Doing childcare in my home is not something that I'm going to do forever. I love kids, don't get me wrong. But, for now, so that I can be home with my children and still make a little money, child caring is how I spend my days, and I'm really blessed to have a group of absolutely wonderful kids. At the present time I have all three of my younger children, a sibling set ages 4 and 5, and a 1 year old. That's 6 children between 1 and 6. That's a lot of kids!! But, when it comes down to it, once you've had as many kids as I've had, another two, or three, is nothing. Sure, they all keep me busy, but, they keep each other busy, too. which allows time for me to do laundry, etc....
One of the most challenging things I have had to deal with is the feeding aspect of the childcare. My children are not real picky eaters, but, occasionally they decided they don't like something. Some days they like pickles, and the one day I put it on their plate without them asking for it is the day they don't like it. Rayla appears to be allergic to more and more things....For the past two days Rayla has developed an itchy throat while eating cinnamon toast crunch, her favorite cereal. Anyways, too much dairy for her and her tummy hurts and she gets gassy. (Isn't that lactose intolerance?) She only drinks almond milk, and I've changed her to Greek yogurt because she can still handle that for some reason. Lots of fruit, as many vegetables as I can convince her to eat, and meat...the kid loves meat. In fact, all of my children love meat. One of the children that I care for will not eat meat. Her family does not practice a vegan lifestyle, and they don't know where this particular preference came from, but she just doesn't seem to like meat. ANY meat. She won't even try it! At first, I was frustrated because I wanted to make sure that she was eating something for lunch, so I made her something special for each meal. After addressing this concern after the first week with their mother, she explained that, because of her daughter's unusual eating habits that sometimes she just went hungry. They have a motto at their house that they go by: "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." I like it. At first I tried to cater to her needs, but I was making stuff, like cold butter and cheese sandwiches, at her request, that ended up nothing like her grandma, mother, father or grandpa made it. So, then I tried it........... You get what you get and you don't throw a fit. And IT WORKS! She usually eats now, or at least tries something. Or, if I make something like mac and cheese with hot dogs, I just leave the dogs off her plate. You'd think that it would have been that simple for me in the beginning. But, everything is a learning process when it comes to children. There is never a rhyme or reason for their thoughts or their actions, and it's my job, both as a parent and a caregiver, to help them understand how to harness their desires and help them understand that this is not a restaurant....our new motto, although borrowed, is such a simple thing. And, I love that my own kids understand it, too! We've had less special requests from my own kids since instilling this new motto, and that makes meal prep a breeze for me!
Katie is working now. I worried that she wouldn't fit in (functionally, that is) because she's never done anything along the lines of hard, repetitive labor for long hours. But, it appears she is doing just fine! She's working on the cherry line this year for the family farm. She gets to do box prep and sorting of the cherries, something she's never done before! And, since most of the people who are working the line speak little English, she's getting immersed in Spanish, which is the best way to learn it!! She arrived home yesterday hot, sweaty, but really content with a full day's work. As a mother who knows that hard work pays off in more ways than one, I was so proud. But, even more so, I was happy that she was happy about going back today. But, I think we need to get a better morning schedule going. She needs to be able to make her own lunch to take and not depend on mom to get her ready for work! I gave her two days......she gets tomorrow! Hopefully, she gets up early enough to get that lunch ready, and that she likes it enough that she actually eats it, or she'll be one hungry girl!! (Whether you agree or not, I think this makes me a good mom....instilling good responsibility in my child, that is!)
So whether they are small and innocent, or grown and heading into the world, getting fed is still an important part of what I oversee. And, that new motto I've hijacked is about perfect for my family as it could be. I make it you eat it......or you don't!!
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