You know I guess I just assumed that because to me, it's a very important job - caring for MY child! - I figured everyone would realise it's important. And I'm seeing from your posts that it's not the case. So thank you all for posting, it's great to get another perspective.
No, not all parents think the same way that you do~ an example of how I feel the value of the carer is viewed by some parents..... a previous parent of mine who themselves had their own business that they charged $60/hour for their services frequently complained that $50 per day was too much to pay for very high quality care of their child. That may not be their intent - but to me that says what I do is worth so much more to my customers, than what you do in caring for my child. The service they offerred didn't involve the life of a human being.