On Sunday, Duncan and I went to visit Devi, the lady who is to be Jahan's carer for two days a week starting next week. It was with much trepidation that I approached the meeting, not knowing what I would discover. Would she be an absolute hellhag? Or would she come across as inexperienced or incompetent? Would the house be messy, poky or unsafe? And even if Devi fulfilled all my "minimum requirements", would Jahan just hate her as he does all strangers?
We arrived at the house at 11 am. So far so good - she lived on a pleasant, leafy, well-established residential street. Check. A large collection of shoes on the patio suggested a crawl-friendly home inside. Cleanliness tick. Devi answered the door with a smile and kind words of welcome. Niceness tick. Uh-oh... the copious numbers of Sai-Baba pictures on the walls caught me a little off-guard... Ok, I admit to being creed-ist. Hmmm, question mark here. A tour of her house followed. Very tidy, clean, ordered. Large area inside where the children would sleep. Each drawer in a large cabinet was marked with a different name, and contained each child's linen, particular toys and such. Gates secured entry to her kitchen, and all accessible furniture and power points were secured with safety locks. Check. A small Hindu shrine room was to be kept locked at all times when the children were present (phew! - big check). Large covered deck outside with toys, tables and activity stations. Large backyard with swings and sandpit. Gates ensuring children could not access backyard without supervision. Small room beside the deck with table and kitchen facilities for children to eat. Change station and toilet nearby. (Check on all counts so far.)
The walls of the kitchenette were plastered with kids' photographs, first aid information and other necessary administrative documents. Against the wall were several folders, one for each child in care. Another large folder contained Devi's accreditation and certificates, family history, references, feedback and comments. She had several albums with photos taken of daily activites with the children including birthday parties faithfully celebrated for each child. (Check, check, check).
As I continued to scrutinize the surroundings, Jahan meanwhile seemed to be having a ball crawling around tha playing with the furniture. Devi picked him up and... he beamed at her! (BIG check!!) She beamed back - it didn't take a genius to see that she was an absolute natural with kids.
Coming inside we chatted about Jahan. She assured me that on the days on which Jahan attended, he would be the sole infant in her care. (Big check). A multitude of forms were completed regarding his routines and preferences, health requirements, emergency contacts etc. We chatted some more, then said our farewells, arranging to drop Jahan off next week.
As I wondered out to the car, I realised what a huge sense of relief I felt about leaving Jahan with Devi. Of course, whether he would be intimidated by the presence of other children remained to be seen, however, I felt comforted in the knowledge that Devi would look out for him should he be upset.
I continue to pray each day that Jahan will take well to Day Care, but I now do so with new hope and trust that JC's clearly got it under control.
Posted by Dayan at May 3, 2004 10:47 AMHurray Hurray. That sounds absolutely fabulous. I am sooo pleased for you. (I wish I was feeling that positive about Jeyanth just visiting CSIROCARE.)