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OMG, this turned out to be long. Didn't realize that till I actually posted it. Sorry!!!)
My first vent thread. I know it's gonna come off more hot-headed right now than it would if I calmed down and typed it later, but I'm gonna do right now anyway!!! LOL
Background - neighbors across the street moved in a year after we did and we got friendly with them. I was doing daycare and her boy was 7 and came here off and on. Mom didn't work, but sometimes had stuff to do and he would come here after school instead of going home if she was gone. Anyway, they lived across the street till he was 13, but they only moved a couple miles away. We were still sort of friends with them. Not really seeing them often or calling, but just getting together a few times a year to go out to dinner. Ok, son grows up and gets a girl pregnant summer after high school graduation, and they get married and have a son. Young mom is a year older than him, and had done a year of college. When baby is 7 months, young mom decides to go back to school and I start watching baby. They were irritating right from the start as far as drop-off and pick-up times, not bringing enough bottles (had to rinse out ONE bottle and re-use for the day), not enough diapers, no communication on who would pick up (young mom, young dad, grandma, grandpa, or aunt..... and it made a difference, because each one would come at a different time and I could've had the kid ready to go, but didn't know when!!) And I can't remember all the dates & ages, but let's just say I watched him for several months, then the 2 grandmas decided to take over for several months, then I got him back when he was about 2 yrs old, and it only lasted a few months. NOW, he is 3 and has a baby sister who is 7 months. Young mom has now graduated and is working part-time. Like only a couple days a week I think. She sent me a message on Facebook asking if I could start taking both kids on Tuesdays from 7:30 until when her husband, could pick them up anywhere between 3:00 and 5:00. (Remember these details, they will come into the story again!!) I wasn't real excited about it only being 1 day a week, but the grandparents are our friends, and I do like the little boy. (Had only seen the baby girl a few times briefly). Anyway, so they come the first day at 8:15 when they were scheduled for 7:30, and young mom shows up to pick up at like 2:00. I have no idea why, when she said her husband would come between 3 and 5. So the next Tuesday they come at 7:45, then 5pm rolls around and nobody comes. I call her husband at 5:10 and ask if he knows he's in charge of picking them up, and he says he had to work late and would call his mom (our ex-neighbor) to come get them. Young mom texts 5 min later and says aunt will come get them as young dad can't put 2 carseats in his truck. So they are picked up finally at 5:30. I texted back & forth with young mom and she says "I didn't know you closed at 5:00. I don't even get off work till 5:00." I said "I don't close at 5:00, but you told me your husband would pick up between 3 and 5." I have no idea what happened to the fact of dad picking up like she told me on Facebook, and now all of a sudden she says "I don't get off work till 5:00." So apparently SHE was planning on picking them up at 5:30, which is not at all what we discussed. Also, she said she'd pay me on the 5th and 20th. But since those didn't fall on Tuesdays, she ended up bringing it the following Tuesday, which would end up to be like 3 to 6 days late. Again, the grandparents being our friends, I just let all this happen. (THAT was where I went wrong in this whole thing!!!)
Ok, so I've only had them 3 Tuesdays, and then this morning I get a text at 7:45 that Grandma will be bringing THEM (remember, she texted "THEM") at noon from now on and dad will pick up between 3 and 5 (which had never happened any of the other Tuesdays, so we'll see if it happens today!) So... Grandma shows up at 12:30 and brings boy in, and has to rush out to car because 7 month old baby is in there. I'm thinking she's going to get her and bring her in, but she says bye to the boy. I said "oh, isn't baby coming?" She says no, I told young mom I'd keep her, but the boy will come each week. So now I've gone from two kids for 7.5 to 9.5 hours per week, for a total of 15 to 19 hours per week, down to one kid for 3 to 5 hours per week. OH.... and I kept reminding her to return my enrollment forms, and as of today, my 4th Tuesday of watching them, I still don't have them. That works in my favor, however. Because I texted young mom after Grandma left today and said "I didn't know it would only be the boy from now on. You said she would bring "them" at noon." Then I reminded her about the check that was due last Friday, and told her she could feel free to stop by if the 5th or 20th doesn't fall on a Tuesday. Then I said "in regards to the enrollment forms, I will re-do those because I need to re-think our terms in light of the hours being reduced from 15-19 per week to now only 3-5 hours per week." I sent that at 12:45 and it is now 1:55, and I haven't heard from her. (Then again, she's at work.)
I'm just so ticked off about this whole thing. I'm sick and tired of dealing with their irresponsibility and bad communication. Not only bad communication with ME, but with each other - young mom, young dad, grandparents, aunt. One hand doesn't know what the other hand is doing! I've only dealt with them because of being friends with the grandparents. I'm telling you though, I'm sick of it. I won't outright terminate because even that little bit of money is very needed right now, as I'm way low on enrollment and haven't been able to get any new kids in for months and months. But what I'm going to do is raise their hourly rate due to the boy being here such a little amount of time. And I'm going to make it a SET amount instead of keeping track of their time. He was supposed to come at noon today, but didn't come till 12:30, and darn it, I'm charging from NOON!! I'm going to re-do the paperwork and tell them that his set hours are noon to 5, and they will pay X amount per week for those hours, whether they use them or not. And payments will come in on time or there will be a late fee. I did mention in the text that I normally charge my full-timers a late fee. Just wanted her to know that she's never been charged one even though I normally have it in my contract. I'm done with treating them differently because of being friends. It's a set contract and they will follow the same policies as everyone else.
Well, I feel a little better getting that out. Thanks for reading!
My first vent thread. I know it's gonna come off more hot-headed right now than it would if I calmed down and typed it later, but I'm gonna do right now anyway!!! LOL
Background - neighbors across the street moved in a year after we did and we got friendly with them. I was doing daycare and her boy was 7 and came here off and on. Mom didn't work, but sometimes had stuff to do and he would come here after school instead of going home if she was gone. Anyway, they lived across the street till he was 13, but they only moved a couple miles away. We were still sort of friends with them. Not really seeing them often or calling, but just getting together a few times a year to go out to dinner. Ok, son grows up and gets a girl pregnant summer after high school graduation, and they get married and have a son. Young mom is a year older than him, and had done a year of college. When baby is 7 months, young mom decides to go back to school and I start watching baby. They were irritating right from the start as far as drop-off and pick-up times, not bringing enough bottles (had to rinse out ONE bottle and re-use for the day), not enough diapers, no communication on who would pick up (young mom, young dad, grandma, grandpa, or aunt..... and it made a difference, because each one would come at a different time and I could've had the kid ready to go, but didn't know when!!) And I can't remember all the dates & ages, but let's just say I watched him for several months, then the 2 grandmas decided to take over for several months, then I got him back when he was about 2 yrs old, and it only lasted a few months. NOW, he is 3 and has a baby sister who is 7 months. Young mom has now graduated and is working part-time. Like only a couple days a week I think. She sent me a message on Facebook asking if I could start taking both kids on Tuesdays from 7:30 until when her husband, could pick them up anywhere between 3:00 and 5:00. (Remember these details, they will come into the story again!!) I wasn't real excited about it only being 1 day a week, but the grandparents are our friends, and I do like the little boy. (Had only seen the baby girl a few times briefly). Anyway, so they come the first day at 8:15 when they were scheduled for 7:30, and young mom shows up to pick up at like 2:00. I have no idea why, when she said her husband would come between 3 and 5. So the next Tuesday they come at 7:45, then 5pm rolls around and nobody comes. I call her husband at 5:10 and ask if he knows he's in charge of picking them up, and he says he had to work late and would call his mom (our ex-neighbor) to come get them. Young mom texts 5 min later and says aunt will come get them as young dad can't put 2 carseats in his truck. So they are picked up finally at 5:30. I texted back & forth with young mom and she says "I didn't know you closed at 5:00. I don't even get off work till 5:00." I said "I don't close at 5:00, but you told me your husband would pick up between 3 and 5." I have no idea what happened to the fact of dad picking up like she told me on Facebook, and now all of a sudden she says "I don't get off work till 5:00." So apparently SHE was planning on picking them up at 5:30, which is not at all what we discussed. Also, she said she'd pay me on the 5th and 20th. But since those didn't fall on Tuesdays, she ended up bringing it the following Tuesday, which would end up to be like 3 to 6 days late. Again, the grandparents being our friends, I just let all this happen. (THAT was where I went wrong in this whole thing!!!)
Ok, so I've only had them 3 Tuesdays, and then this morning I get a text at 7:45 that Grandma will be bringing THEM (remember, she texted "THEM") at noon from now on and dad will pick up between 3 and 5 (which had never happened any of the other Tuesdays, so we'll see if it happens today!) So... Grandma shows up at 12:30 and brings boy in, and has to rush out to car because 7 month old baby is in there. I'm thinking she's going to get her and bring her in, but she says bye to the boy. I said "oh, isn't baby coming?" She says no, I told young mom I'd keep her, but the boy will come each week. So now I've gone from two kids for 7.5 to 9.5 hours per week, for a total of 15 to 19 hours per week, down to one kid for 3 to 5 hours per week. OH.... and I kept reminding her to return my enrollment forms, and as of today, my 4th Tuesday of watching them, I still don't have them. That works in my favor, however. Because I texted young mom after Grandma left today and said "I didn't know it would only be the boy from now on. You said she would bring "them" at noon." Then I reminded her about the check that was due last Friday, and told her she could feel free to stop by if the 5th or 20th doesn't fall on a Tuesday. Then I said "in regards to the enrollment forms, I will re-do those because I need to re-think our terms in light of the hours being reduced from 15-19 per week to now only 3-5 hours per week." I sent that at 12:45 and it is now 1:55, and I haven't heard from her. (Then again, she's at work.)
I'm just so ticked off about this whole thing. I'm sick and tired of dealing with their irresponsibility and bad communication. Not only bad communication with ME, but with each other - young mom, young dad, grandparents, aunt. One hand doesn't know what the other hand is doing! I've only dealt with them because of being friends with the grandparents. I'm telling you though, I'm sick of it. I won't outright terminate because even that little bit of money is very needed right now, as I'm way low on enrollment and haven't been able to get any new kids in for months and months. But what I'm going to do is raise their hourly rate due to the boy being here such a little amount of time. And I'm going to make it a SET amount instead of keeping track of their time. He was supposed to come at noon today, but didn't come till 12:30, and darn it, I'm charging from NOON!! I'm going to re-do the paperwork and tell them that his set hours are noon to 5, and they will pay X amount per week for those hours, whether they use them or not. And payments will come in on time or there will be a late fee. I did mention in the text that I normally charge my full-timers a late fee. Just wanted her to know that she's never been charged one even though I normally have it in my contract. I'm done with treating them differently because of being friends. It's a set contract and they will follow the same policies as everyone else.
Well, I feel a little better getting that out. Thanks for reading!
Good luck.
:!
:confused: 
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