Being a Kid...

[melilley]

I have the 2 extremes right now. 1 parent has her kid wear long sleeves, long pants, socks, shoes, magic gloves, and a very wide brimmed hat every day so his skin doesn't come in contact the dirt. Other parent has the kid who is cleaner after we play in the sprinkler then when he arrived at dc.

What?! He is going to have a heat stroke! How weird! Maybe he is allergic to dirt...

[coolconfidentme]

I had a DCM notice out loud that her 11 month old had dirty knees from crawling on the hardwood floors. I replied, "I tried & tried, but I just can't train the parents to wipe their feet before they come in so I just gave up."

[Meyou]

We actually read a newspaper article in one of my classes that said children now don't take enough healthy risks. Even when they do play outside the playground equipment at most parks are too safe and not challenging (or "risky") enough. That is the reason their is an increase in obesity, physical illness, and depression in children. That, plus the vitamin D you get from playing outside in the sun.

You don't happen to have a link, do you? I'd love to read that article.

My parents are all quite good right now but I practically beat the need for playclothes into them at the interview level and I say in my ad, "If your child doesn't like the outside then they probably won't be happy here."

[Josiegirl]

I feel so bad for those kids who aren't allowed to be kids. Parents pushing their own phobias onto them. They're missing out on so much! My favorite memories of childhood were digging holes and playing with sticks, bugs, mud.

Oh yeh, my handbook covers that too. I stress to them playclothes are needed here!

I do remember a long time ago I had a little girl who wasn't allowed to play in the leaf piles. The mom said she was allergic. I have no idea if she really was or not but considering how weird this mom was, I highly doubt it. She switched to a different daycare because I had mostly boys here and she wanted her dd to stop playing with cars/trucks so much, wanted her to play with girls' toys more. So when her dd and the dcprovider's dd fought all the time, she asked to come back. Sorry lady, spot's filled. Darn.

[hoopinglady]

sitting on the deck watching the others play would not be an option. I would suggest that maybe they need to look for other care because our outside time is a key component to the program. It's one of our main values. It isn't fair or reasonable to exclude anyone.

In my old childcare, at an apartment, the mama decided one day, she didn't want her son running/pushing trucks, etc down the big hill outside the apartment door. It was our playground (and it was big fun). But, I agreed, back then,...I will keep him off the hill.

DCB ran onto the hill to play with the others without thinking one morning as mama and I were chatting, she busted his butt right then and there in front of all of the daycare kids (and neighbors).

Never again.

[Angelsj]

This reminds me of the dcd I had who was mad that his 1st grader got a grass stain on the knee of his Ralph Lauren jeans.

Sometimes you just want to give these parents a high five - with a frying pan.

I had one have a meltdown over this too. How many times do you yell at your 6 year old in a given day because you want to show off that you can afford $80 jeans for a kid? What do you think that does to your kid emotionally?
I told her to leave the yard before she started yelling at her child for something so dumb as getting dirty. Good grief.