Thankful for current dcfs BUT....

[Josiegirl]

I remember a family I had, the mother was a doctor, her dd got sick, passed it onto my dd who was 18 months at the time. My dd got so sick I had to bring her to the ER during work hours. All the other dcps had picked up their children except her. My dh left work so he could come watch her kid. She finally picked up her dd, and came to the ER to ask me if I was going back home! Turns out my dd had to be admitted for dehydration with bronchiolitis. And the dcm was so worried about who was going to be caring for her dd, to he!! with what was going on with mine. That was so very many years ago.

Or the dcm who left dc one day and I simply never heard from her again, till about a month later when she called to ask me if her kid could come and play with the kids for the afternoon. I said are you kidding?

Or the 2 families I let go because their children had such foul language. And it was used all the time! Only so many times I'm going to be called a b1t@h in my own home by a 5 yo. Funny thing was the parents were mad at ME.

Guess that's not so bad out of 32 years of being in childcare. I can honestly say I have been extremely lucky over the past 8-10 years(except for 1 of the dcfs with foul mouths) all the dcfs have been wonderful!!

So do you have any tales to tell?

[Crazy8]

I had one who term'd because I called her mid-day telling her my SIL was dying and told her she had to pick up her kids a little early so I could head up to the hospital. She flipped out telling me she could get fired for taking time off, etc. The thing that pissed me off most was it was summer and this parent was taking days left and right to go to Six Flags, the beach, etc. (all while I had her 2 kids of course). I called her that evening to tell her my SIL passed away 20 min. after I got there and I would not be taking her children back.

She was my first client, was state paid (which I found out she was lying to get), and taught me a lot about what to look for in a client!

[MarinaVanessa]

I had one when I first started that fought me tooth and nail over everything. I mean everything. It was rediculous. She never had back up care even when I let her know months in advance that I was going on vacation or even when she new at the beginning of the year which holidays I would close. She didn't want her child eating sugar and complained when I served graham crackers for snack but then complained when I served the others otter pops but gave her child a banana instead. She complained when she was late and I tried to enforce my closing time. She complained when she paid late and I addressed it. She conpained when her checks bounced and I refused to accept checks from her any longer. She hovered around at drop off everyday for at least 30 minutes and then complained that I talked to much and made her late for work. She complained when I wouldn't stay open late for her. She complained when she woke up late and I refused to drive to her house to pick up her child so that she can finish getting ready for work. She complained that my portions were too small and not healthy enough even though I followed the food program regulations. She complained that her child would be malnourished and end up on the failure to thrive list because I served 1% milk instead of whole milk which I am required to do because of the food program. She complained that her child would get splinters on his feet or a scratch on his toes from playing outside but she was the one that would forget to bring his shoes. She complained because she'd forget to bring her child clothes and he would have to wear pink (my DD's clothes) if he had an accident or got dirty. She complained because I "allowed" him to be too loud in my home (he was being a normal child) but she allowed him to jump on my furniture. So yeah. She complained a lot and then would threaten to go somewhere else if I didn't cave. I learned eventually of course.

[MyAngels]

I've been pretty lucky, too, but a couple come to mind:

The 4 year old who cussed like a sailor. The parents thought it was oh so cute. I didn't. My only official "term."

The father who pulled his little girl because she never wanted to leave at the end of the day. I mean, really, who wants their child to actually be happy at daycare, right?

The high maintenance mom who pulled her son because I would not exclude another child who had (real) allergies for the week before her kid's birthday because she didn't want him to be sick for his party. Sorry lady, but you can't actually "catch" allergies ::. She also wanted to use the two weeks unpaid vacation I offer so she didn't have to pay the notice period. Um, no.

Not too bad for a 20 year run I guess .

[coolconfidentme]

I had a child spit on another & I told the DCM. She responded by telling me he doesn't see that kind of behavior at home. She was going to let her other son watch him before/after school from now on. I replied, "Is the one on juvenile probation for shooting out the neighbor's windows with a BB gun?" She was sooo shocked I knew.

ps.., she was sporting an ankle braclet DCB said she got for "clocking daddy."

[Familycare71]

I had a child spit on another & I told the DCM. She responded by telling me he doesn't see that kind of behavior at home. She was going to let her other son watch him before/after school from now on. I replied, "Is the one on juvenile probation for shooting out the neighbor's windows with a BB gun?" She was sooo shocked I knew.

ps.., she was sporting an ankle braclet DCB said she got for "clocking daddy."

[e.j.]

I had a child spit on another & I told the DCM. She responded by telling me he doesn't see that kind of behavior at home. She was going to let her other son watch him before/after school from now on. I replied, "Is the one on juvenile probation for shooting out the neighbor's windows with a BB gun?" She was sooo shocked I knew.

ps.., she was sporting an ankle braclet DCB said she got for "clocking daddy."

Makes me appreciate all of the relatively normal families I've encountered! I've only had a couple of troubled families. One had just moved from another state and recently remarried. Two weeks after she enrolled her kids with me, she warned that the sherriff's dept. may show up at my door looking for her kids. She had taken them with her when she moved without telling her exhusband. Just a little detail she left out during the interview.

The other family had just reunited with their teen who had run away and had been missing for a good part of the summer. That wasn't an issue but when dcm came in one day and told me that the teen would start doing the drop offs and oh, btw... has been watching porm movies with her 4 year old sister in the morning.... it became an issue for me.

[Unregistered]

Oh, I called a parent for pick up today with a child who has croup (but they never hear him cough at home - eyeroll) to tell me that they are out of sick time and neither of them can come pick up. So I need to keep the child! While the other child's sibling is coughing so hard that the child is gagging!

[coolconfidentme]

Oh, I called a parent for pick up today with a child who has croup (but they never hear him cough at home - eyeroll) to tell me that they are out of sick time and neither of them can come pick up. So I need to keep the child! While the other child's sibling is coughing so hard that the child is gagging!

I would ask them if CPS (child protection service) is on their pick up list, because it is on mine!