Thanks again, everyone. It is so nice to get others' input.
I would be heartbroken if I quit, and it would mean forgoing my chosen career. I might be allowed to write a thesis on the research I've already completed and leave with a masters though. I would LOVE to take a few years off but that is not feasible in my field, especially since my project would likely get scooped (someone else already published on part of my project a month ago). In my particular program I'd have to reapply and may or may not get accepted, and I'd almost certainly have to start over with a new project. The only reason I am considering quitting is that I am so upset about childcare. I am so stressed about it that it is causing health problems and I just can’t continue like this without something changing. My biggest worry is that the caregiver will CIO without my knowledge. The thought of that alone is driving me crazy. It was so much easier before when I had left DD with DH, whom I could trust 100%.
As for compromising, I’m trying to bend in some areas, but some of these issues are too important to me. For example I don't want to give up the cloth diapers b/c DD has a constant rash in disposables (even Earth's Best and Seventh Generation and even though I change them frequently), plus we've already spent the money on cloth. I don't feel I can accept 1.5 hours/day of TV because my family has a lot of learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, etc., and studies show that TV is associated with these problems. And the lack of naps is a problem for DD’s health and happiness and also because DD is so grumpy during that precious few hours that I get to spend with her in the evening. I can maybe deal with non-organic food, but I can't deal with white flour breads and canned produce for every meal (cans leach more BPA than baby bottles), which seems to what’s offered at centers here. I also need someone that I feel I can communicate with... I can't take the tension with the current DCP. There are a ton of issues in our current situation that I don't like but haven't said anything about, but I can't say they're not still bothering me quite a bit.
But, I was happy to discover that there is a preschool in the area that might be a good fit (organic produce, very positive discipline, pretty good ratio, etc.), and I’m visiting them next week. Even if this particular center does not have openings, it gives me hope that I may have been misinformed and there may be some centers that could work after all.
I would be heartbroken if I quit, and it would mean forgoing my chosen career. I might be allowed to write a thesis on the research I've already completed and leave with a masters though. I would LOVE to take a few years off but that is not feasible in my field, especially since my project would likely get scooped (someone else already published on part of my project a month ago). In my particular program I'd have to reapply and may or may not get accepted, and I'd almost certainly have to start over with a new project. The only reason I am considering quitting is that I am so upset about childcare. I am so stressed about it that it is causing health problems and I just can’t continue like this without something changing. My biggest worry is that the caregiver will CIO without my knowledge. The thought of that alone is driving me crazy. It was so much easier before when I had left DD with DH, whom I could trust 100%.
As for compromising, I’m trying to bend in some areas, but some of these issues are too important to me. For example I don't want to give up the cloth diapers b/c DD has a constant rash in disposables (even Earth's Best and Seventh Generation and even though I change them frequently), plus we've already spent the money on cloth. I don't feel I can accept 1.5 hours/day of TV because my family has a lot of learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, etc., and studies show that TV is associated with these problems. And the lack of naps is a problem for DD’s health and happiness and also because DD is so grumpy during that precious few hours that I get to spend with her in the evening. I can maybe deal with non-organic food, but I can't deal with white flour breads and canned produce for every meal (cans leach more BPA than baby bottles), which seems to what’s offered at centers here. I also need someone that I feel I can communicate with... I can't take the tension with the current DCP. There are a ton of issues in our current situation that I don't like but haven't said anything about, but I can't say they're not still bothering me quite a bit.
But, I was happy to discover that there is a preschool in the area that might be a good fit (organic produce, very positive discipline, pretty good ratio, etc.), and I’m visiting them next week. Even if this particular center does not have openings, it gives me hope that I may have been misinformed and there may be some centers that could work after all.
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