Yes, I leave my kids with strangers

"I'm so lucky that I don't have to send my kid to daycare. I could never leave him/her with strangers all day."

Drives.me.nuts.

I've talked to working parents who have purposefully gone to great lengths to avoid daycare. Working opposite shifts from each other so that one parent is always home with the baby. (But rarely home with the other parent...) Putting up with a grandparent or other relative who provides substandard care. All because they believe that anything is better than daycare.

Don't get me wrong. I know that some grandparents/relatives provide great care. Some parents work opposite shifts because they need to or want to. Some parents aren't able to use daycare for reasons of finances, logistics, etc.

But I resent the implication that daycare is a last resort. Because it's not. The "lucky" kids are the ones who receive quality care all day long, whether that care comes from a daycare center or a nanny or a grandparent or a stay-at-home parent.

As for the idea that daycare = leaving kids with strangers? I mean, come on. It's not like I picked a random person off the street to watch my kids. Yes, daycare teachers are strangers... but if they're good ones, they don't stay strangers for long at all.

Case in point. Meet one of the "strangers" who I leave my kids with every day:

That's "V," and I'd like to tell you two quick stories about her.

#1: When Littles first started at her preschool, V was one of two teachers in her classroom. A few months in to the school year, as my due date with Noob approached, V asked me about plans for Littles when I went into labor. I said that since we have no family in the area, we were hoping one of our friends could help out, but we'd have to play it by ear. Without hesitation, V gave me her cell phone number, and encouraged me to call her if we needed any help with Littles. We didn't end up needing to do so, but it was a huge weight off my shoulders, knowing that we had backup from someone who Littles knew and trusted fully.

#2: We're expecting again! I'm due with "Q" in July 2012. We waited to tell Littles until after we heard Q's heartbeat for the first time. When we did, at a morning midwife appointment, my husband was so excited that he suggested going straight to Littles' school to break the news. V has moved out of the classroom and into the director role, so she was the one to answer the door when we got there. She took one look at our faces and said, "Are you pregnant?" And when I smiled and nodded yes, she screamed, "Congratulations!" and gave me a big hug.

So yes. If V is a "stranger," then I freely admit that I leave my kids with strangers every day. And I'm proud of it.