5AF Parenting Thread

Postby **Lemon Berry Lobster** » Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:55 am

I just wrote my final daycare check.

Congrats, this is a great moment. Now you get to funnel all that money to sports/activities and college, lol moar aquarium stuffz.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:57 am

I just wrote my final daycare check.

Congrats, this is a great moment. Now you get to funnel all that money to sports/activities and college, lol moar aquarium stuffz.

This is accurate. I have been buying coral nearly every weekend for the past month now.

Postby **eddy** » Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:01 am

Source of the post Congrats, this is a great moment. Now you get to funnel all that money to sports/activities and college, lol.

isn't this the truth. I'm happy the kids are deciding what they want and don't want to do, but dang if the summer isn't over the halfway point and I feel like I've been running 5 days a week between musical instrument lessons, art camps, basketball camps, taekwando, summer basketball, etc.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:03 am

We've got swim class, dance class, and bowling (family fun night?). Totally doable right now, but if she decides to get into soccer, I can see having to drop one (dance class, for sure).

Postby **MWB** » Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:15 am

Yup... most of the year it’s basketball two nights a week, volleyball 2-4 nights a week, and one or both on the weekends. Definitely helps that one of them now drives on terms of schedule, but that doesn’t help the money part.

Postby **count2infinity** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 9:20 am

Postby **Freddy Rumsen** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 9:40 am

Super sperm.

Postby **NTP66** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:25 am

I didn't take into account daycare ending when I went through work's open enrollment period for my daughter's D-FSA. Unless my employer allows me to change my contribution, my only option so as to not lose nearly $3500 would be to pay my dad to watch my daughter on holidays when daycare is closed, and have him charge me a ridiculous amount of money to cover that cost until the next open enrollment period. I know this is my fault, but it's absurd that this is a 'use it or lose it' situation.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:30 am

Yeah, we are in the same boat. We enrolled in a huge amount of dependent care last year that we will struggle to spend all of before the end of December. My kids only go afterschool once in a while, and my 12 year old can now stay home for a few hours with his brother.

My wife has some professional development training this week, so they both get to go to daycare this week, just to get the amount down some. My older son is disgusted (although there are other 12 year olds there)...but we're still going to lose several hundred dollars.

Postby **meow** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:33 am

Just use some BS reason like after school care. There is absolutely no reason for you to lose any money

Postby **NTP66** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:39 am

Babysitting via family member (can't be a spouse or a dependent) is still eligible, but then they have to pay taxes on that income. If it comes to that, I'll just pay the taxes on this for them so that they aren't out any money, but it still sucks.

Postby **shafnutz05** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 12:43 pm

I would have never thought of that, but with kindergarten looming in Fall 2019 and not being sure if we'll be able to have another one, it's something to bring up. Thanks.

Postby **count2infinity** » Mon Jul 30, 2018 7:31 am

I just wrote my final daycare check.

Just wrote my first daycare check...

Postby **NTP66** » Mon Jul 30, 2018 7:38 am

No worries. You'll probably get a discount once your kid moves out of infant care, right around the same time that fees are raised. Fun times!

Postby **Morkle** » Mon Jul 30, 2018 10:35 am

I'm touring day-cares today. Nobody has availability it seems.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Mon Jul 30, 2018 10:37 am

Yeah, this is a tough time to be shopping for daycares. Things usually fill up before school starts. Good luck!

Postby **NTP66** » Mon Jul 30, 2018 10:56 am

I'm touring day-cares today. Nobody has availability it seems.

If you tour a daycare center that you really like, but doesn't have any availability, I'd still put my name on the waiting list in case something opened up later on.

Postby **shafnutz05** » Mon Jul 30, 2018 12:31 pm

Touring day cares is tough. I feel tremendously lucky with the place that we found, and we just happened to get one of the last spots because they are normally fully booked. I cannot overestimate how important a quality child care program is to your child's development (not to mention assistance for two working parents in potty training, etc)

Postby **Morkle** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 11:23 am

We've found 1-2 we really like. One has availability and the other has a waitlist. Both are $1k a month...ugh - but that seems to be the average in the North Hills area.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:03 pm

$1k for infant care is very good, IMO. Even though I live in a more expensive area, infant care five years ago was over $1100/month for us. It's now close to $1200/month at the same facility.

Postby **Morkle** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:40 pm

I think there is one place left we're looking at and it's $900 a month. I think, either way, I want the "best" possible education for my child going in. I'd like to ideally find a place I can send them straight through up until school

I never had daycare, but touring them yesterday I see the benefits from an education, social, growing, etc. standpoint.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:44 pm

Absolutely. We wanted a daycare that actually taught our daughter, and didn't simply 'watch' them. We're four weeks from saying goodbye to them, as of right now. Pretty sure my wife will break down on her last day, but my daughter is so excited about elementary school that I think she'll be okay.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:06 pm

Actually, this brings up something else I'm trying to figure out. What would be a good gift to give daycare (the owners/teachers) when my daughter leaves? My initial thought was some kind of gift basket.

Postby **Viva la Ben** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:13 pm

Make it coffee related

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:14 pm

I'm definitely including coffee.