I'm sitting here thinking of all the things that are just running around in my head, and don't even know what I want to let out. There is so much I take on and take care of, and sometimes it's hard to let go of some of that stuff, even when I know it's for my best that I do.
Being a mom is one of my most favorite things ever. I have the coolest kids, and you are free to disagree that yours are cooler, I know my truth. 😄 I've gotten to watch as my dolly crafts a costume out of notebook paper and yarn for her brother. It's so cool! She is figuring out how to make all the pieces work together, and how to get it to stay on him without ripping. My big kid has been working on his computer and piano skills- he's coming along amazingly at both. And my super bud is just being so patient as his sister makes his costume. They are creative, and smart, and funny, and just fun to be around.
I love my work. I get to hang out with babies all day, and about 90% of the time they are the cutest and most amazing little people ever. *(The other 10% is crying and poopy diapers. No one loves that.) I love that I get to go to work somewhere I love with people I enjoy doing something I'm really good at every day. I get to make a difference for so many people, and it is the most amazing ever.
I have my classwork coming up. I am so excited at the opportunity to learn more, and especially to learn about how to share the things I've learned and experienced with other people. To make that difference to someone. To be a teacher is one of my greatest blessings in life.
I have my parents, five siblings, siblings-in-law, nieces, nephews. I know that there are people with larger families than me, but no matter what, family is a commitment, and takes time, attention, and care. Everyone needs something a little different, and that can take a lot out of a person.
I have my church family. I have loved meeting and connecting (or reconnecting) with the people there. There is so much support to be found and offered.
This next week, I get to be on vacation with my kids. I don't know what all we are going to do, and that is so great. We get to just be together. As much as I love all the other people and commitments in my life, I am so looking forward to all the time I get to spend with my kids. We get to spend some quality time with the cousins and some special friends who we don't get the opportunity to see as much as we would like, but there are so many things that come up in all our schedules it just doesn't happen. And we get to hang out with some new kids, and see what kinds of connections we make there.
Most of the time, it's just going to be me and them. And I can't wait! It's tough to step away from all the commitments I've made, but sometimes I have to. One thing I've learned in the last few years is that I'm not irreplaceable to the rest of the world. But to myself, to my kids, to my family... There's only one me, and I need to take care of me first sometimes.
Showing posts with label self care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self care. Show all posts
Friday, August 25, 2017
Thursday, March 27, 2014
The True Story of the Sick Child Policy
I am kinda bummed that we are getting snow again. I know that there are people in my life who are glad for it, and should really expect it for living in the part of the country I do, but still. It's spring, Mother Nature. Some nice weather and less snow would be nice for me. :)
So, for me, one of my least favorite parts of my job is to have to make the phone call to parents that their child is sick and needs to be picked up as soon as possible. I have great parents, but I know first hand how stressful it can be to arrange for time off to care for a sick child. Unfortunately, I've also worked with more difficult parents who have a harder time understanding why we send children home when they are exhibiting specific symptoms. They've already exposed everyone, so what's the big deal?
Well, let me tell you, there are several reasons...
1. The state requires the separation. The MN Department of Health detailed the list of symptoms that require that a child is removed from the group. It is not your provider deciding that they do not want to deal with your child, they can get in some serious trouble for not following the rules.
2. All new families are given a copy of the health policy when they register their child with the center. The director goes over all the information, and they are asked to sign that they have read and understood that if their child has symptoms meeting the criteria listed in the health policy, they are required by the state to be removed from care until they are symptom free without medication for a minimum of 24 hours.
3. One of the symptoms/criteria for exclusion from the group is that the child requires more care than the program staff can provide (AAP- Healthy Child Care America). If I am having to change diarrhea diapers every 30 minutes- 1 hour, if I have a feverish child who is needing extra snuggles and love, if a child is throwing up and needing clean clothing and carpet clean-up, it is taking away from the time that I need to be available to the other children in my care. In a child care center, infants have one staff to up to four children, toddlers are 1:7, and preschool is 1:10. If the teacher is alone and trying to deal with this, that is leaving the other children with that much less supervision and interaction, as well as expecting the child who is not feeling well to share you when they need that extra to feel better. Even if you have enough children to have a second or even third teacher, it still leaves the room short handed and scrambling when one child needs more care due to illness.
4. Along with some symptoms requiring more work for the teachers, it can pose a sanitation risk- which increases the likelihood of another child becoming ill- for the other children in the room. If a child vomits, or has a diarrhea leak out, another child could put their hand or foot in the mess before the teacher has time to clean it up.
5. Exposing staff to illness for longer than the time increases the likelihood that staff will need time off to get better. One staff who is in a room with an ill child can carry the illness to all of the other rooms (staff and children), and become sick themselves. I once experienced a situation where an illness took out 3 staff and about 10 children for two days. It was extremely stressful on those of us left standing. Even with all the child absences, the loss of two staff/day for those two days was felt by all of us, and this goes back to the quality of care we are able to offer.
Sick children will get better faster if they are kept home, or with an adult who is able to focus solely on them. (Nurse Grandma is great!) They can be monitored more closely, they can get more rest without interruptions, their needs can be met more quickly. There is less risk of reinfection, as their environment can be kept freer of the germs that are bugging them than a child care setting can. We do the best we can with cleaning and sanitizing, but a smaller setting with fewer toys/equipment and fewer children to get spit/boogers/poo on things the easier it is to keep things clean.
Also, think of this.... When your child is not the sick one, you (rightfully) expect your provider to be able to offer the highest quality of care that they are able to. When they are having to take care of illness on top of the other children, that takes away from the quality that your child is able to receive.
Communication is so huge! Let your child's teacher know when they are not feeling well, especially if they are nearing any symptom that will get them sent home. Ask your provider to call you if they feel that your child is in an in-between-- not feeling great, but not at a point where they are required to be excluded. This lets you prepare for the potential of a sick child, and keeps that communication flowing. Follow up with your child's teacher the next day, even if you are keeping your child home. If they are diagnosed, there are illnesses that need to be posted. Even if it isn't anything more serious, your child's teacher cares how they are doing- even when they are not in our care.
Prevention is also huge. All child care settings have policies about preventing illness which include hand washing procedures and cleaning procedures for the toys and environments. Helping by keeping your sick child home for the required amount of time keeps the spread of illness as small as possible.
So, for me, one of my least favorite parts of my job is to have to make the phone call to parents that their child is sick and needs to be picked up as soon as possible. I have great parents, but I know first hand how stressful it can be to arrange for time off to care for a sick child. Unfortunately, I've also worked with more difficult parents who have a harder time understanding why we send children home when they are exhibiting specific symptoms. They've already exposed everyone, so what's the big deal?
Well, let me tell you, there are several reasons...
1. The state requires the separation. The MN Department of Health detailed the list of symptoms that require that a child is removed from the group. It is not your provider deciding that they do not want to deal with your child, they can get in some serious trouble for not following the rules.
2. All new families are given a copy of the health policy when they register their child with the center. The director goes over all the information, and they are asked to sign that they have read and understood that if their child has symptoms meeting the criteria listed in the health policy, they are required by the state to be removed from care until they are symptom free without medication for a minimum of 24 hours.
3. One of the symptoms/criteria for exclusion from the group is that the child requires more care than the program staff can provide (AAP- Healthy Child Care America). If I am having to change diarrhea diapers every 30 minutes- 1 hour, if I have a feverish child who is needing extra snuggles and love, if a child is throwing up and needing clean clothing and carpet clean-up, it is taking away from the time that I need to be available to the other children in my care. In a child care center, infants have one staff to up to four children, toddlers are 1:7, and preschool is 1:10. If the teacher is alone and trying to deal with this, that is leaving the other children with that much less supervision and interaction, as well as expecting the child who is not feeling well to share you when they need that extra to feel better. Even if you have enough children to have a second or even third teacher, it still leaves the room short handed and scrambling when one child needs more care due to illness.
4. Along with some symptoms requiring more work for the teachers, it can pose a sanitation risk- which increases the likelihood of another child becoming ill- for the other children in the room. If a child vomits, or has a diarrhea leak out, another child could put their hand or foot in the mess before the teacher has time to clean it up.
5. Exposing staff to illness for longer than the time increases the likelihood that staff will need time off to get better. One staff who is in a room with an ill child can carry the illness to all of the other rooms (staff and children), and become sick themselves. I once experienced a situation where an illness took out 3 staff and about 10 children for two days. It was extremely stressful on those of us left standing. Even with all the child absences, the loss of two staff/day for those two days was felt by all of us, and this goes back to the quality of care we are able to offer.
Sick children will get better faster if they are kept home, or with an adult who is able to focus solely on them. (Nurse Grandma is great!) They can be monitored more closely, they can get more rest without interruptions, their needs can be met more quickly. There is less risk of reinfection, as their environment can be kept freer of the germs that are bugging them than a child care setting can. We do the best we can with cleaning and sanitizing, but a smaller setting with fewer toys/equipment and fewer children to get spit/boogers/poo on things the easier it is to keep things clean.
Also, think of this.... When your child is not the sick one, you (rightfully) expect your provider to be able to offer the highest quality of care that they are able to. When they are having to take care of illness on top of the other children, that takes away from the quality that your child is able to receive.
Communication is so huge! Let your child's teacher know when they are not feeling well, especially if they are nearing any symptom that will get them sent home. Ask your provider to call you if they feel that your child is in an in-between-- not feeling great, but not at a point where they are required to be excluded. This lets you prepare for the potential of a sick child, and keeps that communication flowing. Follow up with your child's teacher the next day, even if you are keeping your child home. If they are diagnosed, there are illnesses that need to be posted. Even if it isn't anything more serious, your child's teacher cares how they are doing- even when they are not in our care.
Prevention is also huge. All child care settings have policies about preventing illness which include hand washing procedures and cleaning procedures for the toys and environments. Helping by keeping your sick child home for the required amount of time keeps the spread of illness as small as possible.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Mommy Time
The alarm goes off at 4:28 am, and she rolls out of bed.
Just kidding... She snoozes twice, so it's 4:46 am and she rolls out of bed. She shuffles through the dark, using some sixth sense to avoid the cats and the random small toys on the floor on the way to the shower. 30 minutes later, she is showered and dressed, and ready for the day.
She begins the process of waking the sleeping munchkins, a process that can take anywhere from five minutes to 20 minutes, depending on how the loves slept the night before. After a round of bathrooming, clothing, and a breakfast snack, it is time to wrangle boots, coats, hats, and back packs. Luckily, their gloves are attached to their coats; one less thing to find each day.
By 6:00, she's out the door, brood in tow, and off to work.
Fast forward nine hours, she's headed off to pick up the kindergartner, and head home. If she's lucky, there will be 20 minutes to sit with a book. But not usually, because the loves need a snack, and their Legos, and games, and help with the dress up clothes, and their crayons.... And then it's time to start supper. Post supper, luckily the husband does the dishes... But there's baths, and jammies, and homework, and stories to be read. Then comes the routine of bed time, and the inevitable frustrations of the children if things aren't exactly as they are expected... Aah... Quiet. Nope- false alarm. There's the super baby needing to be put back to bed. And the doll baby needing to go potty one more time. And having to evacuate the toy that little man snuck into bed with him...
There's the quiet. But, she's either too tired to do something for herself or there's too much to do to prepare for tomorrow....
Sound familiar? There are just not enough hours in the day some days. But it is so very important to make time to think of the mommy in you as a person. To do something that spoils yourself just a little bit.
I've heard of getting up a little early, to take some morning time for yourself when the children are still sleeping. Not happening around here- I have to get up early enough just to get going for the day.
I've heard of taking some time at the end of the day, after the munchkins are tucked in for the night. But tucked in sure doesn't equal sleeping around here, and any time I start something too soon, they seem to take longer to fall asleep. And if I wait until they are sleeping just to get started, there is so little time before I have to go to sleep too, to get up an start again the next day.
What I have learned in these last few years of being a mommy and professional caregiver of young children is that you have to make the time. You have to say that at this time, on this day (or these days), it is MY time to think of myself first. This was a hard realization for me. My idea of being a good mom was to be there. I felt like it fell to me to make sure the kids and the house and the pets and the husband and the bills and the cars and just everything was my responsibility to get taken care of. There was no time to think of the things I might want to do, because the house needed to be cleaned. The kids needed to be taken care of. This appointment. That meeting. There was no one to take the children. And I didn't feel right asking for a sitter just so I could do something... for me.
It was so hard to learn to say that this time was for myself. I started small- a yoga class, one hour a week, through my local community education program. It was heaven! Mommy dates with the most wonderful friend I could ask for. It was support! Who knew that I wasn't the only one dealing with "Mommy Must Handle Everything" syndrome? Family who would come spend time with my darlings, so the husband and I could have the (very) occasional date or night out. It was wonderful. And it was still hard.
It is still a struggle for me to ask for help, to make my needs known and let things go. But I have learned how important it is. Not only for me, but for my husband, my family, and my friends. I am able to give better when I take for myself as well.
Find something you enjoy. Know that there are people who are just a conversation away from being willing and able to support you in making time to yourself, to allow you to be the best parent you can be. Take the time for yourself- and know that you are not just doing it for yourself, but that it will allow you to be a better parent to your child. I love my yoga class- and I am able to share it not only with my children at home, but the children at the center when I am at work. I make the time for something I love, and I am able to give back with it, to be a better parent and teacher. If I were taking an art class, I could share that. If I were a hiker, I could use that, to teach the children about my love for nature, and all the wonderful places I get to see. Your hobbies are such a great place to spend time with your child, after your needs are met. They will be interested because you are- and you will have the chance to share such a special moment with your child.
Making the time for yourself is one of the best gifts you can give yourself, your child(ren), and your spouse. Make it mandatory, schedule a class, do something! You are so worth it!
Just kidding... She snoozes twice, so it's 4:46 am and she rolls out of bed. She shuffles through the dark, using some sixth sense to avoid the cats and the random small toys on the floor on the way to the shower. 30 minutes later, she is showered and dressed, and ready for the day.
She begins the process of waking the sleeping munchkins, a process that can take anywhere from five minutes to 20 minutes, depending on how the loves slept the night before. After a round of bathrooming, clothing, and a breakfast snack, it is time to wrangle boots, coats, hats, and back packs. Luckily, their gloves are attached to their coats; one less thing to find each day.
By 6:00, she's out the door, brood in tow, and off to work.
Fast forward nine hours, she's headed off to pick up the kindergartner, and head home. If she's lucky, there will be 20 minutes to sit with a book. But not usually, because the loves need a snack, and their Legos, and games, and help with the dress up clothes, and their crayons.... And then it's time to start supper. Post supper, luckily the husband does the dishes... But there's baths, and jammies, and homework, and stories to be read. Then comes the routine of bed time, and the inevitable frustrations of the children if things aren't exactly as they are expected... Aah... Quiet. Nope- false alarm. There's the super baby needing to be put back to bed. And the doll baby needing to go potty one more time. And having to evacuate the toy that little man snuck into bed with him...
There's the quiet. But, she's either too tired to do something for herself or there's too much to do to prepare for tomorrow....
Sound familiar? There are just not enough hours in the day some days. But it is so very important to make time to think of the mommy in you as a person. To do something that spoils yourself just a little bit.
I've heard of getting up a little early, to take some morning time for yourself when the children are still sleeping. Not happening around here- I have to get up early enough just to get going for the day.
I've heard of taking some time at the end of the day, after the munchkins are tucked in for the night. But tucked in sure doesn't equal sleeping around here, and any time I start something too soon, they seem to take longer to fall asleep. And if I wait until they are sleeping just to get started, there is so little time before I have to go to sleep too, to get up an start again the next day.
What I have learned in these last few years of being a mommy and professional caregiver of young children is that you have to make the time. You have to say that at this time, on this day (or these days), it is MY time to think of myself first. This was a hard realization for me. My idea of being a good mom was to be there. I felt like it fell to me to make sure the kids and the house and the pets and the husband and the bills and the cars and just everything was my responsibility to get taken care of. There was no time to think of the things I might want to do, because the house needed to be cleaned. The kids needed to be taken care of. This appointment. That meeting. There was no one to take the children. And I didn't feel right asking for a sitter just so I could do something... for me.
It was so hard to learn to say that this time was for myself. I started small- a yoga class, one hour a week, through my local community education program. It was heaven! Mommy dates with the most wonderful friend I could ask for. It was support! Who knew that I wasn't the only one dealing with "Mommy Must Handle Everything" syndrome? Family who would come spend time with my darlings, so the husband and I could have the (very) occasional date or night out. It was wonderful. And it was still hard.
It is still a struggle for me to ask for help, to make my needs known and let things go. But I have learned how important it is. Not only for me, but for my husband, my family, and my friends. I am able to give better when I take for myself as well.
Find something you enjoy. Know that there are people who are just a conversation away from being willing and able to support you in making time to yourself, to allow you to be the best parent you can be. Take the time for yourself- and know that you are not just doing it for yourself, but that it will allow you to be a better parent to your child. I love my yoga class- and I am able to share it not only with my children at home, but the children at the center when I am at work. I make the time for something I love, and I am able to give back with it, to be a better parent and teacher. If I were taking an art class, I could share that. If I were a hiker, I could use that, to teach the children about my love for nature, and all the wonderful places I get to see. Your hobbies are such a great place to spend time with your child, after your needs are met. They will be interested because you are- and you will have the chance to share such a special moment with your child.
Making the time for yourself is one of the best gifts you can give yourself, your child(ren), and your spouse. Make it mandatory, schedule a class, do something! You are so worth it!
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