Mom Wants to Work Out ?!

[legomom922]

I see a problem with it either. If you will be staying open late just for her, just charge her a $5 late fee, or a $10 overtime fee.

[QualiTcare]

So if u tell her no because ur fam has activities etc then shell remember that. So say a week later a new family who works til five wants ur care which is more income for u are u going to tell them no bc ur fam has activities?if u have a strict policy then it should be strict all the time - not flexible only to ur benefit.that's a very likely scenario so if u decide to tell her no I think u should tell her u only do work n commute only n that's y. Still her lesson will b that she shouldve lied about when she gets off.

[momma2girls]

If your contracted hours are for 4:30 then, no I would not do it. I have a closing time of 5 pm and made an exception for my neighbors and it backfired on me. I will not longer make any exceptions. I have it at that time so I can be with my child. She already hates that I do daycare, I need to dedicate my entire evenings to time with her!

But if your contracted hours are until 5 then I would go ahead. I agree, if they are a good family what does it matter as long as she is picking up on time. She may not have free childcare and doesn't want to pay extra at the gym?

I agree, all the breaks I ever gave to anyone, always backfired on me in the long run- every single one of them!!! I am now done giving any kind of breaks!!!

[momma2girls]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I can see both sides here. You're all right in that as long as I'm getting paid on time, I don't really care what she's doing with that time. I know how important it is to carve out time from a busy schedule to fit in exercise!

I changed my contract for the new school year from opening and closing times to work and commute times only because I've been burned. I had one family that never picked up at the same time of day (it varied by as much as two hours) each day, and another who constantly pushed my closing time. We have a busy schedule during the school year with our children and their activities, and last year my contract stated that 5:30 was the latest pickup time allowable - this particular family would pick up five or ten minutes late on a regular basis, and we'd have to race to get places on time. Not only that, but I was giving them a hefty discount. It's because of that family (who won't be coming back!) that I'm hesitant to start conceding things right at the beginning.

I totally agree!!! Be strong and strict!!

[DanceMom]

I dont mean ANY disrespect or being rude but why do you even care? What would have happened if she lied to you and said she worked until 5:00 p.m.? I totally understand the contract blah blah etc etc..but if the parent is paying for the service then why should it matter? I guess that is what is so confusing to me with all these home providers ::

On the flip side, if you do indeed close at 4:30 then would just tell this parent no. But is it worth losing the income?

I was going to ask the same thing..I know my parents would lie to me every time and tell me they just got off work. My hours are 7-5 - within those hours you can do whatever you want..you dont even have to be at work..do I think that ****s for your kid that you send them to daycare and have the day off, yes...but its not my place to judge....my service is 7-5 - go shopping for all I care

[DCMomOf3]

I dont mean ANY disrespect or being rude but why do you even care? What would have happened if she lied to you and said she worked until 5:00 p.m.? I totally understand the contract blah blah etc etc..but if the parent is paying for the service then why should it matter? I guess that is what is so confusing to me with all these home providers ::

On the flip side, if you do indeed close at 4:30 then would just tell this parent no. But is it worth losing the income?

I agree. I don't even know if that would be an acceptable reason to refuse care. Can you legally ask, "What will you be doing while I am being paid to take care of your child?"

If she is asking you to work past your hours of operations is a different story.

[MommyMuffin]

If you are willing to be open till five and dont want to lose the money then, when I gave her the contract to sign I would have it put in there the times (highlighted) that she would p/u 5:00 also while you are going over the contract tell her that her child needs to be picked up by 5:00 and if there is problems with late pick up you have no choice but to terminate. I would also add an additional fee for the extra 1/2 hour. Lots of parents are willing to pay a little more. Make sure it is worth your while.

[misol]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I can see both sides here. You're all right in that as long as I'm getting paid on time, I don't really care what she's doing with that time. I know how important it is to carve out time from a busy schedule to fit in exercise!

I changed my contract for the new school year from opening and closing times to work and commute times only because I've been burned. I had one family that never picked up at the same time of day (it varied by as much as two hours) each day, and another who constantly pushed my closing time. We have a busy schedule during the school year with our children and their activities, and last year my contract stated that 5:30 was the latest pickup time allowable - this particular family would pick up five or ten minutes late on a regular basis, and we'd have to race to get places on time. Not only that, but I was giving them a hefty discount. It's because of that family (who won't be coming back!) that I'm hesitant to start conceding things right at the beginning.

My honest opinion is that I think that you should trust your instincts and stick to your contract. Remember, you added those terms to your contract for a reason. This will be the only child you have in care for the last half hour of the day. In the back of your mind it will probably bug you to no end knowing that the mom is not working while this kid is the last kid in your care. I think it would be an easier pill to swallow if you didn't have to stay open longer for this family. I would advise against it.

[Lilbutterflie]

Maybe you could agree, but add an additional price since you are staying later? Maybe $5-$10 more per week? See if it's worth it to her. I'd be willing to stay open later if I was being compensated for it. Since this is outside of your contract guidelines, she will have to pay extra for the extra service.

[misol]

Maybe you could agree, but add an additional price since you are staying later? Maybe $5-$10 more per week? See if it's worth it to her. I'd be willing to stay open later if I was being compensated for it. Since this is outside of your contract guidelines, she will have to pay extra for the extra service.

Yes. Maybe the price should be so high that she will decide it's not worth the extra money and just pick up after work!

[laundryduchess@yahoo.com]

yet another reason I dont have open or close times OR commute times in my contract. I have contracted hours. I dont give a whoopity doo what they are doing, napping, working, taking a class or wrangeling stray pheasants from a farmers barn. They pay from such and such to such and such,.. period. If they are contracted from 4 to noon,.. then I dont care what they are doing as long as I can reach them.

[professionalmom]

My honest opinion is that I think that you should trust your instincts and stick to your contract. Remember, you added those terms to your contract for a reason. This will be the only child you have in care for the last half hour of the day. In the back of your mind it will probably bug you to no end knowing that the mom is not working while this kid is the last kid in your care. I think it would be an easier pill to swallow if you didn't have to stay open longer for this family. I would advise against it.

I agree that she should stick to her contract because she did put that in her contract for a reason. I think some people assume that those of us who had this type of contract did it because it was in some way "inconvenient for US", when the main reason I had it in mine was to entice the parent to spend as much time as possible with their child(ren). I wanted to facilitate the amount of time that the parent spent with his or her child(ren), so I did not see this as a "restriction" that I was placing on the parent. I saw it as encouraging the parent / child relationship and bonding. I am thinking that the OP put it in her contract for the same reason. But I could be wrong. But if I'm right, then she would be enabling someone to do something that she (the provider) does not support - spending more time away then is necessary. And it's not a judgment of the provider toward the parent, it's just a difference in parenting style. And I think the parent and provider should have the same (or similar) parenting styles for it to truly be a good fit and a positive experience for everyone (privder, parent, and child).

[QualiTcare]

I agree that she should stick to her contract because she did put that in her contract for a reason. I think some people assume that those of us who had this type of contract did it because it was in some way "inconvenient for US", when the main reason I had it in mine was to entice the parent to spend as much time as possible with their child(ren). I wanted to facilitate the amount of time that the parent spent with his or her child(ren), so I did not see this as a "restriction" that I was placing on the parent. I saw it as encouraging the parent / child relationship and bonding. I am thinking that the OP put it in her contract for the same reason. But I could be wrong. But if I'm right, then she would be enabling someone to do something that she (the provider) does not support - spending more time away then is necessary. And it's not a judgment of the provider toward the parent, it's just a difference in parenting style. And I think the parent and provider should have the same (or similar) parenting styles for it to truly be a good fit and a positive experience for everyone (privder, parent, and child).

i don't think taking an hour to work out is going to affect any parent/child bonding process - jmo.

[professionalmom]

i don't think taking an hour to work out is going to affect any parent/child bonding process - jmo.

True. But then it will become "oh, I have to run to the grocery store", "oh, I have to run this errand", etc. The next thing you know, the child is in care an extra 2 hours a day while mom runs around doing other stuff. It's a snowball effect. Then where do you draw the line? I only say this because I have seen it happen far too much and it is sad when it does happen.

Plus, if this mom was a subsidy recipient, the state (here in MI) wouldn't pay for child care while the mom is working out. I actually used DHS's guidelines in my daycare, but of course, that was pretty easy since most of my clients were subsidy recipients, so if DHS didn't pay for that time, they couldn't be there because the parents couldn't afford to pay for it themselves.

[QualiTcare]

True. But then it will become "oh, I have to run to the grocery store", "oh, I have to run this errand", etc. The next thing you know, the child is in care an extra 2 hours a day while mom runs around doing other stuff. It's a snowball effect. Then where do you draw the line? I only say this because I have seen it happen far too much and it is sad when it does happen.

Plus, if this mom was a subsidy recipient, the state (here in MI) wouldn't pay for child care while the mom is working out. I actually used DHS's guidelines in my daycare, but of course, that was pretty easy since most of my clients were subsidy recipients, so if DHS didn't pay for that time, they couldn't be there because the parents couldn't afford to pay for it themselves.

i dunno - using daycare to work out and to run errands are really different. i would leave my daughter in daycare to work out. have you ever tried lifting weights or being on a treadmill with a baby?

it's kinda like comparing going to the obgyn and using daycare to going to the grocery store.