Had Enough!!

[melissa ann]

This is the 3rd week of my new family. 2 of the kids are school agers and their brother is 3. This is day 2 of them being here all day due to the holiday break. They are a pain during the 3 hours b/a school but all day is torture. Why can these girls not behave? There are 6 1/2 and 7 1/2.
Monday, I bought some new play kitchen pieces, food, plates, cups etc. Well, one of the pieces got broken yesterday. My own 2 kids got play tents for christmas. We have them set up in the basement playroom. My dd wanted to show it to her friends. (the daycare kids, she knows them from school) Well, they put a hole in then tent and broke a chair. Yes, I was downstairs with them. I was helping their brother and another dcg do a puzzle. My dd cried. I was furious. We came back upstairs. They girls kept asking to go back down. But I said no. They do not know how to behave. Well, today, my hubby has off so dd is with him today. I have a seperate part of the house where I do childcare. The girls keep asking where she is. I told them that they don't know how to behave and that she thought you were her friends but you broke her things. My dd likes to share her things and I have been doing childcare since she's been 3 and now she's 7 so she is used to other kids. I told the girls that the younger kids behave better than they do.
There is no way I can keep this up. I have to continually have something for them to do or they fight, argue, throw things, jump on the sofa etc. I just posted an ad in our paper for childcare because this is insane. No more school agers!!

[busymommy0420]

I know it's hard when dck's break things. I made it a point to put my daughter's new toys in their room and have been going up early for bath and bedtime so they can play 30-45 mins a night with their toys. The dck's saw the toys and had wide eyes of envy but know their room is off limits, they are allowed to say goodnight to them at naptime but not to enter their room. I struggled with some of the other new toys in the playroom today, I wanted my girls to enjoy the toys alone but have to remember this is a daycare and the children ALL want to play with the toys. If they get too excited I will take the toy for a "toy breaK" and they will move onto the next item. IMO I think saying, she thought you were her friends and you broke her things" is a bit harsh. They are 6 and 7 not 12 breaking toys on purpose. I hope your daughter doesn't feel too bad about the toys. Good Luck.

[Springdaze]

I dont blame you! I dont like s/a either. this just isnt set up for them! I have one here now and my 2 (they are the ones driving me crazy now!) but the one whos not mine is doing well. I just dont like the words they use and even keeping them busy is tough because things they want to do may not be safe for littles, like toys with small pieces and such.

[pfund2233]

I will NEVER watch school age again. I had 2 school age last December to this September. They were 5 and 9 (brother and sister). Same ages as my two girls. I was amazed how disrespectful, rude, and just down right naughty they were! The last straw for me was when my mother (who would help me out on occassion last summer with getting the older kids from summer school) went to pick up the 4 (my 2 and the other 2 SA) from summer school and the little boy, 5, ran for 3 blocks from her and called her stupid and someother key words. My mom has bad hips and feet! Needless to say when I found this out I was DONE!! No more!!

So I don't take school age and won't take kids new kids over 1yr. I find if they start here young they learn my rules and life is way easier for EVERYONE!!

[melissa ann]

IMO I think saying, she thought you were her friends and you broke her things" is a bit harsh. They are 6 and 7 not 12 breaking toys on purpose. I hope your daughter doesn't feel too bad about the toys. Good Luck.

I don't think it was harsh. You have not seen these girls. I believe they do purposely break things. I don't care if they are 6 or 7. IMO, they should know better. My kids would never play as rough as these kids or break other people's things on purpose. I teach them respect for other people's things.

[melissa ann]

I will NEVER watch school age again. I had 2 school age last December to this September. They were 5 and 9 (brother and sister). Same ages as my two girls. I was amazed how disrespectful, rude, and just down right naughty they were! The last straw for me was when my mother (who would help me out on occassion last summer with getting the older kids from summer school) went to pick up the 4 (my 2 and the other 2 SA) from summer school and the little boy, 5, ran for 3 blocks from her and called her stupid and someother key words. My mom has bad hips and feet! Needless to say when I found this out I was DONE!! No more!!

So I don't take school age and won't take kids new kids over 1yr. I find if they start here young they learn my rules and life is way easier for EVERYONE!!

I know how my kids behave and thought it wouldn't be this bad. I was so wrong. I will only take kids kids through kindy. I had a boy who was here from the time he was 5 weeks to 2 1/2. He knew the rules because it's all he knew. I have a 4 yr old who's been here since she was 3 and still doesn't get it.

[Kaddidle Care]

The toy breaking was one of the main reasons I termed a S/A child that I was watching after school - and I was doing it for free. The child was same age as my son and I thought it would be nice for them to play for an hour or two after school each day.

After he broke toy after toy and LAUGHED about it, (never said he was sorry either) my son asked me if we really had to have him come over each day. No.. I didn't so I told them enough was enough.

Did you tell the parents that the girls broke the chair and tent? Maybe they will replace them.

[melissa ann]

The toy breaking was one of the main reasons I termed a S/A child that I was watching after school - and I was doing it for free. The child was same age as my son and I thought it would be nice for them to play for an hour or two after school each day.

After he broke toy after toy and LAUGHED about it, (never said he was sorry either) my son asked me if we really had to have him come over each day. No.. I didn't so I told them enough was enough.

Did you tell the parents that the girls broke the chair and tent? Maybe they will replace them.

They show no remorse when they do break things, not lilsten, etc.
I did tell the mom and she said, girls you need to play nicer

[melissa ann]

Well, my son (4) was playing with his handymanny toys. The girls were watching toy story 2. The 7 yr old got up,walked over to my son's toys and threw one of the toys and guess what? It broke. Then she said she didn't do anything? WTH! I was right there and seen her do it.

[skittles]

This is why for the past seven years since I open I have closed for a week following Christmas. My kids want to enjoy their new stuff and not have to worry about dc kids. I take one week off in the summer and one week off at Christmas and I take them not paid.

[melissa ann]

The handymanny toys are not new. My son got them the other year for his b-day. A few months ago he said we can put in the daycare to share. And it's been fine. I never had so many broken in a short amount of time and I've been doing this since 2008.

[mismatchedsocks]

I had a school ager once kind of like this. He was told since he acted that way he had no 'big kid" priviledges. He was then only able to play with the daycare toys, had to stay by me all day, and had to lay down for rest time. He thought I was kidding. So Monday morning he thought he could go grab art supplies and paint. I stopped him, said daycare kids do not grab their own stuff, you can do art when we do, it is puzzle time now and gave him a puzzle. I did this ALL day. I didnt care he said i promise I will get better...etc. I even had him "rest" for 30 minutes on a cot.
Day 2, came in and told me he was really sorry he was disrespectful to my toys, and will try really hard to keep his big boy priviledges. He was a different person after that day, but when I let him do older kid things like playdoh or art without asking and in a different area, he realized he wanted to keep those priviledges.

[erinalexmom]

For my own sanity I have learned that I cannot change parenting. This sounds like a parenting issue and these kids are old enough to know better. Thier parents probably just let them get by with this stuff. I personally dont solve "parenting issues" I just term. I am not sure if you have the ability to term them or not but its just what I personally would do. Best of luck.