Help Wanted

Wanted: Childcare on Mondays and sometimes Fridays from 7:30 am to whenever one of us gets home. That is usually between 5:00-6:00 pm but may be any time between 2:00-8:00pm so you need to be available just in case. Unfortunately we won't be able to let you know in advance which days we will be running late. This may look like an ad for a babysitter, but in actuality it is an ad for someone to find a babysitter for me so I don't have to.

Grrr. I hate having to find childcare so much that I'm almost considering quiting my job to not have to deal with the headache. The first time around I lucked out in that a coworker I trust recommended her neice with lots of experience and looking for part-time work. She's done a great job and I would love to keep her on, but unfortunately she starts back to school in the fall and won't be available anymore. Also in the fall comes a mini busy season for Derek so we will need at least part-time coverage for Fridays as well until mid-Oct (and of course from Feb-April for regular tax season too).

Finding someone you trust to take care of your baby is never simple, but when you factor in a part-time somewhat unpredictable schedule it's almost impossible. Most of the licensed providers I've spoken with either don't accept infants at all or won't let you pay on a part-time basis. I've seen a few stay-at-home moms advertise online looking to babysit part-time and I suppose I could place an ad myself for a part-time nanny. Either way that would mean interviewing perfect strangers who are unlicensed and unregulated to try and determine that they are not psychos and are capable of caring for an infant. Ugh!

The nanny would probably be my preference even though it will probably cost as much as full-time traditional daycare would (at least on weeks where we need 2 days covered) but our current sitter comes to the house which definitely has its advantages. For one thing instead of having to scramble to get myself and a baby ready to head out the door she comes a little early and occupies David giving me time to get myself ready. Also I like the extra one-on-one interaction it means for David and the fact that he's not exposed to a whole bunch of germs from other kids. Plus it forces me to give my house a thorough cleaning each week because somehow I'm convinced that if she sees I'm behind on my dusting she'll think I'm a bad mom (although maybe this is as much of a drawback as it is a plus because I typically am up past 1:00 am on Sunday nights cleaning and scrubbing). But of course setting a stranger loose in your home with your baby has it's risks too. She could steal from us, throw wild parties, or use our house for a love nest of sorts.

I know I need to start making calls and placing ads (I promise I'll start today). I'm just dreading the process so much and wish it would just go away.