You read a lot not to be a smug parent and I think this is a good motto to live by however I think you should be able to say out loud that things are going better than ok, great even. They were, they were going great there for a while… I had written in previous posts how things were settling down and then we also started to see the financial rewards of going back to work which was also nice.
The biggest thing was that Josh had really started enjoying crèche and that felt like the biggest blessing of all. Then one particular day recently they put up lots of social media images of the new areas in their extensive garden-an outdoor kitchen, bunny rabbits and some of their new outdoor toys too. I felt happy, re affirmed by our decision, then I arrived at crèche. Like most days they were outside playing and as normal I expected Josh to be in the bubble car. When I eventually spotted him, Ian was behind me too and he was trapped beneath the car flaying his little legs and arms. It took me a few moments to get to the gate, observing two relief minders close by him not noticing a thing. I got through the gate and approached the car, Josh still stuck beneath and only then did the girls stop their conversation. They pushed the car over him rather than picking it up and when he wasn’t crying (because he’s not a hysterical child) she said defensively-‘ah sure he’s grand’. His normal lovely minder approached then and Ian commented on the incident-I had to walk away. I can’t put on my finger on exactly what felt so wrong with the whole thing but I was terribly upset. Ian joined me shortly after and I thought he would say I was being daft but agreed that it was not right. I get it-kids fall, I get you can’t keep an eye every second but it was the uncaring attitude that upset me most for my precious boy that I pay them to mind!
We decided to notify the manager and she was understanding and explained whilst it wasn’t an excuse there were relief workers in place during the summer holiday period. I do love his main minder but the reality is in a crèche environment you get shared caring or not in this instance… We took the Luas one for a few stops that day in the hope to ‘cheer him up’ but he was oblivious albeit delighted for the unexpected journey..
It shook me, again the doubts/guilt crept in but as he bounced through the door the next day it certainly seemed to effect the adult folk in Josh’s life more than it did him!
Mummy Moments 