It's never a good thing when the daycare calls.
Just before the end of my work day on Monday, my cell phone lit up with the name of Hannah's daycare. She had been bitten. She was OK, but she cried. It happened during snack time. The Biter was sitting next to Hannah. Now, the Biter will never sit near Hannah again.
I felt a rage of emotions as my Mama Bear instincts kicked in. Was she REALLY OK? Was she feeling scared? Were the daycare cuddles as good as what her Mama gives? (Thankfully, K, her favourite teacher is in her room this week.)
As I drove the 50 minutes from work to her, I got more and more angry as I got closer. Why did the Biter bite? Has he/she bit other kids? How did Hannah react? Again, is she really OK?
But the emotion I most felt was Mom guilt. Extreme Mom guilt. If I didn't work, Hannah would be at home with me. And I wouldn't bite her. And I could protect her if someone tried to hurt her.
When I got there, Hannah was her cheery self. She was all smiles, and happy to see me as she normally is. I spoke with the teachers. I understand incidents happen, but now that this has, the teachers promised me they will do everything they can to ensure it won't happen again.
And the whole situation has been a lesson for me. Unfortunately, I can't be with her 24/7. Things will happen, and I just have to accept it, regardless of how much I dislike it.
Has your child ever been hurt at daycare?
© 2013 YYZ Bambina. All Rights Reserved.
You hit the nail on the head...the point is to understand that "things happen!" I'm a teacher and have a hard time discussing these things with parents. Some of them just can't seem to accept the fact that their children DO act differently at school than at home and that it's normal and it "happens!"
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa!
DeleteSo sorry that this situation happened to Hannah. Glad to read that she was fine. Now if only you didn't have Mommy guilt.
ReplyDeleteI'm a SAHM Mom and I still can't protect my kids from bites. Artemis used to bite Max often. we go to weekly playgroup and it's happened there. Good kids with 24/7 parental care still bite sometimes...
Great to see that her caregivers obviously handled the situation with care. I hope that it doesn't happen again.
Besos, Sarah
Blogger at Journeys of The Zoo
Finding Humour in Everyday Life
journeysofthezoo at hotmail dot com
Thanks for your comment! Didn't think of playgroups! When they start walking, I guess any place with a bunch of kids is fair game.
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