Daycare Worker Wonders Why Adults Have Kids If They Don’t Actually Want To Parent — ‘They Drop Them Off From 6 AM To 8 PM’
He said many of the daycare children would admit how little their parents paid attention to them at home.
Rawpixel.com | Shutterstock A former daycare worker admitted that there was nothing more heartbreaking than seeing parents drop their children off and seemingly have no interest in actually being a parent.
In a TikTok video, a content creator with the username @gingy8759 sparked a conversation about the difficulties of being a working parent while also juggling childcare responsibilities and spending quality time with their kids.
He questioned why adults have kids if they don't actually want to parent.
"Coming from someone who used to work in a daycare, why are you having kids if you don't parent your kids?" he demanded. "Some of these parents would come in and drop their kids off at 6:00 a.m. when we'd open and pick their kids up at 8:00 p.m. when we closed."
He recalled how there were too many times when children at the daycare would call him their "father," as if their actual parents were nonexistent in their lives despite being physically present. The former daycare worker claimed that some kids would call their teachers "mom" because all their parents would do was pick them up from daycare, take them home, and get them ready for bed.
There was no socializing or bonding time outside of dropping off and picking up their kids during daycare hours, no quality time spent together as a family at home, and no involvement in their children's lives beyond the bare minimum of providing shelter and food.
Unfortunately, the picture of a modern family has started to look a bit different, especially while parents are attempting to keep up with the rising cost of living and, because of that, the rising cost of childcare as well.
To even afford to take their children to daycare in the first place, many parents are juggling full-time jobs.
In a Pew Research Center analysis, About four in ten (39%) mothers who are employed full-time say they spend too little time with their kids, while 58% think they spend the right amount of time, and just 3% say they spend too much time with their kids.
At least seven in ten mothers who are employed part-time (77%) or not employed (72%) say they spend about the right amount of time with their children, while 18% and 11%, respectively, say they spend too little time.
fizkes | Shutterstock
For working fathers, 53% say they don't have enough time to bond with their children, compared to 53% of part-time working fathers and 47% of unemployed fathers.
While this isn't always the case, there are definitely parents out there who rely on childcare services like daycare and nannies to raise their children for them.
However, there are also a majority of parents out there who have to not only sacrifice precious time with their children in favor of working but also don't have any time for socializing with friends and family or even with their significant others.
He insisted that he didn't think daycare was bad but that parents should make more of an effort.
"I'm just saying, don't drop off your kid all day and do nothing with them and then ask us, why aren't we open on the weekends because you wanna drop your kid off 24/7," he pointed out.
He continued, saying that it feels a bit crazy that parents would just never want to spend time with their own children. He likened it to taking care of a pet instead of an actual human being because they may have wanted a child at that specific moment, but as soon as the child started growing up and things became difficult, they bowed out of parenthood altogether.
He claimed that parents just hand their children iPads, drive them to daycare, and wash their hands of them until it's time for pickup.
Studio Romantic | Shutterstock
"You have no idea how much this kid talks about you when you're gone. Your kid could literally be like, 'My mom plays on her phone all day, but it's ok, I still love her.' I've had conversations with four-year-olds like that before."
In the age of digital screens, it's no secret that many parents rely on iPads, YouTube, and TikTok to entertain their children. While there's nothing wrong with allowing children a designated time to watch TV and play games on an iPad, there's something very wrong with parents heavily relying on those devices instead of playing with them or giving them other activities that will occupy their time in ways that don't involve a screen.
The most important time to build emotional bonds with children is when they're young, and while it may seem impossible to juggle everything that comes with not only being a parent but also trying to have a life outside of that, those moments of connection and nurturing relationships with your children should be of importance.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.