Nursery nurse's time to be the parent.. feeling sad :(

[ameliasmama89]

I have been a qualified nursery nurse for nearly ten years now. I left my last job (in a private day care nursery) to become a stay at home mama. I've found a college that is close by to my home that hàs it's own childcare facilities on site. I need to go to do my maths gcse as I need higher grades to go then on onto uni, so will benefit LO in the long run. It will be the first time I leave my 18th month old in a professional setting.

I'm actually nervous and sad at the same time. I am now on the other side of my line of work and it's very scary.

Oh poor you. It is hard when you leave them for the first time, no matter what age. But it sounds like the right thing for you and you will both get used to the new way of things in time.

At 18 months, your little girl might well enjoy and benefit from the social aspects of a childcare setting anyway. And although it will be hard to begin with, you might enjoy a bit of time on your own too sometimes? I think it helps to think about the positives for both of you rather than to focus on the negative feelings. This will also help your daughter adjust eg if you talk about all the fun things she'll do at nursery, the friends she'll make and so on.

It is hard though and I think you also have to acknowledge that and allow yourself to feel a bit sad about it if that's how you feel. But don't worry because although she might take a little while to settle in, I bet she loves it after a bit. I'm sure these are the things you say to parents all the time anyway!

How long/ often will she go for?

The nursery nurse isn't "being the parent", that's you and nursery has a very different role to you in bringing up your child.

families the OP is a nursery nurse, that's what she's saying. That she has been a professional child carer and is now in the position where her own child is going to nursery and the boot on the other foot as it were. She's not saying that the nursery staff will become her child's parent!

I get the point about being on the other side, and finding it hard to be apart, but the title of the thread does say "nursery nurse's time to be the parent". If it doesn't mean that the OP feels that the nursery looking after her child is being its parent, what does it mean??

It means as a nursery nurse it's her time to experience being the parent leaving her child in childcare.

As an early years practitioner, I learned a lot by being a parent and have a lot more empathy with the struggles I never used to realise just how hard it could be.

Thank you for your replies :) DD will be in childcare 3 days 9 - 5.30 Plus study days when exams are coming up. The course is a year long roughly. I need to get my brain working again, some adult conversation/interaction. DD is Very out going, loves to be with other children, goes off explore New surroundings. She will be fine. It's me who will have the separation anxiety. Sorry if the titled confused anyone. The poster who said about the boot now being on the other foot was right. I know the childcare staff will not be replacing me.

I think if is very scary being the parent side of the Nursery/Childminder/Nanny relationship when you have been the otherside. You know exactly how bad some people/settings can be :(

However, I am sure your insight has (& will continue) to be of benefit when you were looking around and deciding if you were happy for DD to be there.

If she isn't already she will be talking soon and I think that makes it a bit easier on you too.

Good luck with your course & I hope you enjoy being back in the big wide adult world

Chipping, you're right. The reason I left my nursery was because the people who would be looking after her, I felt wasn't good enough to look after a gold fish, let alone my bundle of joy. I knew too much inside information and all that. I need to seperate work and to the 'now'.

The college carers seem professional with lots of experience. The setting is comfortable and welcoming with everything a nursery should have. Time will tell if DD settles well.