I don't really want to write my 'back to work' post until I've written the version for the company's blog first but I've no qualms about writing about sending B off to nursery.
Of course my reasons for sending him to nursery are my reasons for going back to work so I'm not going to talk about the endless debate about whether or not mothers should let somebody else look after their kids (yet) instead I'm going to talk about who else that other person should be.
About 6 months ago I read Steve Biddulph's raising boys. While the book had some great thoughts, it had terrible grammar and also out the fear of God into my about nurseries. The book says that institutionalised childcare (basically) screws up little boys. They should be looked after by a close relative if Mum is unavailable. However gone are the days where Granny, Grampy and Aunty Phyllis live just around the corner, modern parents have to rely on other means of finding childcare.
B goes to nursery two days a week and he absolutely loves it. The nursery is brand new and is set in a lovely recently converted mansion-style house. There a tons of toys, they do messy activities that we can't really do on our rented carpet, he mixes with loads of kids, has so much space to practice his cruising and gets fed amazing home cooked meals. Before he started going he was strictly a commando crawler but after going to nursery just three times he was up on his knees.
When I look after him, he sometimes has to sit in his cot while I sort out washing or have a wee. He has to go to the shops and it takes us half an hour to outside because we live in a flat with no garden.
B often comes home with drawing, photos and things he's made at nursery. The nursery staff write up a report about what B has been doing and there's a webcam so
I can bunk off at work and watch him instead I can occasional keep an eye and check he's ok.
A colleague who's daughter goes to a different nursery run by the same company, says that she thinks of the girls who work there as members of the family. Each child has their own key person who feeds, changes and challenges them developmentally with other staff members on hand for emergencies.
The level of care B receives is outstanding and since he joined I've seen his development accelerate, he now a much more confident little boy.
How can that be a bad thing?
