Previous entry: 
Next entry:
Thanks, Mom
When the topic of childcare comes up, friends and even acquaintances often ask me if I know how lucky I am. My husband and I haven't had to put our boys in daycare (other than a brief, ill-fated stint for Evan last year) even though Evan will turn 4 in September and Elias will be 2 next month. Why? Because we have my mom.
When I was pregnant, my mom lived in Austin, Texas. My husband half-kiddingly asked her if she wanted to move out here to help care for Evan when we returned to work. She considered it, and when Evan was six months old and Jeff was ready to go back to work (I had already taken my maternity leave), my mom put her house up for sale, packed up her stuff and moved halfway across the country for us.
She cared for Evan full-time for six months, then switched to part-time when I went part-time here. She didn't charge us a set price, though we pushed a check her way whenever we could. She now cares for both boys part-time -- an exhausting task for anyone -- with hardly a sigh of exhaustion or a complaint.
While I know the benefits of sending kids to daycare, I also know that my sons have an incredibly close bond with their grandmother. I also know that Evan has only had one ear infection in his life and Elias has had zero problems with his ear. And I know that I love hearing their enthusiasm when we talk about going to Grandma's.
Like most daughters, I can't possibly articulate how much I already loved my mom. I didn't think it was possible for her to hold a more special place in my life and heart. But when she decided to come to Florida, I recognized that she was an even greater woman than I thought.
So do I know how lucky I am?
Yes. Thanks, Mom. I know I don't tell you enough.
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work...
Joy Oglesby has an infant daughter and a sister 13 years her junior, whom she babies to the now-adult...
Cindy Kent Fort Lauderdale mother of three. Her kids span in ages from teenager to 20s...
Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters...
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters...
Anne Vasquez is the Online Editor in charge of overseeing SunSentinel.com. She is the mother of a 5-year-old boy and a newborn daughter.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces...
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 13, and Lily, 6, and is married...
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator, and father of two boys and a girl all under the age of seven.
