"But....What Do People Do With Their Kids When You're Closed?"

[Blackcat31]

What is wrong with people?

that's not even the best part....

the mom is a family therapist, specializing in children's behaviors ::

The two worst parents I have ever had both had the same profession.

[MarinaVanessa]

Please tell me you didn't take that woman on as a client. I can't imagine...

No way, I'd never. Especially since I spent the next 10 minutes trying to explain to her that I wasn't the one that needed to supply the breast milk ... she was and I was just to feed it to her baby. She kept arguing with me and insisting that I needed to supply the breast milk until I finally just gave her the phone number to our food program office and asked her to call them to verify her information. She never called back and if she had I wouldn't take her. I think I know a little about the food program ... you know, since I was on it and all for oh ... IDK YEARS! ::

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

::

Don't you just love that question? I get it often but from clients, not really from other people. Sometimes with first-time daycare parents I get "But, what am I supposed to for child care?" when I notify my clients of a vacation or a day that I need to close. I'm supposed to give 2 weeks notice when I close but I often give at least 30 days, when it comes to holidays they get a schedule for the whole year right up front ... and I still get this question .

I have to say that the oddest/weirdest question I have ever gotten was over the phone and was about breast milk. The caller asked if I was on the food program and if I was open to feeding her baby breastmilk ... yes to both ... then she asked me who's milk it was. Somehow she got her info about the food program mixed up .We have to provide a brand of formula of our choice at no cost to the client but if the client chooses to provide breast milk we can still claim it as a meal, she somehow thought that if she chose to feed her baby breast milk that the provider had to provide the breast milk too ::

:::::: I had a mom ask me if it would be easier for me to nurse her dd too since I was nursing my son!!

[Stephnrich]

I was just asked in an interview - "are you going to let your dog bite my baby?"

Lol, WTH?! That could take the cake. One question I'm always asked us "How do you get them to mind you?" Im not sure how to answer it, and usually just say kids mind differently than they do with parents.

[Blackcat31]

I was just asked in an interview - "are you going to let your dog bite my baby?"

I cant remember the story behind this but a parent once asked "You aren't going to shake my baby are you?"

I totally understand the concern but....

[Baby Beluga]

I think this is what bothers me as well. I NEVER hear WOTHP's being asked about paid vacations or their other days off.
Because it's RUDE. And thinking more on it, I'm sure anyone else who works for themselves in what's considered a "real" job isn't asked either (plumber, electricians, etc)
But somehow it's okay to as the "sitter" about her money...

I agree with this. A new family moved in a couple houses down from me and our two little girls started to play together when outside. As soon as mom knew I did in home she would not stop asking questions. She asked salary questions, tax questions, time off, how much money I spent on the kids....and if her and her daughter could come play during the day with all the kids. Btw, none of these questions were asked because she was interested in childcare - she was just nosy.

[MarinaVanessa]

::

:::::: I had a mom ask me if it would be easier for me to nurse her dd too since I was nursing my son!!

::::::::::

Yeah, because you're going to so be willing to either split your son's breast milk supply in half so you can give some to her own son or start to produce twice as much milk in order to have enough for two.

[midaycare]

::

:::::: I had a mom ask me if it would be easier for me to nurse her dd too since I was nursing my son!!

That's just wrong. I love these kiddos, but I have to draw the line in the sand at breastfeeding them.::

[DaveA]

I think this is what bothers me as well. I NEVER hear WOTHP's being asked about paid vacations or their other days off.
Because it's RUDE. And thinking more on it, I'm sure anyone else who works for themselves in what's considered a "real" job isn't asked either (plumber, electricians, etc)
But somehow it's okay to as the "sitter" about her money...

I wonder how much of it is because people just don't get childcare as a business. If someone calls an electrician the job is pretty definable (lights come on, no sparks fly) and the bill is itemized (parts, supplies, labor). To many people childcare is something nebulous that anyone can do where the money paid is just to "play with kids" In my shop I have a set formula for pricing but I get asked questions about pricing/ cost/ profit all the time. Because they don't get it as a business. I flew to Atlanta to a show years ago next to an accountant who practically asked for my W2 and income/expense sheets. Sometimes people are just too darn nosy.

::

:::::: I had a mom ask me if it would be easier for me to nurse her dd too since I was nursing my son!!

Never got asked THAT, but I did have a nursing potential DCM ask me if I would use this contraption she had for DCD to help "simulate the nursing experience". The only way I could describe it was a padded bib with 2 slots to hold a bottle upside down. Yep- she wanted me to wear a fake boob and got offended when I laughed and said "Yeah- not happening." one of several reasons that family got told they were not a good fit.::::::

[Blackcat31]

I wonder how much of it is because people just don't get childcare as a business. If someone calls an electrician the job is pretty definable (lights come on, no sparks fly) and the bill is itemized (parts, supplies, labor). To many people childcare is something nebulous that anyone can do where the money paid is just to "play with kids" In my shop I have a set formula for pricing but I get asked questions about pricing/ cost/ profit all the time. Because they don't get it as a business. I flew to Atlanta to a show years ago next to an accountant who practically asked for my W2 and income/expense sheets. Sometimes people are just too darn nosy.

I think the answer to that would be about 99%.

I think most, if not all problems with families IS that they simply do not understand the business.

I've heard on more than one occasion that the number one qualifier to being a child care provider is having "babysat since they were 10"...or something along those lines.. I have NO idea where that thought process came from because I KNOW this job is nothing like babysitting when I was a kid. ::

[Rockgirl]

I wonder how much of it is because people just don't get childcare as a business. If someone calls an electrician the job is pretty definable (lights come on, no sparks fly) and the bill is itemized (parts, supplies, labor). To many people childcare is something nebulous that anyone can do where the money paid is just to "play with kids"

My elderly aunt commented on a cute pic of kids on my daycare fb page. She said something about me having a fun "job", and yes, she used quotation marks.

[Sugaree]

I think the answer to that would be about 99%.

I think most, if not all problems with families IS that they simply do not understand the business.

I've heard on more than one occasion that the number one qualifier to being a child care provider is having "babysat since they were 10"...or something along those lines.. I have NO idea where that thought process came from because I KNOW this job is nothing like babysitting when I was a kid. ::

As a parent, I get that this is a business and has to be run accordingly.

However, after being the backup care for my oldest goddaughter I realized that I would absolutely have to have a center rather than an in-home care provider. My BFF's in-home care provider kept increasing the number of days each year that she was taking as PTO. By the end it was something like 35 days a year (if I remember correctly it was 10 holidays, 2 weeks in the summer, the week of her birthday, the week of her anniversary, the day of her husband's birthday, and the day of each of her 4 kids birthdays). I understand that it is her right to run her business the way she wants, but I'm also guessing that cost her quite a few families in the end. I'm lucky enough to now have a job that gives me PTO/holidays, but I don't get that much.

[Blackcat31]

As a parent, I get that this is a business and has to be run accordingly.

However, after being the backup care for my oldest goddaughter I realized that I would absolutely have to have a center rather than an in-home care provider. My BFF's in-home care provider kept increasing the number of days each year that she was taking as PTO. By the end it was something like 35 days a year (if I remember correctly it was 10 holidays, 2 weeks in the summer, the week of her birthday, the week of her anniversary, the day of her husband's birthday, and the day of each of her 4 kids birthdays). I understand that it is her right to run her business the way she wants, but I'm also guessing that cost her quite a few families in the end. I'm lucky enough to now have a job that gives me PTO/holidays, but I don't get that much.

I wouldn't say that those circumstances apply to all in-home providers.

I am an in-home provider and have never taken more than 10-14 days off a year MAX. I would say that the provider in your example is probably a "rare" situation although I have heard worse so I dunno....

I just know there are no providers in my area that take that kind of time off and manage to stay in business long.

[laundrymom]

I take typical holidays, 5 pa days that I schedule a year in advance, two unpaid weeks vaca. and unless someone dies, that's it.

[LysesKids]

I wouldn't say that those circumstances apply to all in-home providers.

I am an in-home provider and have never taken more than 10-14 days off a year MAX. I would say that the provider in your example is probably a "rare" situation although I have heard worse so I dunno....

I just know there are no providers in my area that take that kind of time off and manage to stay in business long.

I take off 20 unpaid days... 6 are federal Holidays the others are split into 2 vacations 6 months apart (one of those is Christmas week) and my families are always told by Jan 2 of each year what the years calendar looks like - been in business 15 years in 7 different states