Maybe the Grass Isn’t Greener… But That Doesn’t Mean You Stop Looking

I waited a long time to join this company.

I had really high expectations. I genuinely believed this was going to be the fresh start I needed — a chance to grow, challenge myself, and fall back in love with early years again.

And over the last few weeks, I’ve questioned everything.

Not just the setting.

Not just the systems.

But myself too.

Because one thing I keep hearing in early years is:

“The grass isn’t greener.”

“All nurseries are the same.”

But honestly?

I don’t believe that anymore.

Because my old nursery wasn’t like that.

Were there hard days? Of course.

Were there stressful moments? Absolutely.

But we were a team.

Not just colleagues. A team.

Even now, after leaving, I still offer support where I can because those relationships didn’t just disappear when I handed in my notice. I spent more time with those people than I did with my own family, and somewhere along the way we built something more than just a workplace.

Even today, I went to one of their children’s birthday parties with my own children.

That’s not just work colleagues.

That’s connection.

That’s trust.

That’s the kind of environment people thrive in.

And I think that’s what I’ve realised recently.

It’s not just about the nursery itself. It’s about the culture you create inside it.

The people at my current nursery have honestly been lovely. I couldn’t have asked for a kinder team to walk into during such a difficult transition. But despite that, the setting itself just doesn’t feel like home.

Every day feels like a battle between sticking to my morals, my training, and the standards I’ve spent years developing… or staying quiet and “just getting on with it.”

And that’s hard.

Because when you know what good practice looks like, it becomes impossible to ignore when something doesn’t feel right.

Did I make the wrong decision leaving my old nursery?

No.

I needed to leave.

I needed to grow.

I needed perspective.

And honestly?

I needed to prove something to myself.

I needed to realise that I am actually a really good practitioner.

That I can work full time, raise three children, run a website, manage socials, build resources, and still show up every day trying to give children the best possible care.

For a long time, I think I forgot my own capability because I was so busy surviving.

But this experience reminded me.

And maybe that’s the lesson in all of this.

Sometimes growth doesn’t look like staying.

Sometimes growth looks like leaving, learning, and recognising what you truly value.

So if you’re currently doubting yourself, questioning your ability, or wondering whether you’re capable of more…

You are.

Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.

And maybe the grass isn’t greener everywhere.

But that doesn’t mean you stop looking for the place that feels like home.