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A Gift for Maya

By Anonymous

Friday is Landon's last day in Maya's daycare. Despite predictions to the contrary, I didn't cry when I dropped him off on his first day, but I'm certain I'm going to cry on his last. Maya has truly become part of our family and we are all going to miss her very much.

I know there are heated discussions taking place in message boards and play groups all over the country (world?) about staying home vs. working, and it seems that daycare and "letting someone else raise your child" is central to the argument of those against moms in the work force. Here's an actual example of a particularly passionate comment: "Unless you're about to starve there is no reason for you to be at work. If you didn't want to raise your children, you should not have had them. It's child abandonment." Obviously, I think that's nonsense and I have little respect for the intelligence of someone who views the world in such black and white terms. And I'm comfortable enough with my decision (really our decision) to leave our son in the care of another for part of the day to respond with little more than an eye roll and a sigh. Parenting does not take place solely between the hours of 9 and 5, and I truly believe that Landon has benefited from his daycare (and that benefit is separate from that of having a happier mom). I think kids have an unlimited amount of love to give and the fact that Landon loves Maya, as I know he does, does not mean he has less love for me. And the fact that he gives her a big smile when she opens the door doesn't lessen the big smile he has for me when I pick him up. She has loved him, cared for him, and worried for him for 9 months and I refuse to believe that any care besides a parent's is unworthy or unimportant.

So now, how do we say goodbye to this woman who has played such a big role in Landon's life? What can we give her to say thank you for patiently caring for a baby that not only had acid reflux and ear infections, but also made her shut down her daycare and take a lie detector test? After much thought, I've finally settled on buying something for her babies. I wanted to get something for her, but I couldn't think of anything that wouldn't just add clutter to her small apartment and private life. She mentioned this morning that some of her toys were getting old and I hope that by buying her a few new ones she will have a little extra money to spend on herself however she wishes. This morning I carefully picked out four of Landon's very favorite things. I hope that her future babies enjoy them as much as he does, and I hope that she will think of him when they do. A few of the toys, like the peacock and the clutch cube, have kept him entertained for up to an hour at a time and I figure that's probably the best gift you can give a daycare provider!

I know Maya will miss her "good boy" (I can't imagine how he got that name, given his first few months in her care), but we've promised to keep in touch with pictures and emails. She said she still gets pictures of babies she watched 15-20 years ago. She has been a blessing for our family and I hope that our next daycare arrangement works out as well as this one.

Full post as published by Lag Liv on May 06, 2008 (boomark / email).