In this article we're going to discuss an area of child care that many mothers have problems with; dealing with guilt. It isn't bad enough that a parent will usually feel guilty about bringing their child to day care without having the added guilt of watching the child kick, scream and cry while being dropped off. Parents are often made to feel like they are abandoning their kids. So how does a parent deal with this without having a mental breakdown. The first thing the parent needs to do is realize that the reason the child is being brought to daycare is because all other options have been looked at and eliminated. The parent needs to work, especially if it's a single parent, and if the parent doesn't go to work the alternative is life out on the streets. Certainly this can't be good for the child. So the parent needs to keep this in mind that it is for the child's own good. Aside from that, child care doesn't have to be a bad experience. As a matter of fact there are many advantages to child care that the child may not have at home. For starters, the child, most likely, will be in an environment surrounded by professionals who are trained in many areas. Here, the child will learn communication skills, how to play with others, which won't happen at home if it is an only child, and some basic math and English skills. In the long run, the child will probably come out of the situation better prepared for dealing with the outside world because he's already been greatly exposed to it at a young age. Of course, your child isn't going to care about any of this. All he knows is that you left him with a bunch of strange people. So in order to make the experience not as traumatic for the child there are certain things you can do. For one thing, you can slow down the process of getting the child ready in the morning. Try to build some time into the morning ritual for story reading, talking and even just some hugging. Tell the child how much you love him. Tell him jokes. Make him laugh. Explain to him that you'll be seeing him soon. Tell him about all the fun he's going to have at the center. Give the child something that's very important to him, like a special blanket or stuffed animal to take with him to the daycare center. This will give him an added bit of security. When you drop him off, give him a great big hug and reassure him that you'll be coming back to pick him up as soon as you can. Make sure you leave him with a smile on his face and yours, even if you yourself are sad about dropping him off. Once the child gets over the fear of being left and actually gets into the process of being at day care, your biggest problem is going to be getting him to want to come home. |
