In our country, many families must quickly face the decision to go back to work or stay home after their baby arrives. Despite loving my career, the daycare decision still wasn’t an easy one for our family. Over time, though, we settled into a normal daycare routine and watched our son thrive in a caring learning environment with wonderful daycare teachers.
Due to Covid-19, my husband and I have both been furloughed from our jobs and are unsure of our future at this time. This past week, we were sadly forced to make the very difficult decision to take our son out of daycare for the foreseeable future. In a short note, I let the owner know our plan. I hit “send” with tears in my eyes and with gratitude in my heart. There were so many words left unsaid for her team of daycare teachers who have cared for my son since he was four months old.
While “thank you” doesn’t seem sufficient, here are the thanks left unsaid in an open letter to our daycare teachers.
To our wonderful daycare teachers,
Thank you for caring for our baby like he was your own, for rocking him until he slept and for holding and snuggling him even though you probably had so many other things to do.
Thank you for calling a distraught mama who ugly cried during her first daycare drop-off. Your message that my baby was fine and that he’d be waiting for me was priceless. You’ll never know how many times I listened to your voicemail that day.
Thank you for loving on my boy even on his crankiest days. I know you must get tired and frustrated too, but you never let these littles see it. You are amazing!
Thank you for keeping him safe in the crazy, sometimes scary world we live in.
Thank you for always giving this mama a couple of extra minutes to hug on her boy before leaving him for 8 long hours. Being a working mom is so hard. Those last squeezes carry me through my day.
Thank you for just knowing we’ve had a rough night and that I could cry from exhaustion. Your words of “I get it. I’ve been there too. I got him” remind me that I’m not failing and that I should give myself some grace.
Thank you for teaching, guiding, and working with my boy who surpassed expectations as a preemie. You were instrumental in his growth and development. It takes a village, and you are so critical to these little people’s lives.
From the countless diapers you’ve changed and the bottles you’ve fed to the many books you’ve read, crafts you’ve made, and hugs you’ve given – thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know one day we’ll meet again when life goes back to normal. I hope my boy will run to hug you when he sees you at school, breaking a little piece of my heart but at the same time, making it just a bit easier to walk out the door.
To our wonderful daycare teachers, Thank you.
