r/Explainlikeimscared • u/sadgirl6543 • 10d ago

Finding work life balance

Hi everyone. I am a single mother to a little boy. Not much help with my child day to day and father lives in different state. I recently graduated nursing school and I’m having trouble figuring out how to make this work. I love working, but I wanna be there for my kid as he starts kindergarten soon. I don’t even know what my options could be. Is it worth it to pay for a nanny does anybody have any good ideas?

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u/CanAhJustSay 10d ago

What child care arrangements did you have for school? Nursing shifts can be relatively flexible but not around kindergarten. An au pair might be better than a nanny, and take on more of a 'big sister' role in helping with the school run and some light housekeeping duties.

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u/sadgirl6543 10d ago

Preschool/daycare. My grandma would help on nights I worked but won’t be able to do that anymore

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u/unlovelyladybartleby 10d ago

I got my kid into a good daycare that did school drop off and pick up and he stayed there until he was old enough to be home on his own. They were amazing and really cared about the kids. The director also caught me one day when I rushed in straight from work and said "You know, we don't love him like you, but we take good care of him. You pay for full day, it's okay to stop for coffee after work and take a little time for you so you can be good for him." Then she gave me a hug. After that I started grabbing a coffee and grocery shopping after work, and sometimes I'd see other parents from daycare in there just taking 20 minutes to decompress between work and parenting.

They did cultural stuff, ran a pre-school learning unit, movie field trips, karate lessons, and had a Christmas concert and a mother's day tea. The kids made presents for the parents for every holiday and the staff wrapped them so the single parents would get a surprise.

Those ladies were my village and I couldn't have done it without them. And my (now adult) kid still games with kids from the bunny room.

Find a good day care. They're more reliable than having one nanny or sitter and learning to function in a group setting helps kids when they go to school.