Rolling My Eyes...Day Off REMINDERS??

[caligirl]

26 years of being a DCP.....how many reminders do you think a person needs????............I give parents a printed calendar.......an email.......a newsletter.....AND a reminder email a week before I have a day off and I STILL have parents who forget......I just do NOT get it. Why, in this era of technology, would someone forget and need to be reminded over and over?? I mean, put it on your wall calendar, your desktop (computer calendar....email calendar) your cell phone calendar...... I mean, what the heck.......

I quit doing my yearly calendars about 5 yrs ago and now do 3-6 months at a time.....I print one.....email it.....do newsletters....email reminders....and there is always at least one that forgets....this time however, I had THREE parents forget....

I was complaining to my mom, who taught 1st grade for 20+ years, and she said that the teachers would have to pin a note on the back of the children's shirts saying 'REMINDER'.....I think it's ridiculous. Maybe it's just me.. but when my kids were in school and I got that printed calendar at the beginning of every year, I'd take out my calendar and mark each day school was closed...and then I'd stick that calendar on the fridge just to remind me in case I forgot.

One year, one of my kids forgot to lock the front door and the day after Christmas (which I always take off) at about 7am I heard footsteps in the living room (hi-heels) and I jumped up, put my robe on, walked out to see what I was hearing and there was one of my DCM's walking around the living room, I remember saying 'what are you doing here?' she said 'well I was wondering where everyone was?'...I reminded her I was closed 'ohhh I totally forgot!'......last year, I was in PA on a weekend trip and one mom called me on Monday morning asking if I could open the door 'I'm not home remember??'....."ohhhh I totally forgot!'

I yi yi......... well, just needed to scratch my head here........wondering what on earth to do about these parents......maybe I should just stop giving them advance notice and just tell them the week before ....

[rbmom]

I will never understand how parents can forget about this stuff either!!

[laundrymom]

I agree!!!! Two years ago I had a mom leave voicemail to my cell " hey we are staying home today, my car won't start. The next day, hey I'm trying to get in but the doors locked. , 20 min later , you need to call me back, I'm late for work!!! 5 min later
gee, did I make you mad? Can you not hear me pounding?
Ok, I'm leaving, I guess you are still in bed. Call me when you get up so I can salvage my day. I'll take him to work until your call. The next day she called and said, you know, it's not very nice for you to lock me out. I don't know what to do. I'm not happy.

Then I get one that says, I talked to the referral service, I'm going to be finding new care, I just can't figure out why you haven't responded.

So thursday when I got off the river and to my car I checked my messages. I called her back, she berated me for a couple minutes about how could I claim to be a professional but treat peoPle like this? I said,... Polly parent I'm in deep Missouri on a rafting trip with my family, remember,? I borrowed your Kayak?

[caligirl]

I said,... Polly parent I'm in deep Missouri on a rafting trip with my family, remember,? I borrowed your Kayak?

OMG that is HYSTERICAL!! What did she say???????

[wdmmom]

Some people should NOT be allowed to reproduce! I don't know what I would have done if my own parents were idiots like that!

[Meeko]

I have a yearly calendar posted in my entry showing closed days marked in red.
I also post a monthly calendar showing any closed days.
The parents all get copies of these.
To make sure...I also post a notice on my screen door in large print when the closed day is that week.

Me (Wednesday): *posts large print notice that says "Don't forget we are closed next Monday for Memorial Day"*

Friday. Doorbell goes (notice is right above the bell in huge red letters)

Me: DCB...Mommy's here!"

Parent: OK...seeya Monday!"

Me (trying not to roll eyes): I'm closed Monday. It's Memorial Day"

Parent; What?! I have to work! What am I going to do?"

Me: It's on the yearly calendar, the monthly calendar and see that sign that's been up for days now....?"

Parent: Oh, I didn't see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[laundrymom]

OMG that is HYSTERICAL!! What did she say???????

She said,..... Yeah but I thought you were Just going for the day!

[caligirl]

she said,..... Yeah but i thought you were just going for the day!

ooooommmmmgggggg

[caligirl]

Ok so, I really do appreciate hearing other DCP's dealing with this same issue I've had to deal with for TWENTY SIX LONG YEARS.........I am sitting here just cracking up!!!

I really, really, really don't get it......REMINDER AFTER REMINDER AFTER REMINDER. Is this really necessary?? The only one that I never have to remind, is the mom that's a teacher.

[laundrymom]

ooooommmmmgggggg

Yeah 10 hour drive pulling a camper

I told her,... I will see you in about a week and a half. And I hung up.

[2ndFamilyDC]

OMG! So nice to know that everyone else has this same issue.

Have to admit I was reading this thread just laughing my butt off.

I almost want to print it off and share it with all my families;

but I know they wouldn't read it anyway. ::::::

[caligirl]

I'm not kidding......I can remind them every which way, over and over again (which I should NOT have to do) and they will STILL forget... They'll always say 'oh I forgot!' which tells me that at one point in time, the did at least KNOW that I was off....so why not put it in their calendars????

[laundrymom]

My family and I actually have a " raffle" . Winner gets a treat. Lol. We play" who is going to show up for daycare on a closed day"

[sassysue]

I have the same family that shows up every holiday,never remembers.
I do the same thing-handbook,newsleter,post on bulletin board,one week before send out a reminder,post on door.Tell her the day before!
She actually just started getting it this year.It was always a running joke between my husband and I.
He'd look out the window and say"so and so is outside standing at the door,you want me to let her in?"
He even says it on the weekends for fun,the joke never gets old to us.ha-ha
I'm betting she will be here the day after Thanksgiving too.Some people will never get it together!

[SimpleMom]

Along with all that you do to remind, I also put a nice big white paper on my front door with dc closed hours and such in Black ink. Worked all but two times.

It's such a wierd feeling to be hanging out with your own kiddos in your jammies--totally relaxed and see a dcp roll on up the drive ().

The other time, I wasn't home, but got a call about it which was on my messages when I returned from another state.