Chapter 8 - The Daycare Spot I Said We “Lost” Had Actually Been Offered Back to Us
Two months before the coffee incident, Little Oaks called me.
I had forgotten that our original application remained in their system.
A full-time toddler spot had opened.
The director, Melissa Grant, remembered us.
She emailed:
We have a Monday–Friday opening beginning March 4. Since Ellie was previously enrolled on our waitlist, I wanted to offer it before going to the next family. Please let me know within 48 hours.
I read the email at work.
I remember exactly how I felt.
Relief.
Then immediately:
panic.
Tuition:
$2,610 a month.
More than thirty-one thousand dollars a year.
Again:
we could afford it.
But I had just been promoted to Director of Portfolio Marketing.
Twenty-two percent salary increase.
Bigger bonus.
More travel.
The promotion began in:
six weeks.
Linda’s schedule was flexible.
Daycare closed:
6:00 p.m.
My flights did not.
Ben had job-site meetings.
Linda picked up:
anything.
Late meeting?
Fine.
Early morning?
Fine.
Sick child?
Usually:
fine.
I called Ben.
“Little Oaks has a spot.”
He answered immediately.
“No.”
I was surprised.
“Why no?”
“Because Mom watches her.”
“I know.”
“So?”
“She and I keep fighting about discipline.”
“Then stop micromanaging her.”
I went quiet.
He continued.
“Rachel, you’re about to travel more.”
“Mom is willing to cover all of it.”
“You want to spend thirty grand so you can give our own daughter to strangers because Mom made her sit in a high chair?”
“That isn’t fair.”
“No.”
“It’s exactly what’s happening.”
I ended the call angry.
Then did something I later tried not to remember.
I emailed Little Oaks:
Thank you so much. We’ll pass for now. Our family childcare arrangement is working well enough that changing immediately would create more disruption than benefit.
Working well enough.
Those words would become:
evidence against my own memory.
No one forced me to write:
them.
That was my decision.
I chose:
continuity.
Convenience.
Money.
My promotion.
All reasonable considerations.
But I also had:
doubts.
I simply decided the doubts were not expensive enough yet to justify changing the system.
May you like
That was harder to admit.
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