Caring for Family Members Children, Discount?

[Lil_Diddle]

Does anyone else care for a family members child (specifically a grandchild in my case) if so do you charge? Do you give discounts?

I do in-home childcare, and keep my grandchild. I do offer a discount (also other exceptions when they call and ask if I can keep her past hours, then I switch to grandma mode)

they pay me less than they could get anywhere else around here ($130 a week)

and I’ve always made them follow the same rule that they need to pay wether they come or not, because I need a reliable paycheck as well. I should also mention they are well to do and are not struggling financially.

Well now they are frustrated with me because I’ve been closed the last few days because of this blizzard and my home is inaccessible. However I have built in paid days off and have been using them. They are angry because I’m still charging them as well.

im just wondering if others have experiences watching a family member’s child? as as much as I love having my grandchild. Mixing family and business do not always mix. I’m also losing money because I could have a child here that pays the full rate.
sometimes I just want to be grandma

[Lil_Diddle]

I should also mention all the other kids I watch are teachers kids and they were aware and agreed to the contract and all the paid days off

[Annalee]

Lil Diddle, I HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR! In my 32 plus years I have kept family; some went well; some not so well; had to terminate two kin folks through the years. I currently have my great-niece/nephs in care. Their parents are contracted and they pay like the others-52 weeks per year which includes my closings for holidays, vacation, weather, emergency, etc. BUT...yes I get snarky comments, why is that for them, etc. In the past, this would hurt my feelings really bad but I'm past that now!!!!!

Keeping family definitely brings about a different social Emotional attachment with the kiddos, though.....My day is much more difficult....kids, in general, are different now but kin folks are even more needy and push the boundaries often.

I've had to buckle down and realize no matter what I require per each daycare family and no matter how upset they are with me, they seem to always show back up the next day and continue to pay.....I don't do many after hours for them......I have a life....they FINALLY do see that part of me.

BUT it has definitely had it's struggles. I do find I don't have trouble with the actual kin, it's the in-law part of the equation. Make sense? So if something comes up I talk with the actual kin part.

Yep it's definitely wears on my nerves but had to seek support from another provider that keeps kin folks and she helped with that.

NOT SURE how I will handle it if I have grands but that might not even happen as one is a teacher and the other loves animals....so ??????? LOL I'm not crossing that bridge til I get there.

[Annalee]

FYI....also, I blame everything on state licensing with contracts etc. That will take YOU out of the equation so much. Make sense?