TAKING
TIME
by Rebecca Escott
Extension Home Economist
Child Care Choices
Nationally, 26 million children
up to age 13 are cared for in a vari
ety of ways while their parents
work. Forty-eight percent are
cared for by relatives. Another
44% are in either center or family
day care. But having a designated
day care provider doesn’t mean
that parents don’t have to discuss
choices for unexpected events.
Who takes a child to sec a
pediatrician if she has a rash?
When your child is sick, who docs
the school nurse call? When can
your daughter be home alone for a
few hours in the afternoon? And
who’s responsible for checking up
on her while she is alone? Who
makes the babysitting arrange
ments if you want to go out to
dinner?
Child care choices arc difficult
ones, even for families in rural
areas. For many farming families,
one partner may work off the
property for at least part of the
week. Even if an adult is “home,”
that doesn’t mean that he or she
has the flexibility or the freedom
to be providing careful supervi
sion of a young child. You are still
involved in community organiza
tions. You need to run errands and
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see doctors. These events may
throw a glitch in your routine child
care choices.
You can take a few positive
steps to prepare for these choices.
Several months ago, I shared a list
of home-alone readiness skills.
They may come in handy as you
consider summer child care needs.
Remember the. highlights. Most
importantly, both you and your
child should feel relatively com
fortable with the idea that she will
be home alone for some time. She
should also be able to recite her
name, address, and phone number.
Your child needs to be able to take
accurate phone messages and in
an emergency to dial 911 and get
to a neighbor for assistance.
Other child care choices may
create some tension between you
and your partner. My friends face
these choices on a frequent basis.
During the winter months, child
care centers in our area closed ear
ly because of bad road conditions,
and I heard lots of stories about
“Who’s going tp leave work early
and pick up the baby?” In one case
I heard a husband comment to his
wife, “1 can’t just leave work. We
have things that have got to get out
today. You’ll have to get
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her.”...assuming the wife’s
employer wouldn’t place the same
demands or expectations on her.
In your family, is it the mother
who assumes primary responsibil
ity for transporting children to
appointments? Does she cancel
meetings or adjust schedules to
accommodate a child’s needs? Is
there a logical reason why those
choices are made? Is her time real
ly more flexible?
People say parenting needs to
be a SO-SO shared responsibility.
After caring for an 18-month-old
for one evening, I was once again
reminded that parenting is not a
SO-SO job. but a 100-100 job!
When it comes to child care
choices and holding up your end
of that major responsibility, how
are you doing? In your home, do
adults share the joys and the bur
dens that children bring?
Ask yourself these questions:
Who checks to make sure
homework is completed and
school paperwork is returned?
Who plans birthday parties for
your child?
Who prepares your child’s
lunch?
Who takes care of the bedtime
routine?
Who repairs or assembles a
child’s toys?
Who makes the decisions about
chjld discipline?
Take some time this week to
think through the assumptions
you’ve made about child care and
the roles you accept. Arc they the
best ones for you? Are they equit
able? Do both partners accept
those roles? If it’s time for a
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change, use this column as a moti
vator to discuss one or two areas
and come up with a compromise
When I go to the garden to plant
seeds, I have to take a pencil and
paper along. You see, one after
noon I put 19 different kinds of
seeds in three rows. Usually I can
identify plants when they sprout
but some of these were unusual
flowers. Because I save my own
seed and sometimes plant old
seed, this year I had to replant
some green beans.
This spring I raised my own
pink, yellow, and red tomato
plants. But when I put them in the
garden, something ate them. This
is very discouraging as I then had
to buy some. Celery is something
that I do not raise due to all the
work of bleaching it in the fall but
this year I’ve put some in my gar
den as it is quite expensive in the
store.
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 22, 1993-815
that builds support for you as a
parent and that provides safe
supervision for your children.
Ida’s
Notebook
readers was kind enough to bring
me a big box of various plants and
I’m enjoying them as they bloom.
In the fall I had given her a variety
of lily bulbs.
This year our children decided
to give my husband a surprise par
ty on his 7Sth birthday. He expect
ed to have lunch at a nice restau
rant with two of our children. But,
when we arrived there were four
teen family members, beautiful
flowers, balloons and a big decor
ated cake.
He even got a gift certificate to
buy more expensive woodwork
ing equipment. His most recent
project was a very nice bookcase.
But when it was finished and he
showed it to me, I thought it need
ed glass doors so the books
wouldn’t get dusty. It seems that I
am never satisfied.
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