I have been dreaming of this month for months, but then it all fell apart in my hands. I had dreams of taking the month off to recharge, find myself, and get back to my career ambitions in communications. Here I am September 22, 2020 and I feel more burnt out then ever before. My husbands new job is demanding and requires me to be the full time default parent for 5 days a week – 5 days 24 hours. I’m not handling that well. I have an incredible group of friends but it’s not the same as having someone come and be a grandparent or aunt to the kids.
Daycare Background
Prior to COVID, I had secured my kids in a new full time childcare centre. It was out of my budget but I was so grateful to have found a spot because childcare is incredibly hard to obtain in Prince George. But then COVID happened and everything fell apart. After some email conversations, I did not think I still had a spot and searched for a new childcare centre.
I am so lucky to have found a new centre, and this one really fits my budget a lot better.
Sending Kids to Daycare during a Pandemic Hits a Little Different
I’m not allowed to go into the centre. Every morning starts with a health declaration and ear check. This morning I had to bring her backpack home because no more soft materials allowed downstairs in the centre.
Starting at a new centre also meant meeting whole new group of kids and this also meant our first cold in 6 months. So, she was sent home and spent a week at home waiting for this cold to pass. When I thought we were good, I sent her back. Then I got called to pick her up for clear cloudy snot. She needed to go 48 hours without snot.
Anna was excited to get a new fuzzy blanket – on this day she got sent home for a snotty nose. She never had snot at home, so it was overwhelming. I cried a lot last week.
I get it. I understand that the centre is trying to protect their employees. I don’t blame them. I understand that they are just as frustrated as I am. We’re all crying and trying to figure out how to navigate this time. It’s no wonder 1 in 3 Canadian women have considered quitting their job. This is not easy for any of ups to navigate and it’s okay to talk about it. I don’t fault the childcare centre.
So now, I’m a mom giving her child an antihistmine every morning (as per my doctors suggestion) because she’s having some sort of reaction to the childcare space and I can’t be picking my kid up every morning.
Theres so many layers to this and so many people are quick to judge us for being selfish. All I want is some balance in the conversation of sickness and childcare. Until this week the licensing board set out by the Ministry had so many rules that kids were being sent home for the faintest symptoms that could just be innocent. And sure there is a COVID risk, but lets come to some sort of middle ground on what can be reasonably expected of kids because when my friends daughter was sent home for a sniffle that occurred during outside time… we are getting a little excessive.
I’m going to do this for one more month
But if at the end of October I’m still feeling burnt out because of the childcare juggle, then I think I’m going to re evaluate my life goals. It’s hard to give up on your career ambitions but I also need to protect my physical and emotional energy.
There’s not a lot of easy answers just a lot of personal struggle. And if you don’t understand that, you’re lacking the empathy.
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