As a “mostly work-at-home” freelance writer/communications consultant, I don’t really have a formalized childcare situation. I have a “quilt-like” childcare situation.
My husband’s schedule puts him home around 1:30 p.m., so I can theoretically work most of the afternoon without having to hire a sitter. (I say theoretically because the older kids start arriving home from school at 2:45 p.m., and there are orthodontist appointments, swim practices and dinners to start, etc). Still, early afternoons, while DB is napping, is probably my most convenient work time because of the built-in childcare (aka Daddy).
Another part of my childcare quilt is my YMCA, which I wrote about here. In short, I can use my Y’s nursery for up to two hours, and the building has wireless Internet access. So, I can run on the treadmill for 30 minutes, and still have about 90 minutes to work on my laptop. However, I’ve discovered that this option has its limitations. For example, one day while I was on the phone with a client, a toddler dance class began gathering a few feet from me in the YMCA lobby. My client could overhear things like “Do you need to go potty before I put on your leotard?” and “Emma, don’t pick your nose” and “Katie is a big girl and doesn’t wear diapers anymore. Don’t you want to be a big girl?” Now I only use my YMCA work time for returning emails and writing.
My favorite square in the childcare quilt is a wonderful woman named Edna. She’s the mother of one of my friends. When I need baby care in the mornings, I call her to see if she’s available. I pay her by the hour, and she’s been helping me out since DB was a few months old. She doesn’t need a set number of hours each week, so it’s a perfect arrangement for both of us. DB loves her. I love her, and I really enjoy our adult chats before and after my work time. She reminds me when there is a grocery coupon in the paper, and she folds laundry and unloads the dishwasher when DB is sleeping. But this fall, she began working two days a week at a Moms’ Day Out program, so she’s unavailable to me on Tuesdays and Fridays. Lately, all my clients seem to need me “in person” on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Thus, I’m adding yet another piece to my childcare quilt. The Moms’ Day Out program where Edna is working has a drop-in option. I can pay the $40 registration fee, and then if I need care on Tuesday or Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., I can call. If they have room, I can drop DB off for $32 per day. I was reluctant to commit to a regular Moms’ Day Out program because I don’t need care at the same time each week. So this is perfect for me — a pay-as-you-go/need option.
Working at home is the best way for me to balance my desire to be home with my baby (as I was for the older two) and also contribute to the family’s finances. Freelancing worked for 10 years while I raised DD and DS, and I hope it will work for another 10 years as I raise DB. I just hope I can continue to find fabric for my childcare quilt as the demands of my writing/communication business expand and change.
