Having Aaron home this summer with the kids reaffirms how important it is for our kids to be with us as often as possible. Ella and Tristan are so happy when I get home from work. Aaron, on the other hand, looks utterly exhausted...but the kids! Oh, their faces are just lit up with pure satisfaction of a great day with dad. Honey, you rock! (And, don't worry...the summer's almost over! LOL!).
When Ella was really young (infant and toddler aged), Aaron and my work schedules were opposite of each other, so one of us was always home with her until she was 3-years old, at which point we enrolled her in a lovely Christian preschool that she attended for two years before she started kindergarten. It was perfect!
This time around, though, we are having to put Tristan in daycare. And, it just breaks my heart.
When we moved to Oregon last summer, my co-worker introduced us to New Hope Daycare, which we grew comfortable in realizing was a great environment for Tristan. He was well cared for, well loved, and I could tell every morning that he was happy to be going there.
And, one of the key components in our decision to enroll him at this daycare was cost. Unlike most daycares we researched, this one allowed for an hourly charge, which benefited us because I only work 7 hours a day, Monday through Thursday. Great, quality care for a reasonable cost that didn't suck our wallets dry? I'll take it!
However, we just received notice that beginning this Fall, New Hope will spike up their hourly wage from $4.00/hour to $8.95/hour! HUGE JUMP!!! And, with this jump, we are forced to pay the all-day fee.
Needless to say, this brings on the whole battle I experienced last summer when I was contemplating working or simply cutting costs and staying home with the son I waited so long for. Tristan's daycare is now going to eat up roughly one-third of my monthly take-home income...and then add that to Ella's after-school care, and it could easily be said that half of my monthly income is used for our kids to be in someone else's care.
The downfall is that we cannot financially survive without that other half that goes towards bills and other "fun" things like that.
I know this is not anything new to most working parents of young kids. It sucks, does it not? This jump in daycare costs just reminds me just how much it really does suck and how badly I wish it didn't have to be this way. I would just love to stay home with my little man and be able to pick my darling daughter up from school every afternoon and spend more time with her as well. Ah, to dream...
Okay, enough of that...
Lets end this post on a happy note and what better way than with a picture of this little stud muffin?
2 comments:
I can't believe they are increasing the rates so high! I hear you on the desire to stay home with the kiddos. Oh what I would give to be able to stay home full-time. But we do what we have to do, in the interim. I hope you can make it all work.
I can't believe how big Tristan is now. And Ms Ella is just beautiful!
I just wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed your blog. Over the past 3 days I have read all the way from your approach to your FET to current!
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