as yours. While she's home now (maybe something you guys can work towards), I remember seeing what she went through when she had to leave our firstborn behind. It seems backwards that any of us have to do that. You guys are in my thoughts. Remember, it's about what you do when you DO have them with you. Good luck.

    Jason
    The Cheeky Daddy

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