Valentine's Day Cards - Seriously?!??!

[bunnyslippers]

Today is a half day professional development for our school system. As a result, I will have the SA sibling of one of my families for the afternoon (mom is a teacher and brings her son and mine home at lunch then returns to work). I do not charge for the SA sibling, as she is helping me out by getting my SA home on these days. He is only here for 3 hours, and those are nap time hours so the olders just chill out with some educational shows while the littles sleep.

This morning, dcd drops off the two youngers with their stuff. He hands me a bag of the kids valentines cards ( all three kids) and their class lists. He lets me know they need to be filled out before pick-up, and that the SA kids can do his own.

The other two kids are 1 and 3. Ummmmm, how about NO! I have my own kids, and feel that Valentine's for their friends should be done at home. Not to mention....ummmm, how about NO?!??!

Sometimes I am amazed at how much people expect. Oh wait, not sometimes. All the time!!!!lovethisHappy Valentine's Day!

[jessrlee]

Oh my goodness!! What are your their personally assistant?! Let the school agers fill all of them out. Tell dad it isn't for you to do

[NeedaVaca]

Nope, sorry that's not my job. They waited until the last minute and dropped the ball, not your problem Please tell us you said no!

[bunnyslippers]

I didnt say much. I am tempted, however, to give the one year old and the 3 year old a bunch of markers and let them go at the cards. I can only imagine the faces of these parents when they see their angels covered head to toe in marker!

[SilverSabre25]

I'm confused... 1. why do the one and three year olds need valentine cards, and 2. what class lists for the 1 and 3 year olds and 3. what in the HECK has happened to parenting?

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I didnt say much. I am tempted, however, to give the one year old and the 3 year old a bunch of markers and let them go at the cards. I can only imagine the faces of these parents when they see their angels covered head to toe in marker!

I absolutely would do that with no hesitation IF I did not tell the parent that I was unable to do that task while I handed it back to them.

[Provider_Manda]

WoW!! ::
That is crazy!! I agree give them markers and let them go to town...it's their Valentine cards anyway

[kitykids3]

I'm confused... 1. why do the one and three year olds need valentine cards, and 2. what class lists for the 1 and 3 year olds and 3. what in the HECK has happened to parenting?

This is what I want to know? What class lists do the 1 and 3 year olds have? Don't they come to your house? And why would you be the one filling out their valentine's?

I let my kiddos exchange valentine's even though they range from 13 months to 4 years, but the parents do that at home. I don't do it for them here.
Yeah, let them have fun with the markers. Why not? Then the valentine's are more personalized.

[bunnyslippers]

I did not give class lists for my house - she wrote down the freaking names herself!

She just called and asked if she could pick up late b/c she needs to grocery shop. I said, "No, because I have to shop, too." She proceeds to sigh and act annoyed. Says, "I can take all 3 myself, I guess." WTF?!!? I don't have to work late so she can run her errands peacefully. She then says, "What stuff do YOU need to get done?"

I should have responded with "Drinking a bottle of wine to forget your selfish behavior is first on my list."

[e.j.]

Just keep repeating, "It will all be over in June. It will all be over in June...."

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I did not give class lists for my house - she wrote down the freaking names herself!

She just called and asked if she could pick up late b/c she needs to grocery shop. I said, "No, because I have to shop, too." She proceeds to sigh and act annoyed. Says, "I can take all 3 myself, I guess." WTF?!!? I don't have to work late so she can run her errands peacefully. She then says, "What stuff do YOU need to get done?"

I should have responded with "Drinking a bottle of wine to forget your selfish behavior is first on my list."

"I'm sorry, DCM, but I prefer to keep business and my personal life separate. I appreciate you being so understanding! See you at 5:00 (or whenever pick up time is)!"

Hahaha. I do like your snarky response, though. Tempting, tempting...

[MarinaVanessa]

I would so definitively give the kids markers and have them go at it themselves. Then when DCM came back at pick up I'd just say "Hey look, they finished. Now all you have to do is write the names of the kids on the cards. I was way to busy today to do that part but at least the rest is done and they had a blast doing it"

I think it's funny that she not only assumed that you would have her kids Valentine's completed for her but also that you would keep her kids late so that she could go grocery shopping .

AND she was annoyed when you said no ::. It's like some parents think that providers jump for joy at each parent request and just can't wait to get special requests so that their lives are that much easier *chuckling and shaking my head*

[jenn]

I used to teach Kindergarten. Every year I would send home a list of names and request that the kids bring valentines for everyone on the day of our party. Every year at least a handful of kids would show up with an unopened box of cards with a note from the parents asking me to fill in the names. No problem! 30 plus 5/6 year old kids, a curriculum to teach, the craziness of party day...

[Lucy]

Oh, that would highly tick me off!! I have a mom who would be capable of doing something like this. I totally wouldn't put it past her! The bag would go back to her un-completed with no explanation whatsoever. I would go ahead and let the SA do theirs on their own, but not the little ones. I wouldn't say a word about it. IF she asked, I'd either pretend I didn't realize she wanted the little ones done and thought she just meant the older ones, or that we just never got around to it. I wouldn't feel bad one bit.

As for asking to pick up late, it doesn't happen often for me, but I've always just said, "I can't today, sorry." If they dare to ask why, I'd just chuckle and say I have somewhere I need to be at {10 min after they normally pick up}.

I've learned not to feel guilty and over-explain anything that they have unreasonably requested. The simpler the answer, the better.

"Can you......"

"No, sorry."

I find that works with kids too. The less you say in your answer, the better. Takes away any fuel for them to try and negotiate.

[momofboys]

I'm curious how.u handled this.