Why I Did Not Listen When They Said "Put Your Child in Day Care"

My family calls it being cooped up all day, and not letting my daughter be around other kids, spectators say I need to take a break and get out of the house, others say my daughter needs to be around other people than her immediate family of three. These are the voices of people who comment on my choice to be a stay at home mom. It seems as though they are turning what is supposed to be a positive decision into a negative one. Despite how annoying and sometimes hurtful some of their comments can be, I just remind myself that these comments are made by people with limited knowledge of staying at home with children because they have opted to work full-time for fear of raising sheltered, anti-social- children who suffer from separation. or because they had no choice but to work outside the home.

I choose to stay at home with my child because it is essential for me to be there to raise and care for her. I always say to myself, my social life can always be rebuilt but I can not get back the first years of my daughter's life, so I indulge in the time I get to spend with her. The idea of day care did cross my mind, but I just could not bear to send her, because images of teacher's neglecting her, other children, hitting and fighting her, began to fill my mind. I even thought about her getting sick from the other kids frequently and, I thought about how much our bond would loosen. All those thoughts were scary, so from there, I made a vow to myself to avoid putting my daughter in daycare. From that point on, I adjusted my life for what I see as her convenience. for our bond, and for her security, and for maybe my assurance.