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View Full Version : How does minding compare with old lifestyle



grindal
16-09-2009, 10:26 AM
When my mindee arrived at 7.30am this morning DS1 and 2 were still in their pyjamas (as DS2 insisted I built him a train track at 6.30am) and I had a big pile of washing on the utility room floor to sort out. Mindees mum is a teacher, like I used to be, and she put mindee on the floor kissed his head and walked off. It made me think how pleased I am that I made the decision to become a childminder to spend time at home with my kids while they are little. If I was still working I would be up at 6am, have to do breakfast and get them dressed and drop them off at 7.20am get to school for 8am and be in a meeting at 8.10am. I would prefer to build a train set anyday! What were other peoples days like pre minding and how does it compare with now?

Princess Sara
16-09-2009, 11:20 AM
I was a restaurant supervisor in this posh restaurant in town. A typical day started when ds1 woke up and ran around the flat playing while I tried to rest off the evening shift from the day before. Breakfast, some cleaning, get ds1 to nursery/childminder then off to work for 10am. Open restaurant, clean it, organize staff, try to motivate staff (college/uni student without a care for the job...) work til 3-4pm. Rush home for food/shower, sometimes pick up ds1 from nursery for an hour of play before heading back to work for 6pm to do it all again, but busier. I'd get home from work anytime from 10pm to 2am depending on how busy it was, eat, sleep.

Some days weren't split shifts, usually I'd get two days off a week but hardly ever a weekend. Poor df saw me for a maximum of 1 hour a day apart from days off, ds1 was shited from childminder to nursery, home with mummy or daddy, hardly ever both of us together. Only good thing was that my mum was his childminder so he spend some quality time with her (she didn't have any other mindees).

So yeah, much different to now! Ds2 has never been left with anyone apart from df, and that's usually only a few hours at a time! We do the school run for ds1, go to the park, play with toys, have mindees to play with aswell. My house is clean (not really tidy, but clean!) and I spend more time at home in a week now than I did in a month back then!

Oh and we spend weekends doing things as a family, days out, teaching ds1 to ride his bike, baking, cinema. It's lovely.

I don't think ds1 missed out as such, he had a happy 0-3 years, but it was completely different to what ds2 is getting now.

Best career change I ever made, family comes first.

TheBTeam
16-09-2009, 12:28 PM
I used to set off at 7.30 to take ds to day nursery and dh would pick him up when he finished work around 3-4pm and I would get home about 6.30 to a cooked dinner, earnt a lot of money and spent it all! When I had dd I worked from home for the same company had help from mil and dh with dd, ds at school nursery and worked a bit hear and there inbetween playing with dd and ds and household stuff, I still earnt a fortune and worked very little!!

Now i get up and rarely stop before 8 at night plus paperwork! I am more tired, earn a lot less money but although I loved my job unless it was the one where i was home with just my kids, working a bit here and there and earning loads, i would not go back to the office job, I am much happier and want to be around for my children, i always thought I loved my job previously, but really i liked the life it paid for!

Now although this job gets to me at times it is definately the right thing to be doing!

singlewiththree
16-09-2009, 01:10 PM
I was thinking about this last night. A year ago today I was leaving DD1 at after school club, DD2 was at nursery and DD3 with a childminder. I was picking them up from 3 different locations, exhausted. Yes I got in and my house was tidy but I then had to start cooking with tired, hungry, missed mummy children and we often ended up with takeaway or frozen rubbish so I could sit with them especially as they were adjusting to daddy going. I only worked 3 days a week but it was hardgoing, I never knew which shifts I was getting and sometimes sent them to the childminder but wasn't actually working that day but it was a contracted day and I needed to get my ironing done. Now however I am here for the girls all the time, am still earning very little as even though I'm not paying childcare I only have 1 mindee space as my two DD are still at home. However, I'm there for school activities, I don't have to send my children to school when they feel ill and I can fit in appointments etc without guilt. I can also see a future DD2 starts school next week and I have already filled her place and gained a sibling space. DD3 starts next Sept and I have a lady coming Friday who wants her space :) Another full time term time only so I will be full :clapping: and I can then finally get out of debt (hopefully) and not worry about feeding the girls.

grindal
16-09-2009, 02:36 PM
Good on you singlewiththree! Hope things work out well for you and your girls

Lady Haha
16-09-2009, 05:39 PM
I was also thinking about this over the summer hols. Before I started minding I worked full time in an office. I had to drop my son to nursery at 8am and I didn't get back to pick him up til 6pm, monday to friday...by the time we got home it was getting on for half 6. A quick play, bath and bed for him with a story, lullaby and kisses ready to do it all again the next day. As a single mum, I was only better off by 40quid a week than I was on benefit, and that was swallowed up in petrol mostly. I couldn't even afford to take my son anywhere good at the weekend.

Fast forward to summer hols just gone and every day I am there for him all day from the moment he wakes up to the moment he shuts his eyes at bedtime. Because I am also working, he gets to go on the best day trips and outings to softplay etc and he has friends round all the time! My house might be a bit of a tip by the end of it, but so what!!!!

And also I can not only afford to go out on a Friday or Saturday night now, but I also don't feel guilty for shipping my son off to nannys for the night cos I have spent all week with him!!

Thanks for bringing this up, we all need to be reminded just how fantastic this job is!

PixiePetal
16-09-2009, 05:54 PM
I was a nanny in my previous life :laughing: So not an awful lot of change but I am the Boss:thumbsup: Left my last nanny job when I was 8 months pregnant with first child. Just carried on going to toddler groups etc as before but with my own baby :thumbsup: Started minding when she was 6 months.

Have been around for both my kids early years and now they are teens, I am still there to support them. What could be better

sarah707
16-09-2009, 06:55 PM
I don't remember... it was 16 years ago! :eek: :laughing:

Heaven Scent
16-09-2009, 07:09 PM
In the last couple of years immediately before - a complete nightmare - Had an au pair living in (YUK - big mistake) left the house at 7 am got back between 7 & 10pm ate and worked again - I was teaching at an FE college and despite being an NQT I had to programme manage 3 courses and one of my Tutor groups had 30 students in - the other 2 had the average number of 15ish - one of these groups had untold problems and the other group were 14-16 year olds who attended a local secondary school and one student was pregnant and thrown out of home and lived in a local home for single mothers - I had to constantly liaise with 4 groups of people regarding her - the middle group took all my time and the group of 30 were mature students and they were very eager and so were demanding in a different way - I hardly saw my own two children - I totally hated it and probably still haven't recovered. it was one huge round of meetings, planning, marking, Tutorials and a little bit of teaching thrown in - (a full teaching time table) - My husband worked away for months on end and I hardly saw him or my own 2 children - RESULT - one very ill mum and I jacked in the job.

I am now much happier and I now have a much nicer set of parents than I started out with - and although I'm not full If one or two sets left I wouldn't go under like I did last year when I got notice from 2 sets of parents in the same week - it was a total of 2 F/T ers in one family and 2 4 days pw - one preschooler and one before and after schooler. - it was a disaster. - but I got a p/t job with an agency and held on to one preschool mindee and 1 1 day after school pick up and built it back up from there. I'm glad I took the leap - I feel the older your kids get the more they need you - I started this properly just as my oldest started high school and have no regrets.

daisyboo1980
16-09-2009, 07:48 PM
i was a nanny for 9 yrs so not much different only i dont leave my house to go to work and i get to look after one of the children i used to nanny i also get to see my niece and nephew every day as i mind them to and get told im the best auntie everyday :) . i m earning more less stressed and able to do wat i want without arrangements getting changed on me.
i wanted to mind even though ive no kids off my own at the moment as when we do i want to be here for them. ive always looked after children in nurseries schools and as a nanny it was the next step :)

Twinkle
16-09-2009, 08:12 PM
I was a quality assurance manager for a dairy. I worked with 125 men for 12 years - in comparison childminding is a doddle :D .

I worked six days a week, 6 am starts and I was stressed to the eyeballs. The money was very good but I hardly saw my daughter.

Now the money is . . erm . . not wonderful :) and the stress levels can be quite high at times but the job satisfaction is incredible :)

Twinkle
16-09-2009, 08:13 PM
. . and the commute to and from work is a doddle! :)

bibi571
16-09-2009, 08:46 PM
The commute was a nightmare......I'd have to leave the house at 6:45am, drop-off the kids at 7am, drive into Glasgow - an 1hr commute :censored: - find a parking space :censored: :censored: :censored: and all for a 9am start. I worked in digital retouching in advertising for 10 years and did the same for 5 years before for Scottish Amicable but the hours were horrific and you'd be expected to be there until the 'job was done'. It just wasn't the kind of job you could have when you have kids. I'd regularly be working until 3am, and sometimes do all nighters. The final straw was the week before DS started school full time and DH had to finish his late shift and come and pick the 2 kiddies up from my work at 11.30pm - as i'd picked them up from their childminder and taken them back into work to finish an advert, and dd was asleep in her buggy and ds was asleep on a sofa, having had a takeway pizza - whilst i worked on an ad that had to be finished for the next day. DH was going ballistic, but i had to stay on to get it finished. I got registed that winter and started the following August. The rest is history!

B x :littleangel:

charleyfarley
16-09-2009, 09:00 PM
I worked for BHS and really hated it, it was only a stop gap after moving while I became registered.

I would get my 13 year old sorted for school then leave for the 20 minute walk to the ferry, which was quicker than the bus. Then have another walk the other end to work. Sometimes I wouldn't get home till 7.30 at night, Daz was in the army then so it was just me and James a lot of the time. I felt bad for him being on his own but I knew it would come to an end and I could be at home for him.

The day I handed my notice in was a day I'll never forget, I was just like the cat that got the cream.

Childminding was the best decision I ever made :thumbsup: especially now I have 2 younger children, I miss out on nothing :clapping: :clapping:

Carol xx

ajs
16-09-2009, 09:09 PM
I was a nanny in my previous life :laughing: So not an awful lot of change but I am the Boss:thumbsup: Left my last nanny job when I was 8 months pregnant with first child. Just carried on going to toddler groups etc as before but with my own baby :thumbsup: Started minding when she was 6 months.

Have been around for both my kids early years and now they are teens, I am still there to support them. What could be better

pretty much the same for me
although i was a nursery teacher for a few years the school i was working at was a start up school ( private)and they had employed more staff then their numbers needed and they had to let some staff go.
i looked after 1 little one full time and her friend part time when i got married i carried on looking after ft child until the day before my son was born ( he was 2 weeks early) wehn he was 3 months i registered so that i could go back to looking after the little girl too
when we moved north when son was 22 months i was very lucky not to have to work at all even though we had no money i had 3 children under 4 and childcare would have been more than i'd have earned
we moved here in 1999 and i reregistered in 2000