Daycare Changes

Last Wednesday Candice, our daycare provider, was supposed to fly to Texas for her son's wedding. Instead, while she was packing, she collapsed from a brain aneurysm. Thankfully her niece was with her, so Candice was rushed to the hospital, and then another hospital, where she'll be in ICU for a few more weeks. Things have been touch and go through the weekend, and last I heard the doctors are giving her an optimistic, but cautious chance of survival. I don't think they are saying much about recovery, although, even if things go well, she's looking at about 18 months of rehabilitation.

I feel horrible for her family; for her son who had to cancel his wedding to come be with his mom. Her other son that was sharing the house with Candice, and who will likely have to move.

I keep thinking about how, even if she pulls through with minimal physical (and mental) damage, how her life will be completely different. The house she has been renting will be gone, all the kids she's been watching these past few years will have moved on to other daycares. She truly lves watching the kids. Sure, her house isn't the cleanest, but she makes sure the kids have fun. There is a TV, but I rarely see it turned on, becase the kids are too busy playing. And there is lots of junk food around, but Candice respects our wishes that Mason eat more healthy meals and snacks.

Miriam and I have been talking about how much it would change our lives if something similar happened to one of our moms, who are about the same age as Candice. Would we move them out here, or would we move back to Vegas? It isn;t a new topic for us, but to see someone close to us, close to our son, debilitated so quickly and without any warning has spooked us a little.

Of course there is the practical matter of finding a new daycare provider. Miriam jumped right into action, getting referrals from friends and mailing lists; grabbing listings of daycare providers from the state and county. Thursday and Friday she went by a few houses, and was less than impressed. Now everyone has their own idea of how to raise a child, but we don't want our son plopped down in front of a TV for eight hours. And breast milk doesn't belong in the microwave.

Anyway, in the end we (okay, Miriam) found a nice lady close to my office. She's more expensive than Candice, but she watches fewer kids, keeps her house considerably cleaner and has better ideas of toddler nutrition. I know Mason will be happy there, playing with his new friend and an old friend from Candice's. But I know I'll miss dropping him off in all of the clutter, I'll miss trying to squeeze his lunch into the tiny fridge, and I'll miss Candice's gravely, loving hello she gave Mason (and me) every Tuesday and Thursday.


Candice, Natalie, Mason and Alexi. September 2005