Perhaps that's a bit dramatic when it comes to the workplace, but it's pretty much spot on if you're interviewing day care centers for your children. When Matt and I first started looking at day care options (before Natalie was born) we were in a completely different place than we are now. We were unaware of all of the expenses that we'd be faced with and what kind of child care we wanted for Natalie. We hadn't research Flex Spending Accounts, the Child & Dependent Care tax credit, child care standards mandated by our state, and on and on and on. I guess we were just looking for a warm fuzzy feeling.
Some places we drove right by, not even bothering to go inside. Some places gave us the heebie jeebies during our tour. Some places enchanted us and gave us just the warm fuzzy feeling we were looking for... until it was time to discuss tuition. Some places came recommended. Others we knew only because they were close to our house and we'd driven by them a hundred times before.
For all our searching, we never did manage to find child care we were 100% satisfied with. Even our current situation has its share of negatives. (A 50-minute commute... with two kids to get ready in the morning? No thanks!) So we're looking again, and this time we're a little more prepared. We have some experience, we have a little bit better of an idea what we're looking for, what constitutes a good day care and what we're willing to sacrifice.
So I'm happy to report that after hours spent researching online, many solicited recommendations, and three tours of three different centers, I think we've found the place for us.
Partly, it's a relief to have made a decision at all, let alone one that we're happy with. But partly, it's also really scary. Because if you're not a seasoned interviewer, how do you know if the candidate is just putting on a show?
The answer is... you don't. And that's the part that's still nerve-wracking.
