So, for Pajama Day....

[Hunni Bee]

Currently, 2 out of 12 present (24 total) are wearing Pajamas. This was the easiest activity day....they didn't have to even get the kid dressed!

Im feeling less than optimistic about the rest of the summer

[littlemissmuffet]

I ususally only keep 5-7 kids. We have several pajama days a year. Never once has every kid come in jammies. Some parents just DON'T LISTEN, or DON'T CARE!

[Truly Scrumptious]

Yea...feels pretty crappy when parents don't get excited about an activity you've planned.

[Creek]

Ahhh.. Silly you for expecting parents to read the newsletter or board to tell them it was pj day.

Not in my days in centre care or now doing home care have I ever had 100% join in theme days like that. It's too bad.

[saved4always]

I have been on both sides, childcare provider and outside the home working parent. In defense of the parents who forget to send the kids in pajamas on pajama day...I love my kids dearly and would die for them and that is not an exageration. But, I have been known to forget things like pajama day at school on occassion. I do not think that makes me a bad parent. I know from experience that it is not always an easy, smooth-going task to get the kids ready for school (or daycare...I have done both) as well as get myself ready for work and out the door on time. When I worked outside the home, I did always remember to cuddle my kids, read to them, feed them, talk to them, clothe them, make sure they were clean and went to bed on time and all the other things that had to be done in the few awake hours I was with them. I am willing to bet that many of the parents did not forget pj day because they don't care about thier kids. It probably just slipped their minds in the chaos of the morning.

[Crazy8]

I have been on both sides, childcare provider and outside the home working parent. In defense of the parents who forget to send the kids in pajamas on pajama day...I love my kids dearly and would die for them and that is not an exageration. But, I have been known to forget things like pajama day at school on occassion. I do not think that makes me a bad parent. I know from experience that it is not always an easy, smooth-going task to get the kids ready for school (or daycare...I have done both) as well as get myself ready for work and out the door on time. When I worked outside the home, I did always remember to cuddle my kids, read to them, feed them, talk to them, clothe them, make sure they were clean and went to bed on time and all the other things that had to be done in the few awake hours I was with them. I am willing to bet that many of the parents did not forget pj day because they don't care about thier kids. It probably just slipped their minds in the chaos of the morning.

I tend to agree, although you probably know your clientele well enough to know who just has a lot going on and forgot and who just doesn't care or want to be bothered with school activities.
I only worked outside the home when I had my first child and always did pj day, wear a certain color day, etc. I actually got excited for them, LOL! Then I started running a daycare and had a few more kids of my own over the years. When those kids went off to preschool I will admit I have forgotten a few of those events and probably looked like the parent who didn't care, but I can assure you I was not "that" parent - just a very busy full time working mom with a lot on my plate and wearing red or wearing pj's to school on a certain day just didn't always register on my radar at 8am when I had 5 dc kids coming in and was trying to get my own 3 kids out the door to their 3 different schools. Even though I probably had it marked on my calendar. So, I was probably that parent who the teachers probably bickered about but they don't know squat about how much I love or how well I take care of my kids otherwise.

[saved4always]

I tend to agree, although you probably know your clientele well enough to know who just has a lot going on and forgot and who just doesn't care or want to be bothered with school activities.
I only worked outside the home when I had my first child and always did pj day, wear a certain color day, etc. I actually got excited for them, LOL! Then I started running a daycare and had a few more kids of my own over the years. When those kids went off to preschool I will admit I have forgotten a few of those events and probably looked like the parent who didn't care, but I can assure you I was not "that" parent - just a very busy full time working mom with a lot on my plate and wearing red or wearing pj's to school on a certain day just didn't always register on my radar at 8am when I had 5 dc kids coming in and was trying to get my own 3 kids out the door to their 3 different schools. Even though I probably had it marked on my calendar. So, I was probably that parent who the teachers probably bickered about but they don't know squat about how much I love or how well I take care of my kids otherwise.

You are right about knowing the clientele....there are some parents out there that don't care. But I think the majority just have too much on thier plates and sometimes things get forgotten that are not in the normal routine.

That is me exactly....In the last couple years, I had infants and/or toddlers who arrived before my daughter even got out of bed. Sometimes I was lucky that she even made it to the bus much less remembered to wear her pjs. I did always remember to pack her lunch though.... There were some years in the past that I was doing childcare in my home but did not have such early arrivers and I remembered everything then. Of course, I was younger back then, too.

[Hunni Bee]

I know what you all are saying. Some of them did forget.

One little girl said she showed.her mom the paper and the mom said, "I dont care about any of that"

We still had the pajama party and the snacks and the movie, and they had fun.

I guess I'm the one who needs to adjust her attitude ...Im just imagining Splash Day next week when half of.them forget their suits...

[DBug]

.

I guess I'm the one who needs to adjust her attitude ...Im just imagining Splash Day next week when half of.them forget their suits...

I bought a bunch of black shorts from Walmart ($4 each), and dress the kids in those along with our daycare t-shirts for the days when we visit the splash pad. I put them back in the clothes they came in afterwards. Going to the splash pad is always a last minute thing for me depending on the weather, everyone's moods, etc., and I know if I asked the parents to bring bathing suits, there would always be one child that doesn't have one here for some reason. It saves me the stress so I think it's worth the money.

[JustAMom]

My husband once overheard our daycare provider remind a mom that the next day was pajama day. Her response was, "I would NEVER send my children in their pajamas!" He was :confused:. I always try to remember the fun things, but I admit that if we had somewhere to go after daycare, even just a stop at the grocery store, I probably wouldn't send my child in pajamas. There's a lot of judgment out there for "lazy" parents who don't dress their kids. Sometimes you just can't win.

[Hunni Bee]

My husband once overheard our daycare provider remind a mom that the next day was pajama day. Her response was, "I would NEVER send my children in their pajamas!" He was :confused:. I always try to remember the fun things, but I admit that if we had somewhere to go after daycare, even just a stop at the grocery store, I probably wouldn't send my child in pajamas. There's a lot of judgment out there for "lazy" parents who don't dress their kids. Sometimes you just can't win.

I just feel like, you're only a little kid once. I know kids would much rather stay at home with mom and dad, so the tradeoff is we try to make it as fun as possible. We had a couple kids that brought their pajamas in their backpacks, and would have had no problem having them change back into regular clothes at before pickup if the parent requested it.

[Springdaze]

Im into that stuff too, but sometimes those things slip my mind.

[Blackcat31]

I have learned over the years to never ever plan an activity that counts on the involvment of the parent. NOT because I think parents are uncaring or too busy or too lazy or whatever to comply, but because sometimes those things simply happen.

Now instead of PJ Day, we will simply have movie or lazy fun day.

No matter what kind of day or activitity you have planned, there is always going to be one family who forgets or doesn't care enough to participate so instead of that one (or 20) kids who come unprepared and then feel left out......just plan activities and days that require nothing from home or from the parents.

I do things like DBug.....supply the necessary and needed items yourself or do things that don't require extra.....kwim?

[saved4always]

I know what you all are saying. Some of them did forget.

One little girl said she showed.her mom the paper and the mom said, "I dont care about any of that"

We still had the pajama party and the snacks and the movie, and they had fun.

I guess I'm the one who needs to adjust her attitude ...Im just imagining Splash Day next week when half of.them forget their suits...

In the the case of that mom, it truly was a case of not caring then. Poor little girl. I am glad she had fun anyways. And I hope they all bring thier suits next week! The water is just not as fun when wearing drenched denim shorts.