I've Got Friends In Lowe's Places

For those of you who don't know...I have given up my position of daycare teacher. Yeah, I know, you're shocked. But this is just for those who don't know.

I loved working with the kids. Loved it. I loved those kids. Some so much that I never told their parents how I got those scars on the back of my hands because I knew what would happen to them if I did tell. Some so much that their parents want me to come work for them. Some so much just because there's no reason not to.

But here's the deal: that job really does depend on who you're working with and for. After many raises at the school I worked for, I still made less when I left than I do as a starting wage as a Customer Service rep at Lowe's Home Improvement. Sad, isn't it? The interview process was three times harder than getting hired at the daycare, too. That's really scary. The clientele's mostly the same. You have to tell them where the bathrooms are, ask them leading questions to see if they're finished, help them learn new vocabulary and sometimes deal with childish temper tantrums.

No, my new job's not quite as fulfilling...but it's a heckuva lot easier, pays a lot better, has great benies, allows me to call in sick without being skewered on a stick because 'management' can't afford for me to be sick, doesn't tell me how to raise my son, which doctor to pick, or make comments on my personal life. (Okay, they may talk about me and my personal life, but they don't comment on it as a matter of personnel business) And most importantly, I don't have to pay somebody else 1/3 of my paycheck for the priviledge of raising my child myself.

Instead, my son goes to pre-school three mornings a week and is learning a great deal in a wonderful, healthy environment. I spend most days with him and work evenings and week-ends. And we get discounts on bubble wrap - always a good entertainment on a dull day.

So...maybe someday in the not so distant future I'll be back in the daycare business (not for myself, though, no way!) if I find the right circumstances. But until then, I'm doing just fine asking if you've found everything you needed today.