Dr. Laura:
I had a boss who was absolutely desperate to be pregnant. Her expensive fertility treatments weren't working, and to her dismay, I became pregnant. She got past the awkwardness of working with pregnant me and eventually asked me how long I was going to take for maternity leave. She was shocked when I told her I would not be coming back. When I said I wouldn't want someone else to raise my kid, she responded that there were good daycares out there that could be trusted, even after I told her that my friend who worked in a day care was told not to interact with the babies because then they start to expect it!
Several weeks later, she mentioned her husband was going on a business trip to China and she would have been welcome to accompany him. She wasn't interested! When I asked why, she said she had to stay home to take care of her dogs!! She said she didn't trust anyone to take care of her dogs as well as she would, saying "just think of all that could happen while I'm gone!" She thought more of her dogs than she would have human children! I hope my comments on daycare have stuck with her as she is now the mother of a six-week-old baby.
I would almost certainly be a working mom if it wasn't for you highlighting the importance of raising children and the truths about daycare.
Wilma
