What Is The Oddest Request From A Parent?

[momofthree211614]

Hi,

I was just thinking over the past 11 years of my daycare and have had some unique parents. And prospective parents. And a few unique/odd requests. But the most interesting came for someone looking for day care three weeks ago.
Mom calls looking for two openings. I had only one at the time. So she says ok, so you take my 3 year old, She didn't phrase it as a question more like stating a given fact.

I said it's not that simple, what exactly are you looking for in terms of care.

Well I don't know if he is getting am or pm preschool.

I said I do not do transportation to the local preschools, because they require going into the building and I can't carry two infants and three toddlers in and out to pick up your child.

Oh, you can't do that? (Really?) Ok I guess I use the bus, it will bring him there. I say sure. So then I ask what is she looking for.

Get this... Now I am open from 6:30 to 5:30 M - F.
She wanted me to open for her at 5:15 until 9:00, then she would pick him back up and take him to preschool. Then the bus would bring him home and she would bring him back at 3:00 until 4:30. And this was if he got am preschool.

Now if he got pm preschool, he would only need care from when the bus dropped him off until 4:30 when she picked up. Not sure what happened the morning.

I told her I do have openings, why didn't she call back once she found out what preschool session she got, but I wouldn't be opening any earlier than 6:30 because I work 11 hours already. She never called back. Which I was glad for, because I wasn't opening earlier, I also wasn't wasting a slot for 1.5 hours.

[MyAngels]

I once had a prospective parent ask me to duct tape their child's diaper on at naptime so they couldn't take it off and tear it apart . I said no. They went elsewhere .

I also had a prospective parent tell me that their baby needed to be swaddled "like a sausage." I asked them to demonstrate since I was sure I had misunderstood their intent. Nope, they literally rolled her into the blanket so tight she couldn't move, like a sausage . I explained that this was not safe at all, and that I would not be able to do that. They did sign on, and fortunately for the baby, they stopped with the whole sausage roll thing happyface.

[MarinaVanessa]

I've been asked not to say the word "No" to and around DCB because DCM didn't "want to expose him to the word no". She also wanted me to prohibit the other DCK's from using the word "No".
I told her NO ::.

I've been asked to enroll and take a DCB in swim lessons. Mind you she wanted ME to do the work of registering him, paying for the class and she would reimburse me later with proof of receipt and since she wouldn't be able to make it right on time for the Baby and Me classes wanted ME to get into the pool with her DS for the first 10 minutes until she got there and changed into her suit. No.

I had a drop-in mom last week ask for an overnight stay. Here's how she "requested" that:

DCM: Hey Ness, I want ***** to stay the night on Thursday so I can get stuff done (she was packing. Also she didn't ask, she said "I want"). I'd pay you of course. So it would be Thursday all day and he would spend the night and then stay all day Friday too, so thats 2 days at the regular rate plus all the hours in between that he's awake.
ME: (brief uncomfortable stare at DCM) I don't regularly do overnights and if I do you'd pay for his sleeping hours too, it's not worth it for you .. trust me.
DCM: Oh, I have to pay for the time that he's sleeping too?? I see. Well how much would that be?
ME: Well look, it's a school night. And I have a training on Thursday anyway from 6:30 to 10:30pm so I won't be available anyway.
DCM: Oh that's okay [DH] can watch him while you're at your class. let me know how much that'll be.
ME: You really want to know how much that'll cost? (break the cost down with her) ... so that comes out to $145 just for Thursday until 8am Friday. If he stays here through Friday that'll be another $75 so $220. (more than an entire week of childcare at my highest rate)
DCM: :confused: Oh.
ME: And that's even if [DH] even agrees to watch him while I'm gone. That's up to him and I can ask him but I doubt he will.
DH: No (says it from kitchen, DCM didn't know he was there)
DCM: Oh. Okay.

I suppose I should say that all three examples above were the same DCM and how relieved I am that she has moved out of state happyface

[Crazy8]

I've been asked not to say the word "No" to and around DCB because DCM didn't "want to expose him to the word no". She also wanted me to prohibit the other DCK's from using the word "No".
I told her NO ::.

I've been asked to enroll and take a DCB in swim lessons. Mind you she wanted ME to do the work of registering him, paying for the class and she would reimburse me later with proof of receipt and since she wouldn't be able to make it right on time for the Baby and Me classes wanted ME to get into the pool with her DS for the first 10 minutes until she got there and changed into her suit. No.

I had a drop-in mom last week ask for an overnight stay. Here's how she "requested" that:

DCM: Hey Ness, I want ***** to stay the night on Thursday so I can get stuff done (she was packing. Also she didn't ask, she said "I want"). I'd pay you of course. So it would be Thursday all day and he would spend the night and then stay all day Friday too, so thats 2 days at the regular rate plus all the hours in between that he's awake.
ME: (brief uncomfortable stare at DCM) I don't regularly do overnights and if I do you'd pay for his sleeping hours too, it's not worth it for you .. trust me.
DCM: Oh, I have to pay for the time that he's sleeping too?? I see. Well how much would that be?
ME: Well look, it's a school night. And I have a training on Thursday anyway from 6:30 to 10:30pm so I won't be available anyway.
DCM: Oh that's okay [DH] can watch him while you're at your class. let me know how much that'll be.
ME: You really want to know how much that'll cost? (break the cost down with her) ... so that comes out to $145 just for Thursday until 8am Friday. If he stays here through Friday that'll be another $75 so $220. (more than an entire week of childcare at my highest rate)
DCM: :confused: Oh.
ME: And that's even if [DH] even agrees to watch him while I'm gone. That's up to him and I can ask him but I doubt he will.
DH: No (says it from kitchen, DCM didn't know he was there)
DCM: Oh. Okay.

I suppose I should say that all three examples above were the same DCM and how relieved I am that she has moved out of state happyface

OMG... I wouldn't have taken him overnight but I think I would have gone over and helped her pack just so she'd get out of my life a little sooner. ::

[daycarediva]

Was it me with the duck tape? Ds would remove his diaper EVERY SINGLE NAP and pee/poop everywhere until he was 3. (He has ASD) his daycare lady and I eventually found that if we put the diaper on backwards, he couldn't figure it out, but backwards pjs, etc. were a fail so we were (masking) taping it closed for a while! LOL!

[Happy Hearts]

I've been asked not to say the word "No" to and around DCB because DCM didn't "want to expose him to the word no". She also wanted me to prohibit the other DCK's from using the word "No".
I told her NO ::.

I've been asked to enroll and take a DCB in swim lessons. Mind you she wanted ME to do the work of registering him, paying for the class and she would reimburse me later with proof of receipt and since she wouldn't be able to make it right on time for the Baby and Me classes wanted ME to get into the pool with her DS for the first 10 minutes until she got there and changed into her suit. No.

I had a drop-in mom last week ask for an overnight stay. Here's how she "requested" that:

DCM: Hey Ness, I want ***** to stay the night on Thursday so I can get stuff done (she was packing. Also she didn't ask, she said "I want"). I'd pay you of course. So it would be Thursday all day and he would spend the night and then stay all day Friday too, so thats 2 days at the regular rate plus all the hours in between that he's awake.
ME: (brief uncomfortable stare at DCM) I don't regularly do overnights and if I do you'd pay for his sleeping hours too, it's not worth it for you .. trust me.
DCM: Oh, I have to pay for the time that he's sleeping too?? I see. Well how much would that be?
ME: Well look, it's a school night. And I have a training on Thursday anyway from 6:30 to 10:30pm so I won't be available anyway.
DCM: Oh that's okay [DH] can watch him while you're at your class. let me know how much that'll be.
ME: You really want to know how much that'll cost? (break the cost down with her) ... so that comes out to $145 just for Thursday until 8am Friday. If he stays here through Friday that'll be another $75 so $220. (more than an entire week of childcare at my highest rate)
DCM: :confused: Oh.
ME: And that's even if [DH] even agrees to watch him while I'm gone. That's up to him and I can ask him but I doubt he will.
DH: No (says it from kitchen, DCM didn't know he was there)
DCM: Oh. Okay.

How mean of you to burst her little bubble ::

[itlw8]

I had one who wanted a puppy so she wanted me to house train it while she worked uh no.


not me but a friend was asked to roast a turkey for the mom who volunteered to take one to school and while you are at it could you carve it also?

[Sugar Magnolia]

I had a mom who wanted me to hold her daughter over the sink to pee....because that is how she does it at home. (????) I said no. One day at pick up time, I caught her in my bathroom, holding the girl over the sink peeing. Gross.

[cheerfuldom]

I've been asked not to say the word "No" to and around DCB because DCM didn't "want to expose him to the word no". She also wanted me to prohibit the other DCK's from using the word "No".
I told her NO ::.

I've been asked to enroll and take a DCB in swim lessons. Mind you she wanted ME to do the work of registering him, paying for the class and she would reimburse me later with proof of receipt and since she wouldn't be able to make it right on time for the Baby and Me classes wanted ME to get into the pool with her DS for the first 10 minutes until she got there and changed into her suit. No.

I had a drop-in mom last week ask for an overnight stay. Here's how she "requested" that:

DCM: Hey Ness, I want ***** to stay the night on Thursday so I can get stuff done (she was packing. Also she didn't ask, she said "I want"). I'd pay you of course. So it would be Thursday all day and he would spend the night and then stay all day Friday too, so thats 2 days at the regular rate plus all the hours in between that he's awake.
ME: (brief uncomfortable stare at DCM) I don't regularly do overnights and if I do you'd pay for his sleeping hours too, it's not worth it for you .. trust me.
DCM: Oh, I have to pay for the time that he's sleeping too?? I see. Well how much would that be?
ME: Well look, it's a school night. And I have a training on Thursday anyway from 6:30 to 10:30pm so I won't be available anyway.
DCM: Oh that's okay [DH] can watch him while you're at your class. let me know how much that'll be.
ME: You really want to know how much that'll cost? (break the cost down with her) ... so that comes out to $145 just for Thursday until 8am Friday. If he stays here through Friday that'll be another $75 so $220. (more than an entire week of childcare at my highest rate)
DCM: :confused: Oh.
ME: And that's even if [DH] even agrees to watch him while I'm gone. That's up to him and I can ask him but I doubt he will.
DH: No (says it from kitchen, DCM didn't know he was there)
DCM: Oh. Okay.

I suppose I should say that all three examples above were the same DCM and how relieved I am that she has moved out of state happyface

I had the same situation on the word no and had a family leave over it.

[Lianne]

I had a parent ask me to make the 9mos old (not his kid) stop screeching (happy screeching) because it hurt his daughter's ears. His daughter was almost 4yrs old. Yeah, if I can figure out how to make a baby stop screaming on demand, I'd be rich.

[cheerfuldom]

I had a mom who wanted me to hold her daughter over the sink to pee....because that is how she does it at home. (????) I said no. One day at pick up time, I caught her in my bathroom, holding the girl over the sink peeing. Gross.

she was probably doing elimination communication but I totally understand why a provider is not willing to continue doing this at daycare.

[cheerfuldom]

I had one parent ask that I feed her infant with a medicine dropper (three bottles worth a day) and go outside and hold her if she cries because she likes being outside. I asked them what they suggested I do with the other kids if I was outside with her daughter (sarcastically) whenever she cried and was told "wont they be fine inside alone for awhile?"....this was when I had 4 to 6 kids all 2 and under. The answer was no to both requests.

[Chambermaid08]

So far the only out of the ordinary request I've received was not to feed anything that wasn't organic.

[MarinaVanessa]

OMG... I wouldn't have taken him overnight but I think I would have gone over and helped her pack just so she'd get out of my life a little sooner. ::

OMG I think I would have killed myself. I can't take her during the 5-10 minutes a day I see her during drop-off/pick-up much less an entire evening ... although she did drop hints that she didn't know how she was going to finish it all up in time and how nobody was helping her etc.

How mean of you to burst her little bubble ::

I know right!! How evil of me ::

I had one who wanted a puppy so she wanted me to house train it while she worked uh no.

What? Really?! This isn't even child care related.

not me but a friend was asked to roast a turkey for the mom who volunteered to take one to school and while you are at it could you carve it also?

This one is also pretty bad

I had a mom who wanted me to hold her daughter over the sink to pee....because that is how she does it at home. (????) I said no. One day at pick up time, I caught her in my bathroom, holding the girl over the sink peeing. Gross.

I remember this one!! That was just gross.

I had the same situation on the word no and had a family leave over it.

Wow, incredible. But you probably figured what I figured. If they leave then you're probably better off.

I had a parent ask me to make the 9mos old (not his kid) stop screeching (happy screeching) because it hurt his daughter's ears. His daughter was almost 4yrs old. Yeah, if I can figure out how to make a baby stop screaming on demand, I'd be rich.

Wow me too. I can just imagine you walking to the 9mo and saying "Excuse me Suzie. Emily is a bit disturbed at your overzealous use of your vocals. Can you kepp your decibal level down please"

I had one parent ask that I feed her infant with a medicine dropper (three bottles worth a day) and go outside and hold her if she cries because she likes being outside. I asked them what they suggested I do with the other kids if I was outside with her daughter (sarcastically) whenever she cried and was told "wont they be fine inside alone for awhile?"....this was when I had 4 to 6 kids all 2 and under. The answer was no to both requests.

Wow. My serious response would be to suggest a nanny.

[Unregistered]

asked for money to get to work, knowing they owed me for daycare, but promised to make good on it.

let the child fill up the diaper nice and full, because diapers are expensive you know.

wanted to make sure I fed the child very healthy and what I made for food. When I asked what the child ate at home and liked.... cup a noodles, peanut butter and jelly, chicken nuggets, spaghetti ohs and frozen 99 cent meals and baby rice. The kid was 6 months old. No- no work for me.

go ahead and spank the kid if he gets out of line. We have to, he is just too much.

just to name a few of the wing dingers I have had.