this is not something that ever even occured to me to be a problem. My first daycare experience as a child was with a family; I've mentioned them before. They were a lovely local family with seven children and three generations under the roof - the wife's mother lived with them. In addition to having a full family life, the wife ran a daycare (I think there were three or four of us) and the family was a foster family as well. Because the wife was trained as a nurse, they used to care for critically ill children - one little boy with persistant cardiac problems comes to mind. I (mostly) loved it; the grandmother became my "hometown grandmother" (as my only grandparent lived in MA at the time). There were always young kids and cousins and such around. We were treated as part of the family - invited to family celebrations, and, on the flipside, teased as younger siblings!

If I was to hire a nanny who wanted to bring along her children, or if Jess' pre-k teacher had a newborn with her, I'd be totally fine with it.

pre-school children, for crying out loud.  At that age, I like the idea of a motherly-type teacher...and being a mother means one is a mother to an actual child.  So, the child is there...in my mind, this would serve to remind a teacher that each and every student in her care was another mother's child.  I think education is often too depersonalized.  

I guess I'm thinking of an experience I had with one of my children's kindergarten teacher...she complained because, in her words, my son "thought of her as a mother figure".  He didn't ask her to do anything for him...it was just something about his attitude, I guess.  Ofcourse, this same woman compared her having a dog to me being the mother to my son, so there you go.  She would have been more tolerable had been caring for a child, in my opinion.

If a preschool can't be a family-friendly workplace, what workplace could be?

A young baby in a sling seems totally acceptable to me, provided there are other teachers present and only one has a young child.

However, as that baby gets older, I can see it becoming much more challenging.  My 3-year-old attends a cooperative preschool and I need to "parent help" 1-2 times a month in his classroom.  The responsibilities involved are less than teachers would be expected to do it -- you just bring and prepare snack and hang out with the kids, then clean up.  Younger siblings are allowed to attend, but I've been finding childcare for my 12-month-old whenever possible.  He's at an age where just keeping him safe and out of trouble would demand nearly all of my attention.  A preschool classroom is set up with lots of things that are bad for a mobile baby, like climbing structures meant for older kids, low tables with paint and glitter, and lots of larger rambunctious bodies running around without looking at the floor.  

I'm hoping when he's closer to 2, he'll be old enough to blend into the class and it would be easier.  But I know I wouldn't be able to fulfill the responsibilities of a teacher every day bringing him along right now.

i have two jobs, and i bring my kids to both of them

in connecticut you can bring your own kids with you if you are a school bus driver, so i do

and four mornings a week i work in the nursery at the church around the corner from me, and i bring the kids with me there, too

my fourteen year old son doesn't come with me, but my two and four year old daughters do

i used to bring my son with me to work as a babysitter and nanny and work in the nursery at the gym- the families really liked having a mom take care of their kids

we live in an expensive part of the country- we're in fairfield county connecticut, which is just outside nyc.  i earn $15 an hour at the church, and the bus co is union, so i earn $23.45 an hour there.  but most school bus drivers around here earn much, much less.

if i had to put my kids in day care, i'd pretty much be working for free- it's $8 per child per hour in the only day care center i'd consider using.

had a great  article about bringing your children to work a couple of years ago.  I'm all for it, as I think it normalizes the whole attachment parenting style.  

I've never worn anyone in a sling, so I don't know the answer to this, but can you do everything you need to do in a preschool classroom while wearing one?  It seems there is a lot of bending and butt wiping and kneeling and all of that going on in preschools.

It also seems that the other teacher would have to carry a bit more weight if the new mom/teacher had to tend to the little baby.  That's not necessarily the best arrangement for anyone, including the children, who could be dealing with one overstressed caregiver and one caregiver tending to a baby and the kids.

I think in-home caregivers bringing their kids along to work is a great idea for everyone, as long as the caregiver can handle everyone.

If she isn't the only teacher in the room, it's probably fine.  However, when I was teaching, I never wanted to bring my newborns in even for a quick show off visit.  The students, especially younger ones, are so germy and they usually just want to touch the baby or grab hands with one.  It would probably be safer for a new baby not to be exposed to that but I think the complaining mom was out of line.

I have an 11 month old daughter. She's incredibly active - she was walking (as a primary means of locomotion) before 10 months. She has defeated our "child safety" cabinet latches. And she is constantly, constantly on the move.

We have decided to get a nanny so I can go back to school in January (will end up being 30-35 hours a week). We use someone now on a part-time basis (maybe 12 hours a week) who is expecting her own child in February. She knew we were going to look for someone and asked if she could have the job, and bring her baby to work with her.

At first, I was elated. She's great with my daughter, they've bonded, and I trust her completely.

But the more I thought about it, the more doubts I had. Honestly, I don't want to pay my childcare provider to take care of her own child. I'd be paying her her current rate of $15 an hour. For that much money, honestly, I want someone who is going to dedicate all of her time to my child.

I am against the idea because I had a VERY difficult baby. She nursed for long, long periods of time, she never wanted to be put down, she had difficulty napping ... and I can't imagine how difficult it would be to take care of such a needy baby and a toddler. If my part-time nanny ends up having such a high-needs kid, my child will lose out. (Yeah, her baby could be the easiest baby on the planet - but there's no way to know until he gets here.)

One of the sticking points for me is sick days. We talked about it and what we figured out was - no matter who gets sick, I get the short end of the deal. If she gets sick, she'd stay home. If her son got sick, she'd stay home. If my daughter got sick, she wouldn't want to expose her child to the germs, so she'd stay home. Honestly, I can't afford to cover sick days for four people - I'd never get to leave the house!!

Yes, there are many great things about the proposed arrangement. I'd be supporting someone who otherwise will put her child in daycare. My kiddo will learn to amuse herself and take turns. My girl will learn about babies and will "grow up" with another child in the house. And she's an excellent nanny.

But deep down, my husband and I both have doubts - serious doubts - that this is the best thing for us and our child.

Just thought I'd throw my $.02 in there. For me, it's simply not a black and white issue. (I'd love to keep writing about this but my daughter just woke from her nap - let the marathon evening begin!)

I brought my child to work with me for six months. I was lecturing and doing research at a university. The students loved it when I would lecture with the baby in a sling. Not sure they paid attention to what I was saying....but they loved it. I had a nanny at the university with me, so that I could be in the lab, and theoretically could concentrate on my job a bit more. Sounds great, doesn't it?

It sucked. Big time. I will never do that again. I was distracted while lecturing, interrupted while thinking, impatient while breastfeeding, not present while the baby needed me. Basically, I didn't do either job well. It was the hardest six months of my professional and mothering life.

So I have no problem with people taking their kids to work. Everyone deserves the same chance that I had. But I didn't find it made me either a good professional woman or a good mother. My reputation and my daughter both suffered.

i think there is a difference between having a nanny who brings her own children to your home and a pre school.  and btw, in either case i wouldn't be inclined to give someone who objected a "tongue lashing". here's why:

1.  i wouldn't hire a nanny who had to leave her own family to care for mine...period.  now if we agreed to it as part of the arrangement and everyone was fine, then perhaps.  although, for me it likely wouldn't have worked.  as a single mom i had way too much to juggle without juggling a nanny, her children my work schedule and my child.

2. my daughter's pre K teacher had her daughter in same class and she was same age.  it wasn't ideal. and my dd's elementary school art teacher's own daughter was in her class...that too wasn't ideal imo.  i frankly think it gets funky when the role is mother and teacher in a classroom.  it is odd for everyone involved.  was it awful?  no, but i never thought it was ideal.

i frankly would have questions if my dd's preschool teacher was coming to school with her infant. pre school isn't babysitting or day care in my view.  i didn't send my dd to an academic preschool, rather one that adhered to developmentally appropriate activities.  but there were organized activities that required a lot of teacher attention. not sure i agree that no one has the right to be less than groovy with a teacher coming to school with her infant in a sling. what happens when the baby is 8 months?  a year and walking?  is it still ok? i surely would have questions with a one year old in the mix.

seems to me that we should support family leave so that the teacher can opt to stay home and bond with the baby.

i may ultimately been fine with it, but it wouldn't have been an automatic ok with me.

I wouldn't be keen on my kid's preschool teacher bringing her baby to class, for the reasons already mentioned above. I'd be shocked and annoyed also if my doctor did our app't with her infant or baby with her. Or my dentist. Or lawyer, if I needed one.

If a job needs a high level of concentration and attention to others (kids, patients, clients), I just don't see how it's all that workable. Maybe with retail it's possible because a few moments wait won't kill anyone. But even then, what if something happened that took all of the mother's time for a significant chunk of time ....