The caregiver compromise.
With your child
You wanted someone bright, curious, fluent - who turns a stroller walk into a vocabulary lesson and a snack into a small ritual of care. Instead you're handed sweet, well-meaning, going through the motions. Or worse: flaky, distracted, in it for the paycheck. Your child deserves more than someone watching the clock.
In your home
You come home and your real job begins. Dishes in the sink. Laundry on the chair. A half-eaten dinner. You wanted to read your child a book - instead you're folding socks at 9:42pm. The mental load doesn't end at 6. It just changes hands.