Best Excuse for Being Late

[Scribbles]

What is the best excuse you've been told for a parent being late?

I had a parent tell me once that she had to go #2 at work all day but had a fear of using her work bathroom for "that kind" of business so she ended up going home before coming to get her child so she could do her business in her own bathroom but ended up taking longer than she thought so that is why she was 30 minutes late in picking up her child.

I have a late fee of $15 per 30 minutes so her "bathroom business" ended up costing her $15.

What is the best excuse (or worst) you've been told for why a parent was late?

[Rachel]

I fell asleep. Love that one. Set an alarm darling!

The only really legit one I ever got was from a parent who is always here early. He was on the bus and the bus broke down (he aimed to get here 30 minutes to an hour before pickup, plenty of time). He had called half the neighborhood looking for someone to pick up his daughter, and only then called me and explained he was stuck (still 30 minutes before I closed). In the end he got to me about 5 minutes late and I didn't charge anything. Oh if I could have all parents like that...

[hope]

Dcm text me that she was running late. She was always running late but I didn't enforce late fees bc when we made her hours at enrollment I gave her extra time in case of traffic....way more than she needed. So this one day when she came late I asked what kept her and she said she had something difficult to put in the oven so she stopped home first bc she had a hard time controlling her child while making dinner. I eventually termed her for other reasons.

I had one dcm start to drop of way early bc she said she couldn't shower and get ready for work with her child around. She didn't last long either. I have since smarted up a bit.

[nannyde]

Had to go home and let the dogs out. Had to clean up the dog crap before getting the kids because he knew "I" wouldn't want them walking around in crap.

Hugh? Your dogs poop has something to do with ME?

[GKJNIGMN]

"I might be a little late because I need to go pickup my paycheck"

Her pickup time was 2:30 in the afternoon and she worked overnight so she was paying for sleeping hours. Last I checked nothing closes by 2:30PM so she could have picked up her child and then got her check or gotten up half an hour early and picked it up. Instead, her not having to drag one of her kids with made that paycheck cost her $25.

She was terminated 2 months ago.

[DaveA]

"Forgot whose weekend it was". That one was before cellphones were common & it took over an hour after close before we got ahold of an emergency contact.

[Sunchimes]

A few years ago, I was about 6 months into the work and had not found the forum or gotten smart, so I had no handbook or contract. Mom and Dad had just bought a new house and were trying to get the inside painted before moving in. They asked me to keep dcg regular hours while they painted. Regular hours ended at 3:30. I was trying to be helpful, they were so cute and excited about their new house, and I could remember (barely) that feeling. So, 5:00 came around and I called DCM. She said that they were almost finished and would be there in a little while. Again, not too concerned because I had a child until 7 that night. It's no harder to give dinner to 2 instead of one. 7 came and went with no pick up, so I called again. Oh, we are cleaning up, we'll be right over. By then, I was rather forceful because I had had her baby 12 hours by that point. 8:30 they came after their baby. I was livid, but had no recourse without a handbook. And here's the kicker. She never said thank you.

The second time she was off work and went to a movie with hubby. (This was a pay-per-day deal, so I really needed the money.) Pick up time came and went, so I called. Ok, we are on our way. The nearest movie is 40 miles away. By now, I had a contract and I made her pay for every minute she was late. That was over 2 years ago, and she has never been late again! Well, once she had a flat, but she called me, so I didn't charge her.

[e.j.]

I had a parent tell me once that she had to go #2 at work all day but had a fear of using her work bathroom for "that kind" of business so she ended up going home before coming to get her child so she could do her business in her own bathroom but ended up taking longer than she thought so that is why she was 30 minutes late in picking up her child.

Wow! TMI. I can't imagine sharing tht info with my former day care providers!

I've heard a lot of lame excuses. "I fell asleep" seems to be a popular one. I've had 2 dcms give me that excuse at least 2 or 3 times each. I'm with Rachel....Set your alarm!! "I got tied up at the library; the check out line was so long." (Small town library. I doubt there are ever more than 3 or 3 other patrons in there at the same time.) "Chicken is on sale at the supermarket and I stopped after work to get some so I wouldn't have to drag the kids with me." "I didn't know it was going to snow today!" (After several days of storm warnings on the news and at that point, it had been snowing heavily for hours.) "It was a nice day for a walk and I started out a little later than I anticipated." (Next time, if you're running late, you may want to take the car!) My favorite, though, was, "I got so busy I forgot all about her!"

[Aussiedaycare]

My worst - "I forgot she was in care, I thought she was with family and they don't care what time I pick up".

She finally came 2 hours and 15 minutes late. I had rung her at work, home and on her mobile. I had rung her boss and emailed both her and her boss and still couldn't get a hold of her. I started to to ring her emergency contacts, grandparents were away in England (I am in Australia) and her sister was 3 and a half hours away at the beach.

She came to the door crying and carrying on saying how sorry she was - I termed on the spot and told her she owed me $180 in late fees and $50 in inconvenience fees - she paid the next day when she turned up to drop off her child thinking I had only "said those things because I was cross". I took the money and shut the door.

The being late because you had to do #2 is an interesting one

[daycare]

lets see, I have a few


1. I got pulled over and got a speeding ticket, please cut me some slack..I have had this one 2x from 2 different families

2. I thought it was dad's weekend

3. I thought mom picked up, dad thought dad was picking up, they are married??? This one has happened 3x to the same family

4. Top favorite, I went to walmart to get some 5-hour energy because I was so tired and I fell asleep in my car. I didn't wake up until you called me.

5. I thought you closed at 7...... Um yeah NO. This was a drop in that I took years ago and that was the last time they came back.

[CedarCreek]

Both parents forgot about DCB.

I called Mom who was in a meeting (so what really happened is she forgot to tell Dad to pick up)

I called Dad numerous times and left voicemails. I ended up taking DCB with me to Target to run my errands, where Dad eventually met me.

[sugar buzz]

DCD fainted, after returning home from having a vasectomy. 30 minutes late. Fee and small talk waived.

[Naptime yet?]

Got stuck at the train crossing. I know the way DCM comes home from work & there is no train crossing ::.

[MarinaVanessa]

"It's not my fault I'm late. You wanted to get paid today right?"

DCM had to stop at the bank to get money after work to pay me. I accept payment through childcarepay.com, paypal, person-to-person transfers through a bank app, checks and take credit card payments through a phone card-reader . Not a reason to pay late, I could have taken her payment here at home.

[Play Care]

The ONE time I had a parent be very late was because they had a doctors appointment that ran late - which would have been fine EXCEPT the appointment was for 4:30 when I close at 4:45. :confused: There was no way they were planning on making my closing time that day.