My youngest (age 9) starts school tomorrow! We've decided to quit daycare and have my oldest son (15) babysit her after school until we get home from work. When school is out, he will have to babysit her all day. I'm nervous!! Of course I only work a mile away from home and my hours are flexible, so I can run home anytime I need to. We've gone over all the routine drills (never answer the door for strangers, home safety stuff, etc)

I've figured that over the past 15 years that we've had at least one kid in daycare, WE'VE SPENT AT LEAST $64,000 ON DAYCARE!!! It wasn't a really expensive place, either--just a little church-runned place that has the nicest people working there.
$64,000 (just in daycare) spent in the past 15 years....We could have paid our house off by now. Kids are expensive! But I wouldn't change things for the world!

I am looking forward to having more money in my pocket, though!

He's 15 and if you trust your son, then things should be fine. Don't worry :)

Wow Karen, that is a lot of $$, and you're wise to have your son babysit. You know your child, and wouldn't give him such a big responsibility if he wasn't mature and capable. You raised him well! :)

Congratulations on being off the daycare moneypit, although as you say, it was money well spent. I once worked with a woman who had her four-year old daughter in daycare. It was in the building where we worked. This was back around 1997, and it cost her $65 a day.

what is your kid going to now that he is nolonger going to daycare

My youngest (age 9) starts school tomorrow! We've decided to quit daycare and have my oldest son (15) babysit her after school until we get home from work. When school is out, he will have to babysit her all day. I'm nervous!! Of course I only work a mile away from home and my hours are flexible, so I can run home anytime I need to. We've gone over all the routine drills (never answer the door for strangers, home safety stuff, etc)

I've figured that over the past 15 years that we've had at least one kid in daycare, WE'VE SPENT AT LEAST $64,000 ON DAYCARE!!! It wasn't a really expensive place, either--just a little church-runned place that has the nicest people working there.
$64,000 (just in daycare) spent in the past 15 years....We could have paid our house off by now. Kids are expensive! But I wouldn't change things for the world!

I am looking forward to having more money in my pocket, though!

wow, now that is expensive. although here in the UK kids are still in their summer break and will return to school early in sept

I bet they'll do just fine and you can always call & check on them too.

Wow Karen, that is a lot of $$, and you're wise to have your son babysit. You know your child, and wouldn't give him such a big responsibility if he wasn't mature and capable. You raised him well! :)

Congratulations on being off the daycare moneypit, although as you say, it was money well spent. I once worked with a woman who had her four-year old daughter in daycare. It was in the building where we worked. This was back around 1997, and it cost her $65 a day.

Wow! 65$ a day! That's $325 a week; over $16,000 for one year, for one kid! However, daycare workers do not have an easy job, and if you find a good one, it's money well spent!

My oldest (my son) has been out of daycare since he was about 10. He learned to be pretty independent. This sounds sexist, but I worry less about my son than I worry about my daughter, just because she's a little girl! I guess that's the way the world is today! Thanks for all your good thoughts!

That is expensive. We never pay so much for daycare here in Sweden. But we have high taxes too, and that probably takes care of a lot of the expenses, that a daycare centre can have.

As for myself, I was lucky enough to have a stay-at-home-mum, so I never needed daycare after school. But I was in daycare for a few hours a day during the two years before I started kindergarten, just to get out of the house and meet other children.