I like my job I swear

Taking care of other people's kids is NOTHING like taking care of your own, not sure why I thought it would be. Sure you hug and kiss them, feed them, change their diapers and take care of their needs, but it's just not the same. The emotional detachment has been something I have had to force myself into. The sad part is, it's not the kids that have made me want to do this, but the parents.

I have some strong philosophical beliefs on childrearing. I may not be the best mother, in fact, sometimes I might be a really terrible mother, but the one thing I always pride myself on is that I keep trying - which is unusual for me. There are only a few things in life I have been able to consistently stick with and being a mom is something I take really seriously.

So while I might fail in my efforts to always do what's right, I never stop trying or stop learning. I also never ASSUME I know everything there is to know about parenting.

This has been the grain of sand in my jar of vaseline: parents who are total and complete assholes.

One particular set of parents make my skin crawl in a way that is so full of contempt that I can barely grit my teeth and smile at them. Thankfully, they tend to drop their children off the minute the center opens (before I get there) and pick them up the minute before (or sometimes after) it closes.

They are educated, relatively well-to-do and should honestly KNOW better, but they somehow consistently act like complete douchebags in regards to their child's well-being. This child is sick ALL THE TIME and this is not an exaggeration - I have been there almost three months and the child has been sick (let me count) five times and they haven't done one thing about it without constant prodding from the staff. The child is often not bathed, the mom has instructed us not to overfeed them and is worried about the child becoming fat (the child is the opposite). Anyone under a year old does not need their diet monitored, babies don't eat for fun.

There are many other related transgressions but these are the ones that bother me most.

Oh, and didn't I mention the anecdote below came from the dad's mouth to his 12 month-old and three-year-old.

Perhaps it's funny, but I find it particularly creepy and crass.