What Are Some Rules/Habits You've Developed From Doing Daycare?

[permanentvacation]

Hmm... I have a LIST of things! My personal children ages 17 and 13 roll their eyes and fuss about them all the time!

WASH YOUR HANDS!!! I must wash my hands 1,000 times a day. I am constantly telling my children and even guests to my home to wash their hands.

I am a germaphobic. I know that by the 3rd year of doing daycare and constantly receiving letters about different diseases that you can get from touching normal surfaces - doorknobs, table tops, chairs, etc. I became a germaphobic. In public places I try to always have something like a paper towel or my shirt to open a door. Or I push it with my elbow or back. I was never like that before doing daycare!

"OMG! Why is that PENNY ON THE FLOOR!?!??!" That's something that I just said. My daughter's college boyfriend is here to visit and I assume he let a penny fall out of his pocket. I saw it after they went upstairs and yelled outloud about it being on the floor because when I saw it, I immediately thought of a daycare child chocking to death on it!

I use the entire main floor for daycare, so my poor personal children get fussed at for leaving ANY of their personal items on the main floor. I have kids that come in at 6am. Often I literally make my children get out of bed to come collect their personal items from downstairs because they won't be up in the morning to clean it up before the daycare kids start coming in.

In the mall, stores, restaurants, any public place, I OFTEN find myself informing some random mother that her young child/baby has something that I feel they might get hurt with. Such as biting on a button on their shirt, plastic that they either are or might put into their mouth, etc.

I ask to be seated in restaurants AWAY from children. I like them and all, but after hearing them cry and or scream with delight all day, I don't want to know that children even exist on the planet when I'm off work!

I announce that I have to 'pee pee potty' to whoever I am with no matter where we are when I should be simply saying that I need to use the restroom.

I know there are plenty more, I just can't think of them right now.

[PitterPatter]

Can't wash my hands enough!

I wipe as I go. Going upstairs I take a clorox wipe with me and run it up and down the banister along a door knob or 2 etc.

Other things I learned:
Don't sweat the small stuff. Accept what you can and what you know you can't accept, let go ASAP before it starts to pick you apart.

Trust no one fully until they earn it! Sorry sad to say I never used to be this way but dealing with clients has taught me this.

When you do find a true person be all you can be for them and hang on tight!

[Heidi]

ok...so I heard my sister, (dcp 18 years now) tell the puppy "I don't like it when you bite my nose. It HURTS"...


uhhh.....S****...it's a DOG!::

[laundrymom]

I totally get the penny thing!!

I also wash wash wash. I also am a freak about my floors. They must be clean.

My children know shhhhhh during nap. My UPS man knows shhhhh during nap and just last week my poor FedEX guy learned it.

I HATE JEANS ON BABIES!!!!

Hmm... I have a LIST of things! My personal children ages 17 and 13 roll their eyes and fuss about them all the time!

WASH YOUR HANDS!!! I must wash my hands 1,000 times a day. I am constantly telling my children and even guests to my home to wash their hands.

I am a germaphobic. I know that by the 3rd year of doing daycare and constantly receiving letters about different diseases that you can get from touching normal surfaces - doorknobs, table tops, chairs, etc. I became a germaphobic. In public places I try to always have something like a paper towel or my shirt to open a door. Or I push it with my elbow or back. I was never like that before doing daycare!

"OMG! Why is that PENNY ON THE FLOOR!?!??!" That's something that I just said. My daughter's college boyfriend is here to visit and I assume he let a penny fall out of his pocket. I saw it after they went upstairs and yelled outloud about it being on the floor because when I saw it, I immediately thought of a daycare child chocking to death on it!

I use the entire main floor for daycare, so my poor personal children get fussed at for leaving ANY of their personal items on the main floor. I have kids that come in at 6am. Often I literally make my children get out of bed to come collect their personal items from downstairs because they won't be up in the morning to clean it up before the daycare kids start coming in.

In the mall, stores, restaurants, any public place, I OFTEN find myself informing some random mother that her young child/baby has something that I feel they might get hurt with. Such as biting on a button on their shirt, plastic that they either are or might put into their mouth, etc.

I ask to be seated in restaurants AWAY from children. I like them and all, but after hearing them cry and or scream with delight all day, I don't want to know that children even exist on the planet when I'm off work!

I announce that I have to 'pee pee potty' to whoever I am with no matter where we are when I should be simply saying that I need to use the restroom.

I know there are plenty more, I just can't think of them right now.

[Abigail]

Oh reading all this makes me smile! I hope more people post in this thread. I also talk to my cats like they're daycare kids. I had someone here working with licensing and my cat jumped on this side counter in our kitchen. I hate it when they jump on the counters and I can't prevent it because they never learn. Normally I would yell GET DOWN in a really mean voice, LOL. I scared my MIL once when the cat got on the counter she screamed because she was caught off guard. ::

SINCE someone was here though I know that would be unacceptable so I calmly got up and picked the cat up and put him down and said "That is not okay, counters are not for cats." or something silly along those lines.

[melskids]

I've cut up my husbands food.

More then once.

In public.

::

[christinaskids]

I always feel like i have to watch kids everywhere i go. At family gatherings, ill be like "ok johnny that was not very nice" my family laughs at me cuz i cant seem to get out of daycare lady mode. I have to remind myself the kids parents are right there haha.

[laundrymom]

I've cut up my husbands food.

More then once.

In public.

::

Laughed
Out
Loud!

[permanentvacation]

I literally laughed out loud to Melskids cutting up her husband's food too!

[MsMe]

Just this weekend my boyfriends grandmother mentioned that I "Daycare" him.

He got a harmonica ( crazy but it is what he wanted) for Christmas and was playing a song from his learners book. It only has a few songs so I said, "maybe we could get on the internet and print you out some more songs to learn." I patted his head and walked across the room....untill she pointed it out I didn't even realze that is EXACTLY like I would have said it to a daycare kid (and have about coloring, writing, reading worksheets)

We all had a laugh about it bc he doesnt mind it (he rather enjoys being 'taken care of") and he does equal amounts for me.

[Breezy]

I say Im going to go potty even in public. I also ask my husband "do you need to go potty, honey?"He hates it and gets bright red and whispers "I dont go potty."

I also say tummy which apparently should be stomach according to hubby because Im an adult.

[Childminder]

My adult kids are always making fun of me for "always" being in the daycare mode. I talk using simple sentences like; "sit" instead of "have a seat", "food?" instead of "would you like something to eat?", "owie" instead of "I have an injury", etc... The cutting food up for DH hit close to home too.

[Unregistered]

I can't tell you how hard it is for me NOT to cut up my husband's grapes! I just cringe when I see him eating them whole.

[SimpleMom]

I was at my parents when my little one seemed to have pooped. I just smelled something. Meant to ask my little one "did you POOP!" and asked my Dad instead! Oh my gosh, we all laughed for a good long while.

Also, I have cut up my hubby's food, poured just a little milk in my families cups for dinner, cooled the food up just enough, and talked to my dog like a child. I anounced to the whole company that I need to go pee and have even asked if my hubby needed to pee at times. We just laugh.

Ahhhh, the joys, right! Humor is always so good! Thanks for the thread!

[daycare]

mine are:

the penny thing 100%

always on the kids about leaving their stuff in the living room/ Dc area

I am always narking at everyone to close the shower door and put the soaps up out of reach. Along with get the tooth paste out of the bathroom. We don't have a locking medicine cabinet. We have 3 bathrooms and MY kids always want to use the DC bathroom??????

no dirty dishes in the sink. Wash them and put them away

Where are my outlet covers....keep those things on

Dont touch m,y desk, computer, office PERIOD....they used to be able to use it before I started daycare in this home.

THE KNIVES..... how many times do I gotta tell yall that the knives have to be locked in the cabinet out of the kids reach, NOT in the kitchen drawer.

Oh and when I go to other people's home I always tend to take note of the hazards they have out that are dangerous to kids. Mostly the ones that have kids.

I know I could go on and on....I think I have mild OCD....

One thing that I always get that I hate, is that because I work with kids, everyone thinks that I can go to their house and cure the problems that they are having with their own kids...it happens all of the time.