How Do I Trust Someone Watching Me Kids Again???

Updated on June 29, 2006
S. asks from La Porte, TX
9 answers

My husband and I have had 2 very negative experiences of childcare and now I am paranoid to leave my 2 small children anywhere unless it is family. The first experience was when my one year old daughter was taken against our permission to a public swimming pool for over a two week period. Unfortunately our daughter didn't know how to talk so we had to try to figure out what all her terror was over taking her regular bedtime baths. She was terrified and would scream and kick when we approached the bathtub water. We had no clue why. Suddenly my husband was suspicious if our daughter was being taken to the pool with her in-home childcare provider, though we had specifically stated that we did not feel comfortable with her going. We were very angry when we confronted the woman and she hesitantly admitted that she had been taking her, stating that she had misunderstood us not wanting our daughter to go. Even though we never provided a swimsuit, towell, sunblock, ect. Not to mention this woman was driving our daughter back and forth to the neighborhood pool without a carseat. Our other concerning experience was also with our daughter. This time she was 1 1/2
and we took her to a daycare facility. But we noticed signs of distress when we dropped her off. The woman in charge of her room reassured us that she was fine and does well during the day. We just dismissed everything as our daughter having separation anxiety, until we noticed other signs of distress in her moods. We decided to make random, unannounced visits to the daycare and peer in an outside window. (Of course this was not easy to schedule in during our working hours, but we were able to manage in a few drop ins) We were disturbed when the same woman that previously reassured us, abruptly scolded and pulled our daughter roughly by her arm and 'plopped' her into her crib. We were furious. (There were a few other incidents with this daycare that added to our concerns prior to us making the decision to make random drop-ins.) The problem is that every time we interview a childcare provider they are all very nice, warm, and reassuring. They interact well in our presence with our daughter, but my suspicions are on high alert and I don't know who to trust. We don't have the luxury of leaving our kids with family or friends. Everyone we know works. My husband has been working at home to be with the kids the last few months, but this is only temporary. Now we have a new baby boy (4 months old) and we need to get full-time childcare again, but I am very worried. I hate the thought of one of our small kids being mistreated or neglected or ignored and me not being able to protect or defend them. I don't want to be paranoid all the time, yet I don't know where to turn for REAL great childcare with individuals that actually care for the kids they engage with. Any advice on the subject? Can anyone else relate? What did you do?? Thank you.

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So What Happened?

Thank you to everyone for all of your advice, counsel and prayers while my husband and I seek the VERY BEST in childcare for our two small children. It has been slightly difficult in sending personal 'Thank You's' to individual moms due to website glitches, but I am thankful to now have the opportunity.

For the update: Unfortunately things are not perfect. I don't know if I'll ever rid the fear of paranoia when it comes to my two small children being handed off to almost complete strangers. It is such a huge risk, however, I have been in a lot of prayer and have made all efforts to be STRONG in bringing up ANY concerns I notice in my daugher and son. Our kids, now 2 3/4 and 10 mo. are now currently under supervision/childcare of a highly recommended lady who also is a member of our church for over 27 years. She is a bit traditional in some of her thinking and somewhat old-fashioned (thinks she know's it all) but so far I am willing to tolerate this rather than suspicion of neglect or abuse. I have called the Houston childcare registration number to inquire about any possible complaints with her childcare listing number, and she currently has not had any negative comments. I ask our daughter a lot of questions such as 'What did you do today?' and 'Did you play outside or inside?' just to get her to think about what I am asking her before responding. She is still not quite 3 years old and doesn't always answer right...for instance I can ask 'Hannah, did you play on Planet Jupiter today?' and she will squeelfully answer 'Yes, mommy' with full delight. It's not always easy to know the truth of the full day's events, but I am making all efforts to work on paranoia as well as being balanced in awareness of REAL concerns/issues. I am staying in 'tune' with unusual behaviors or attitudes in my kids and I am praying over them all of the time.

No, things may not be perfect. Right now I can only pray and ask God to protect my kids and also to pray for the individuals guarding and watching them. But I don't just pray for my kids. I pray for all of them. I try to pick the battles that I encounter. For instance...do I want to confront my daughter being 'forced' to try vegetables for lunch or confront the bruise on her arm....
Not that she had a bruise, but this is just an example. I have learned to look for the real concerns, but don't be mistaken. I don't just ignore things either. I am on the look out for concerns, but with a better perception of adults as well. What I mean by this is that even my caregivers have bad days too and I have to understand that my kids are not angels. It's sometimes okay if my chidcare provider has to be firm in saying 'Hannah, you deserve a time-out for hitting so-and-so' or 'Jesse, you are too whinny and I feel you need a second nap...' This doesn't cause reason for me to be alarmed....caregivers are people too and need a break just like I would if my kids drove me crazy within a 24 hr. time-frame. I am not using this as an escape, but just to say that I have learned a lot since posting this column. I hope you will too. God Bless. Take Care. Don't let your guard be too down, but allow other people to be people too. Caregivers have tough days too, even with our kids. Just have open-communication. Inform them that you will video-record if necessary and that you are concerned if indeed you are. That alone will make them aware that you are not naive. That you are on-top of your childrens concerns and that you DON'T take them lightly. May your day be blessed. -S.

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F.O.

answers from Houston on

I face the same problem. My boy is almost 10-month old and I'm looking for a nanny. I absolutely agree with you - trust family only, so I inform all the candidates that come in for an interview that I plan to use cameras all over the house to monitor them 24/7. People may call me crazy but I really see no other way to have piece of mind but to keep an eye on the caregiver (at least for a couple of weeks or so).
On daycares: a good friend of mine take her child to this highly recommended daycare close by - I pass by it every day when we go for a walk - a teacher's assistant yells so loud I get startled. No, she doesn't yell at kids but she has this really loud voice or temper she can't control...so much for a good school.
Good luck to you. Hope something works out for you.

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J.

answers from Houston on

I understand how you feel. I took my son to Armand Bayou Montessore School for many years. They were wonderful, I would have no problem recommmending them to you. There phone number is ###-###-####. Good luck.

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K.

answers from Houston on

Hi S., I understand how you feel, I have a 3 year old boy and an 11 year old daughter, my 3 year old attended this school/daycare in Sugar Land and he also had separation anxiety, we also gave the benefit of the doubt for five months and it never got better,at the end we figured out it was his assigned teacher, she expected too much from 3 year olds, she told them to sit down be quiet and listen to her while they sat and learned, she did not teach through play, imagine telling 3 year olds to sit down and be quiet, he loved to visit the other classes and got along well with the other teachers, my daughter on the other hand loved her school was excited about the kids in her class and her teachers and learning, then we moved to Pearland my son's separation anxiety suddenly disappears, he runs to the classroom does'nt even kiss me good-bye, my daughters reaction to her new school, not so good. So the Moral to my story believe it or not "Kids can sense evil" as funny as that phrase is, with my experience I believe there's some truth to it. I watch my kids closely, I look at their eyes and see their reaction to people, my kids have a dull not interested look if they don't care to play with someone and an excited spark in their eyes if they feel comfortable with them. It is also important that you "click" with the caregiver. I am also a Christian and I prayed about my situation and for my children be protected and let the Holy Spirit guide me. With your permision I would like to pray for you and your family. The new daycare that our son attends have cameras in each class room including the cafeteria, It's Kids R Kids, we can get on-line to see him any time of day. I had a good feeling about this daycare, and my husband is blessed to sense "fake" people. I do believe prayers helped.
Have a Blessed Day!
K.

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K.

answers from Houston on

Dear S.,
I have also had a few bad experiences, nothing quit as bad as the swimming pool run around, I think I would have taken her hide off. My advice might not help, and I don't know what kind of income you guys have but I found the La Porte Headstart program to be run very well. My son is very shy and I know if someone is mistreating him just by the way he acts around them, but we got him into that program and he has opened up a lot. He really likes and trust his teachers. If that does not work for you I would look over in the clear lake area, they have some really well run daycare programs, I go to school at UHCL so it is convient for me. When I finish school I will still travel the distance just because I know my youngest will get taken care of really well there.

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S.F.

answers from Houston on

HI S.,
My name is S. and I know where you are coming from. I worked in daycares for years and when I had my first I started working for a couple in Clear Lake for 3 years because I will never put my children in one. I know from seeing it, what they tell parents hen its a total lie. Im glad you are parenoid and you should be and you hyave to be for our littles that can't grasp bad situations or tell us what has happened. No matter who it is telling you everything is ok you have to believe your children and their moods. You cant afford not to!! I have 2 daughters that are 4 and 2. They are sweet, smart, energetic angels. Im a college student, a single mother of 2 and house payment. Because I refuse to put them in daycare I worked for that couple and now when i got this 5 bedroom home I now run a daycare out of my house. Just like a daycare but truly honest. Open door anytime. I have a big playroom, backyard and a seperate naproom. I provide breakfast, lunch and snacks with drinks . The meals are healthy. My neighboe is a detective so we are really safe. My neighborhood is quite and friendly. My mother in fact lives 2 streets over. I am listed with the state of Texas. I have references if you would like as well. I charge 100.00 per week. This is not a selling pitch this is a mother who understands you completly. If you would like to talk more you may call me anytime at ###-###-####.

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B.

answers from Houston on

My husband and I have tried about 3 different daycares. It seems at each there are always going to be events that make you upset and want to pull your child out. We had to pick the one that we had the least problems with. You should try a daycare Day care that has a on-line video carmera, First class day care has one. We have not tried them out because I do not like the owner but have heard good things about the place. Or get a nanny and hide camera's in house. It would most likely be more cost effective for a nanny anyway with 2 kids. Good luck

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A.

answers from Houston on

Hi,
I have to say that you sound like you've been through the wringer and are rightly scared and frustrated. I have to say being a mother of 3 (10yrs, 2yrs, and 5 months) I can relate, expecially since I work at a school and my children attend where I work. I have the luxury of knowing everything that happens in their lives. Unfortunetly it's places and people such as the ones you've experienced that give good schools a bad name and make it hard for parents to overcome being scared parents. My advice is this, number one look for schools that have an open door policy, you should be able to drop in and visit or hang out with your child as frequently as you want as long as its not negitively impacting your child(seperation anxiety). Also its helpful if there is a security camera set up in the room. We have one in both our toddler and infant rooms because the kids in there can't talk..Just like your daughter. So if I need to investigate how something happened, I can rewind the tape or even share this with a parent. The main thing is you need to find a place with outstanding communication that reports daily how your child is doing, most schools should have some sort of daily report that tells you how often you child is changed, fed, napped, etc. Also look for small ratio's so your child gets enough attention at school.Licensing allows much more numbers than is actually safe. Infants should have no more than 3/1 ratio's. You will possibly pay more but you will have peace of mind. Also teachers should be trained and have a higher education level. At least some college. You need to do your homework and do ask as many questions as you can think of. An administrator should be patient and take as much time as it takes for you to feel comfortable. If you need any more help/advice let me know I work at a private school so I'm in the business of doing it right. I hate to hear stories like yours ! aLSO ASK FOR PARENT REFFERALS! A good school should have a list of parents who are happy to talk to you. Good Luck!

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D.N.

answers from Houston on

S.,

I can relate, I have had some childcare nightmares with my 11 month old. She has been to 4 different places in her young life and I just don't like any of them. I used to work in childcare when I was younger so I know the things that go on and i absolutely HATE the thought of my daughter being there. I will tell you I have worked at a few Montessori's and I have never put my daughter in one simply becuase it is expensive and I am a single mom and can't afford it, but I feel like they are VERY patient with the children and the discipline is strictly repetative verbal corrections in a soft but firm tone. Montessori is different from regular day care as they are more hands off in the way they teach and let the child figure things out on there own, but in the two I have worked for they have had time out squares where the child will sit 1 minute for every year they are old and in correcting the child the teachers squat to the childs level and make eye contact and explain what the child did wrong and what to doin the future. They are very big on repetatitveness in there teaching. I hope this helps as I have had my own nightmares with childcare and and reassured of my fears with your story. At first I thought I may be a crazed first time mom but now I am sre my instincts were correct.

Thanks,

D.

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C.A.

answers from Houston on

My kids are older now but I am as protective as you and had some similar experiences daycare and homecare and changed quick. I would look for a place that has open concept (glass room to room), or internet observation maybe. Some churches provide care and have strict policies regarding who, what and where is appropriate when caring for a child. Best of luck.

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