The alternative option begins this week and we're going to have the boys in nursery two days a week and with a Nanny the other three - she is in a circle of nannies locally and they all meet up and do activities together so the boys are going to have a pretty packed diary from here on in.
It isn't really going to save a huge amount financially - a little, like a tank of petrol a month, but it will give them a mix of activities and experiences and will introduce them to some children closer to home (my office, and thus nursery, is an hour from home) and they will be the children they're likely to go to school with so it'll be nice for them.
It will be nice for me too. When I collect them from nursery all I'm told, every single day, is "he was absolutely fine" in a sing song voice - the same sing song voice they say the same thing to every parent in.
Midget Gem gets a 'diary' of his day - but to say it gives limited information about his day (about eight and a half hours of his day) is generous. Here's an example:
9.25 singing.9.35 - nappy - wet.
9.45 drink and snack
10.30 play
11.00 craft
12.00 lunch - pasta
12.30 - nappy - wet
12.45 asleep to 2.30
3.00 snack and drink
3.30 - nappy - wet
4.30 tea (by which they mean dinner. Grr.)
It's nice to see every nappy change (sigh) but I want to know what they DO. It says craft - what craft? They haven't shown me any craft? Do they make things? Draw? Stick? What do they do?
With Jellybean it's even worse. They sometimes tell me if he ate his lunch - that's it. Once they sent home a shaker he'd made but that's all the evidence I've seen of any activities, they don't tell me about his day.
I ask them - and get told he was good, and fine, and ok and happy. One sometimes tells me he's cheeky, and she's commented a few times that he's very clever and quicker than the others with his numbers and letters (this makes me PROUD but I want to know what they do that she sees it? What activity does this come up in?)
I feel like I'm missing SO much of their lives - it's hard going to work, all working Mums know that and it's made harder by just having no clue what they do in that huge expanse of time that we aren't together.
I'm looking forward to getting home and having a chat with the new Nanny - who can talk even more than me (I know my Dad will find that hard to believe, since NOBODY can talk more than me, but it's true, I swear!) and she'll tell me everything they did, said, thought, saw, experienced - and I can't wait - I can't wait to feel more involved in their day again, I can't wait to know more about them and what they're doing and enjoying.
Also, I can't wait to have childcare bills that come in less than £1,300 a month, which was our last invoice. *Vomits £20 notes*
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What a lot of money. I worked as a nursery nurse for years and we always told parents what went on and sent them home with things they had made. I have looked after my friends grandson since he was born he is now nearly two, I always tell his mum about his dat, what he had to eat I must say sometimes she doesn't seem that interested but I feel she should know. I must say I do this two or three days a week for 9 hrs for free as I never had help like that when my kids were young and I'm trying to help his mum make a nice life for them.hope the nanny works out it sounds great and they'll have her attention to themselves.
ReplyDeleteIt's a scary amount of money. You're ever so nice looking after the little one for free - what a kind friend you are!
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