New Mom Says Sending Kids To Daycare With 'Random People' Is 'Wild' & Not A 'Necessity' For Most Parents
What works for one family doesn't always work for another.
Lordn / Shutterstock Becoming a parent changes a person, shifting their focus and daily routine away from solely themselves toward their children. Many new parents find that the act of caregiving offers them a new perspective on the world around them.
Beliefs they once held fall by the wayside as other truths arise. In their best iteration, those changes allow parents to be more generous and understanding. At worst, they create a sense of entitlement and judgment.
A new mom said that sending kids to daycare with ‘random people’ is 'wild' and not a 'necessity' for most parents.
Mandalynn shared her opinion on the morality of childcare with the world, tweeting, “Having my own babies now, it’s WILD to me that moms drop their kids off at daycare.”
Her statement is an example of how some people become entirely tunnel-visioned after becoming parents, as though their approach to raising is the only correct way.
“I worked at one in college, in the infant room and 3s,” she continued. “Families literally paying random people to enjoy the best years of their kids’ lives.”
“How did this become normalized?” she asked, a question that completely overlooked the fact that having kids is expensive enough that many families rely on two incomes to make it work, and even then, those two incomes are barely enough to scrape by.
According to a 2023 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, both spouses have jobs in 49.7% of married couple households.
Mothers with kids under the age of 18 make up 74% of the labor force participation rate, meaning that they’re working or looking for work.
New Africa / Shutterstock
This new mom’s perspective on daycare veers into tradwife territory, as though women shouldn’t have ambitions outside of the home.
For many moms, working is, in fact, a necessity, which then makes childcare a necessity, too.
Mandalynn’s bio offered some insight into her background and worldview, stating, “Come for the pro-life posts; stay for the stories about my sassy 3-year-old.”
She described herself as a “former homeschool kid” and “future homeschool mom,” which could explain why she thinks getting an education outside the home is so weird, as she, herself, didn’t do so.
Her hot take on daycare comes off as majorly out of touch with most people’s lived experiences, as if she exists in a reality where having kids doesn’t cost an exorbitant amount of money.
A former childcare provider showed just how off-base Mandalynn’s view on daycare is.
“I worked in childcare for 7 years,” she said. “I and everyone I worked with were well-trained, compassionate, hardworking, and informed on child development!”
“We were eager learners who loved kids,” she continued. “We cared for those babies like they were our own, and I’d trust any one of us! Telling on yourself, sis.”
BOONDARIN / Shutterstock
Her response pulls the underlying issues of taking an anti-daycare stance into sharp focus.
By declaring daycare to be a “wild” and unnatural choice, Mandalynn is essentially undercutting an entire skilled profession, declaring it not worth paying someone for what they know.
She’s devaluing caregiving labor, including parents, teachers, nannies, and anyone who loves and cares for kids and wants to see them thrive.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.