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Bad Start with New Clients
I'm hoping my new clients pan out to be ok!
First interview (last Sunday): parents come without child after daycare hours. I loved them and we seemed to really click!
Second interview (last Thursday): had to be scheduled so I can meet their daughter. It was at a bad time right before dinner. The parents were completely different. Both mom and dad were super quiet, but lingered! There were so many awkward silences! Mom was helicoptering around their daughter, who is 18 months old. At one point, mom notices a little red mark on her daughter's forehead and says to dad: "you didn't tell me she got an ouchie today!?" Dad says (and he seems irritated at mom), "it was from just now.....she just bonked her head
." Daughter would not leave mom's side until she had been there for 20-30 minutes, then finally breaks off and goes up the slide in my playroom. Daughter kept pushing my daughters and yelling no (I know, it's common for this age, but it was at the top of the slide....it's dangerous!!). Dad finally convinces mom that daughter is grumpy because she's tired and hungry and they should leave. Dad picks up daughter, who throws a royal fit and starts hitting dad in the face 
. Mom insists that her best friend/ god mother of daughter come the next day with daughter so daughter can be more comfortable before they start this week.
Third interview (last Friday): Lady comes with child during daycare hours.....child has a pacifier in her mouth and a baby bottle with milk in her hand.....just woken up at 9:30 am. Lady is very chatty about how she is a spiritual leader and how the child does well when she goes to her house because it's so calm. I tell godmother that since I watch 6 children under 5, it's not exactly "calm and quiet" in my house 
. Lady is lingering as well. She tells me that last provider for child (child's aunt) didn't work because aunt favored her own daughter, who hit. Lady's words were "thankfully, [child] was pulled out before she picked up any bad habits." Which obviously isn't the case as she was doing those things the night before. Finally, I tell lady that I need to get on with my schedule and thank her for coming. As she's walking out the door, she tells me that I need to treat child special because she's "precious cargo." I tell her "yes, each and every child is precious cargo."
I told mom last Thursday during the second interview and over the phone on Friday morning that we needed to set aside time this weekend to go over the contract. She obviously hears me because she said in another conversation that they will set aside time for the contract. Well, Saturday mid-day I email her and text her that I am available Sunday morning at 11. If this is not a good time she needs to contact me asap so we can make other arrangements before Monday. No response on Saturday.....no response Sunday morning. I wasn't sure if she was planning on coming on Sunday morning and forgot to respond....so I wait around until 11. She doesn't show....she doesn't contact me, etc.
Finally at 5 pm last night she calls me and says she forgot to turn her ringer on during the whole weekend and she didn't check her email. Can we set something up in the next hour or so? I tell her that I assumed she had gone with another provider due to lack of communication and I made plans. Furthermore, her daughter will not be starting without a signed contract and time to review it. I told her I am available on Tuesday night.
Should I even give a second chance? They seemed perfect and amazing at first but now seem somewhat flakey. On top of it all, their daughter seems like a handful! What would you all do?!?!
First interview (last Sunday): parents come without child after daycare hours. I loved them and we seemed to really click!
Second interview (last Thursday): had to be scheduled so I can meet their daughter. It was at a bad time right before dinner. The parents were completely different. Both mom and dad were super quiet, but lingered! There were so many awkward silences! Mom was helicoptering around their daughter, who is 18 months old. At one point, mom notices a little red mark on her daughter's forehead and says to dad: "you didn't tell me she got an ouchie today!?" Dad says (and he seems irritated at mom), "it was from just now.....she just bonked her head
." Daughter would not leave mom's side until she had been there for 20-30 minutes, then finally breaks off and goes up the slide in my playroom. Daughter kept pushing my daughters and yelling no (I know, it's common for this age, but it was at the top of the slide....it's dangerous!!). Dad finally convinces mom that daughter is grumpy because she's tired and hungry and they should leave. Dad picks up daughter, who throws a royal fit and starts hitting dad in the face . Mom insists that her best friend/ god mother of daughter come the next day with daughter so daughter can be more comfortable before they start this week.Third interview (last Friday): Lady comes with child during daycare hours.....child has a pacifier in her mouth and a baby bottle with milk
in her hand.....just woken up at 9:30 am. Lady is very chatty about how she is a spiritual leader and how the child does well when she goes to her house because it's so calm. I tell godmother that since I watch 6 children under 5, it's not exactly "calm and quiet" in my house . Lady is lingering as well. She tells me that last provider for child (child's aunt) didn't work because aunt favored her own daughter, who hit. Lady's words were "thankfully, [child] was pulled out before she picked up any bad habits." Which obviously isn't the case as she was doing those things the night before. Finally, I tell lady that I need to get on with my schedule and thank her for coming. As she's walking out the door, she tells me that I need to treat child special because she's "precious cargo." I tell her "yes, each and every child is precious cargo."I told mom last Thursday during the second interview and over the phone on Friday morning that we needed to set aside time this weekend to go over the contract. She obviously hears me because she said in another conversation that they will set aside time for the contract. Well, Saturday mid-day I email her and text her that I am available Sunday morning at 11. If this is not a good time she needs to contact me asap so we can make other arrangements before Monday. No response on Saturday.....no response Sunday morning. I wasn't sure if she was planning on coming on Sunday morning and forgot to respond....so I wait around until 11. She doesn't show....she doesn't contact me, etc.
Finally at 5 pm last night she calls me and says she forgot to turn her ringer on during the whole weekend and she didn't check her email. Can we set something up in the next hour or so
? I tell her that I assumed she had gone with another provider due to lack of communication and I made plans. Furthermore, her daughter will not be starting without a signed contract and time to review it. I told her I am available on Tuesday night. Should I even give a second chance? They seemed perfect and amazing at first but now seem somewhat flakey. On top of it all, their daughter seems like a handful! What would you all do?!?!
. His little sister will be starting in 2 weeks and she is just the cutest little thing!
. Maybe I should do an interview?
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