I am such a pickle and would appreciate advice urgently. I am a single mum and I was due to start a part time freelance position on Monday (all arranged super last min and thankfully I haven’t signed the contract yet!) with my 18m DD starting nursery the same time. I specifically told the company I couldn’t start until Monday when DD’s place came available. The nursery towards the end of of last week explained they’ve had unplanned staff leaving and now cannot allow DD to join until they’ve found new staff. 3 nurseries in our area have closed this year already and I’ve tried contacting all others that are open and they’re full. My mum was going to kindly look after DD until a space came available but she’s been having issues with her back and found out she has a degenerative disc on Friday. She is still offering to look after DD but I feel like that’s completely unfair - she struggles to stand after she gets up and DD is very active and likes being picked up etc. Do I risk leaving DD with mum or do I tell the company I can’t join? It’s just such a mess given I am meant to be there on Monday and I feel so awful letting them down. It’s not something I’d be able to start next week either as it’s for an imminent project and also I have no idea when DD’s new place will come available. What does one do in these circumstances!?
My gut tells me I need to email the company and cancel as DD and my mum are more important - but I feel really irresponsible and unreliable. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! X