Curious How Many of You Are Softies :)

[Thriftylady]

I am a softie, but have been working hard on my backbone. I am trying to learn to be kind and understanding but not a doormat. I have come a little ways, but still working on it.

[Jujube835]

Softie here 🙋🙋

90% of the time im softer than a 2-week old banana. BUT sometimes I surprise myself and just say what I think. I'm hoping to surprise myself more and more in the coming years.

[AuntTami]

Softie here 🙋🙋

90% of the time im softer than a 2-week old banana. BUT sometimes I surprise myself and just say what I think. I'm hoping to surprise myself more and more in the coming years.

I find I'm most honest and get my point across the best when I just let the words fall out of my mouth. But then, there's no telling what I will say

[Magic]

I am a big softy
only if it comes with respect and goes both ways ....
I have had to not be a softy with some ....but again it came with no respect

with licensing ..no ...I follow the rules ....they truely make sense
and are mostly around being safe

the kids well a firm fun hand ...

[e.j.]

I tend more toward the softie side. I sometimes tolerate more than I probably should but will speak up when I feel I need to, even if I feel uncomfortable doing it. For the most part, though, my families treat me with respect and I try to treat them the way I would have liked to have been treated when I was a dc parent.

[Unregistered]

I'm a tough softie!!!!! I never have let parents walk all over me.

But here are some softie things I do out of choice

I purposely allow children to bring one toy from home each day because they share everything here and I think it's important to have something from home. If they have two or three small things here I don't fret. If they bring loads of big items they are required to choose one item before parent leaves and parent takes the rest. I don't have big issues with this and I have rules I enforce with this.

I keep extra coats, jackets, boots here for winter. Parents are busy, no I don't want to enable them, I request winter gear. If someone is taking advantage of me, I address it. If someone forgets once or twice I have the extras here to fall back on.

I have parents bring sleeping bags...I wash them. #1. If they went home each Friday would they just lay in the car or be forgotten? #2. I think families are super stressed and stretched so thin. This is a service I provide. It also saves me headaches tracking the SB down if it doesn't come Monday.

I respect parents, get close to many of them, they respect me, I'm firm, fair, and consistent when it comes to the kids and their behavior. We have lots of fun, but they know the rules and they know I won't tolerate CRAZY!

I know there are other things I read here concerning parents and kids that I think "I'm a softie" in that area. Just can't think of any more.

I don't bend my policies...what's in the handbook is close to being written in stone.

[KiddieCahoots]

Softy here too!

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I seem to be a bad judge of character though, that can sometimes bite me in the butt, because like pp, I find that with some.....when you give an inch, they take a mile.....That's the time when I usually have to put on the professional pants, and reinstate my handbook policies. The thing that sometimes backfires for me then is the parent will challenge me on simple policies, (and when I say simple, I mean basic....like you cannot bring your child to daycare with a temp of 102.4) for getting away with it before, and it can become a power struggle with the parent. Unfortunately that usually ends with them leaving, or me sending them on their way. Either way, I try to look at it as a bullet dodged.

[Snowmom]

I'm going to be the odd one: Nope, not at all a softie (with the parents).

8 years ago, I would have said yes I am, but I had a very different group then.
We did play dates, birthday parties and social gatherings.
In the past few years, families have changed, dynamics have changed, and I have changed.

I wrote my rules/handbook for a reason, it was the way I was comfortable doing business. I went over every aspect of this during the interviews. If they can't abide or agree with it, they need to find a different provider. I find it completely disrespectful when parents don't think the rules apply to them.
If it's an honest mistake, I'll still be nice and understanding, but I will not waive fees and it will still go in your file to determine if action/termination is needed in the future for non-compliance.