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0517 MAY
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your heart is racing and tears blur your vision as you make your way to
daycare
for the first time. ?at precious baby sits buckled into the car seat unaware of your emotional breakdown. you?ve given yourself the pep talk. you?ve researched the facility. you trust these people with your
child
. so why is this so hard? because up until this moment, you have been directly involved in every decision made for your
child
. if grandma or auntie watched your little nugget, you were at least consulted about their care. now, you are faced with handing over your
child
to a stranger and carrying on with your day as if nothing is wrong. but something is wrong. you are in the dark. what if she?s crying? what if she?s hungry? do they know how she likes to sleep? are they changing her diaper often enough? what if there is an emergency? all of these are legit concerns, but knowing how to get the answers you need can help you survive until pick up time. whether your
child
goes willingly or cries the moment she?s out of your arms,
daycare
drop off can absolutely gut you. angela chase, whose
child
started
daycare
at eight months of age because of being displaced by the august 2016 flood, says that the first drop off was much more traumatic for her than for her
child
. ?grace was smiling at all the ladies, checking out the room of toys. she was fine. she didn?t cry at all. i can?t say the same for myself.? angela also shares that the best thing she did was give herself time to just breakdown and accept all the worry. ?i felt like i was abandoning her, like she might feel confused and unsafe. i sat in the parking lot and just bawled. but once my tears dried up, i felt much better. i say, don?t fight those worries you have. embrace them. cry it out and then decide to get on with your day.? b eing a parent is the hardest job in the world. it is one of the only jobs that will almost always leave you feeling uncertain or guilty about every decision you make. you educate yourself. you do your very best. and yet, you still feel like you could be doing better. from their education to what they are eating, there are so many factors that lend to the stress of being a parent. one of the biggest is
daycare
. whether it?s your first time
leaving
your little one or the fiftieth time, the apprehension and out-of-your-control elements can kick up your anxiety a notch. we?re here to tell you what to expect and how to cope with saying ?bye-bye? during working hours. ?e stress of
leaving
your
child
at
daycare
cherie langlinais, a social worker, helps to identify the anxiety causing factors when
leaving
a
child
at
daycare
. ??e most stressful thing for parents is losing their sense of control. i think not being able to control your
child
?s environment, who associates with your
child
, and not knowing what is actually taking place in the
daycare
setting is worrisome.? cherie says that there are ways to alleviate this fear; it?s all based on trust. ?parents should drop in when not expected to see how things are being run. ?ey should also get to know the staff prior to dropping their
child
off at the
daycare
. doing the investigative work of picking out the appropriate
daycare
will help to decrease any anxiety about a
child
not being able to remain in their family home where the environment is controlled. again, this comes with time, knowledge of the facility, and how comfortable one is with
daycare
personnel.? by season vining 76 brparents.com | may 2017
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