Should I keep working or start daycare?

[Fuamami]

My situation:

I currently work between 15-20 hours a week. My kids go to daycare 2 mornings a week, for 6 hours total. This costs me $60/week. The rest of the time I work from home (which means I never pay full attention to anything, IMO). I make $800/month. I'm finally starting to make some sales, and should be getting some commission. When I was hired, my boss estimated that I would be making more than $1000/month once the commissions started rolling in. This has yet to materialize, mostly because I have only very recently had any inventory to sell even though I've been working since March. Oh, and I also have a ~$75/month Blackberry bill.

Sooo, I hate doing sales, and it's a pain in the butt to work from home and try to do everything else. I'm thinking if I watched just two kids, I could charge $25/day and make $250/week. Because of fewer expenses, I'd be ahead...for now.

The thing I worry about is that there isn't really any room for promotion in childcare. Whereas my sales job could theoretically become much more lucrative. Is it worth it to stick it out and try to make it work? WWYD?

[nadia105]

Do you think you will ever like sales? Is it the time splitting that's getting you or the actual work you are doing? Some people have a talent for sales (my dad is like this) and some just hate it (me). Would this be an opportunity that you would be able to come back to once your kids are in school(if you aren't going to hs)?

So you like spending time with kids other than yours? I did childcare for about a year, watching my cousin's dd and occasionally my brother's ds. It had good things and bad things. The good was that I was home with the kids and they had a good relationship with their cousins -- most of the time at least! My house was cleaner b/c I knew someone was going to be seeing it everyday and I had to stay more on top of things. The downside was feeling like ds1 never got his chance to be the youngest child at home (both kids I watched were younger than him) and some drama involving my cousin's wife -- not with me, but it made the situation uncomfortable more than once. This wouldn't be a problem with non family, it would be much easier to have clear boundaries, expectations, and payment arrangements.

You're right, there isn't exactly promotion in childcare unless you open up your own preschool or day care, but maybe it would serve you well for a few years?

I don't know if this helped or not, I hope it did!

[Fuamami]

I don't think I'll ever like sales. Or be good at it, at least.

You bring up a very good point about not liking other people's kids. I have done a little bit of part time childcare before and mostly not liked it. I think this was mostly because my kids were too little (I did it when each of my boys were less than 6 months old), and because they were part time and so we never really got used to each other or set up a schedule.

I am currently hsing my dd. She's in Kindergarten, and I don't know if I will continue - it's kind of up to her at this point. I think I would keep my house cleaner, I think it would be nice because my day would be child-oriented, and I'd be getting paid for that! But then, when my kids do eventually all go to school, what do I do? I really, really don't see myself doing daycare for the rest of my life.

[ShareBear]

I do the daycare thing myself. I charge about what you were thinking, $25 a kid per day (or $30 per day for an infant under 1 year old). I have been watching the same two little girls for over a year now, 45 hours a week, and it's had its ups and downs; ups--the two little girls are about the same ages as my own two, and they've all really bonded, which is sweet--and downs, like when I really, really wish that I could just once, listen to the morning news on NPR and drink my coffee without one single interruption. And I will confess that I don't always like the little girls I watch--but I get myself through that by trying to imagine how it feels to be in their shoes, and by reminding myself that they are still so small and vulnerable, and are so dependent on me to provide them with love and emotional security in their parents' absence.

I have a college degree from a good school and I know that I can't do this forever. But for now I'm convinced that it's the right thing for me to do. If you don't really like sales, I would give childcare a try. It's not like you can't do it for the short term (maybe a couple of years) and then move on to whatever's next.

Oh, and I agree that it's easier to keep the house tidy when you have people coming over every day. Would say more, but gotta run--kids need me

[holidaymama]

Hey...I can totally empathize! My job is teaching but I hate being away from my 2 yo and not being able to pick up my son after school.

I have thought about daycare a lot, it is always an option in the back of my mind. If you are looking to make about 1000 a month, what about working at a daycare center to see if you like watching the kids. Most likely your kids are free and you are still around them whenever you want a hug and they can go play with other kids...I loved my job at a daycare center, but it was only going to be $800/month after taxes, and that is just not enough when our school loans are 575/month!

You have to do what your heart is telling you. If you don't like something, try something else...life is too short to be "stuck" in a job...there are too many different ones out there!

[emc03]

which are you going to miss more: time/$ for a sales career or time with your child?
i'm going through the same thing, except i'm desperately trying to figure out which is better for time with my baby (november arrival) while still surviving financially: 2-3 days a week at a well paying temp job i despise (but daycare in nyc is WAY expensive) or staying at home and childcare 5 days if i can make enough. i figure i'll pursue all options and see which one materializes first.

[Fuamami]

Originally Posted by ShareBear

I do the daycare thing myself. I charge about what you were thinking, $25 a kid per day (or $30 per day for an infant under 1 year old). I have been watching the same two little girls for over a year now, 45 hours a week, and it's had its ups and downs; ups--the two little girls are about the same ages as my own two, and they've all really bonded, which is sweet--and downs, like when I really, really wish that I could just once, listen to the morning news on NPR and drink my coffee without one single interruption. And I will confess that I don't always like the little girls I watch--but I get myself through that by trying to imagine how it feels to be in their shoes, and by reminding myself that they are still so small and vulnerable, and are so dependent on me to provide them with love and emotional security in their parents' absence.

I have a college degree from a good school and I know that I can't do this forever. But for now I'm convinced that it's the right thing for me to do. If you don't really like sales, I would give childcare a try. It's not like you can't do it for the short term (maybe a couple of years) and then move on to whatever's next.

Oh, and I agree that it's easier to keep the house tidy when you have people coming over every day. Would say more, but gotta run--kids need me

Thanks so much for this. It's great to hear the perspective of someone who is doing it. I also have a college degree, though the school isn't that great, but I am already staying home with my kids, so it's not like I'm putting it to use. I'm not using it with my sales job either.

Originally Posted by holidaymama

I have thought about daycare a lot, it is always an option in the back of my mind. If you are looking to make about 1000 a month, what about working at a daycare center to see if you like watching the kids. Most likely your kids are free and you are still around them whenever you want a hug and they can go play with other kids...I loved my job at a daycare center, but it was only going to be $800/month after taxes, and that is just not enough when our school loans are 575/month!

This is a great suggestion except that I would have to commute, and I don't want to do that. Plus I'm thinking that if I just have two kids, ideally siblings, coming to my house, I won't have to contend with the germ-swapping that happens in a lot of daycare situations.

Originally Posted by emc03

which are you going to miss more: time/$ for a sales career or time with your child?
i'm going through the same thing, except i'm desperately trying to figure out which is better for time with my baby (november arrival) while still surviving financially: 2-3 days a week at a well paying temp job i despise (but daycare in nyc is WAY expensive) or staying at home and childcare 5 days if i can make enough. i figure i'll pursue all options and see which one materializes first.

Well, the problem now is that I work while my kids are here. So I am missing time with them, in a way. But mostly what they are missing is quality interaction, and sometimes supervision.

But eventually, I would probably be making more in the sales career. I'm thinking that even if this job doesn't ever make me that money, I could turn it into a career that does. Except that I hate sales.

Thanks for all your advice, everyone! I think I'm going to do it, provided I can find someone who wants me to watch their kids.