‘My kids are treated more like my grandchildren. They’re just like my grandchildren.’

It is not enough that Mary Lou Phipps has six grandchildren and two on the way. Her boundless love--and infinite patience--for small children led the 52-year-old San Carlos woman to the perfect solution. Five years ago, Phipps became a licensed day-care operator and reentered the realm of “Sesame Street” and the mid-morning snack. Licensed for six children, Phipps currently looks after three--all under the age of 2. Like a doting grandmother, Phipps has framed pictures of her charges placed around the living room. Her T-shirt says it all: “Mommy Can’t Always Be Around . . . So That’s Why God Invented Nannies.” Times staff writer Caroline Lemke interviewed Phipps, and Vince Compagnone photographed her.

My father in-law used to live with us, and I took care of him for 7 1/2 years. We finally had to put him into a convalescent home, and he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. So I was pretty stranded at home taking care of him, but I also wanted to go out and work.

I also have arthritis in my hips, so I can’t stand for a very long time and I can’t sit for a very long time, so I thought the next best thing is to do something in the house. My husband worked with a man whose wife did day care out of her home, and I thought, “Gee, I love kids. Maybe I could do that.”

I talked it over with my husband, Les. He didn’t want me to do it. He’s never liked for me to work and he thought it would be too much for me, nerve wracking-wise. But I filled out an application and the county came out and inspected my home and within a few weeks I had my license.

Right now I have three full-time children. I really have four, but Peter is on vacation. Christopher will be 3 in August, Jenna is 15 months, and Tanner is almost 17 months. At one time I had seven, but I’m trying to work it back down because that really was a handful.

It’s rough. There are times when I think, “Oh my God, why am I in this? I’m crazy. Yeah, I’m really stupid.” But I love children and I have a lot of patience with them. You have to.

I don’t just run a day care where people drop their children off and I’ve got them here because I’m going to get paid. My kids are treated more like my grandchildren. They’re just like my grandchildren. So I try to teach them the basics, what they would be learning at home, but their parents aren’t there to teach them during the daytime. I’m here to say, “Don’t climb on the coffee table. Don’t jump on the furniture.” And I try to teach them table manners.

You have to have a routine with children. On a very good day, we play outside. They have their little trikes and go-carts and little plastic lawn mowers. We read a lot of books, and they watch the Disney Channel or “Sesame Street” for a short time in the morning, especially in the winter months when the weather is yucky.

On a bad day, they fight and argue. No matter who has what toy, the other one wants it. Or they’re all teething and they’re whiny. I just try to keep them happy and entertained. That’s considered a bad day, which we don’t have a lot of, thank goodness.

I do keep in touch with all my children. The mothers will call. I receive Christmas cards. When they go, it’s like losing one of my own grandchildren. I cry. I’m one of these types that, say, if one of the children has been sick, I call in the evening or during the weekend to see how they’re doing. Or if they have a doctor’s appointment, the mothers will call and tell me if anything is wrong or if nothing is wrong.

I think the biggest reward for me in taking care of these children is to see what I’ve accomplished with them. Watching them go from a little tiny infant and seeing them grow into such a nice little fine child.

The parents all think it’s so great that I’ve taught them to do this and that. Then they say it’s because of me that they have such a good child.