How Many Parents Do You "Like"?

[childcaremom]

Basically I get along best with easy going people who love their kids, aren't too hyped on the most current parenting craze and above all respect me and my business. I would never hang out with anyone who had a child enrolled in my care though and haven't in the 15ish years I've been doing this.

I don't know how to multi quote... but I also agree that I am more business-like now and don't really have a relationship with the parents, other than a business one.

I get along with them, their parenting values mostly coincide with mine and they are relatively easy going. I wouldn't imagine becoming friends with them outside of daycare but am happy to know them while their children are in my care.

I have had horrible parents and am thankful for the ones I have now. They aren't overly special, they are average people. But they follow the rules, communicate clearly with me, and we can talk about issues when they come up. I don't feel terrorized by them and my stomach doesn't clench into knots when they pull in the driveway. yes, I've had my share of those parents.

[DaveA]

I don't have any "problem" DCFs. Of my 5 families 1 I've worked with 8 years. Great DCPs & nice people. Little (OK at LOT) scatterbrained but good to work with and almost never causes a problem. Would easily be friends with them if they weren't clients.

2 others are closer to my own age or have similar personalities. I get along with them very well.

Another is not necessarily a couple I would be friends with (huge age difference and personalities wouldn't mesh), but are caring parents and follow the rules so I'm glad to have them.

My last family annoys me but nothing major. Little things here or there. Not thoughtless just clueless at times. I've joked it's ironic DCM offered to pay me in moonshine once because she will drive me to drink. They pay on time and don't cause many issues so no biggie.

I don't be friends/ hang out with clients outside of daycare ever again. THAT fiasco has been detailed before on here.

[daycare]

I have 22 families and I like all of them as clients. I am not friends with them.

But I keep it pretty business.

There is one parent I don't care for, but it's only because she post stuff on face book that I am highly offended by. I recently learned I can unfollow her judgemental, hateful post. But this mom has been nothing but nice to me in person.


I edit to add that if I don't like or get along with a parent, it's never going to work. I refuse to be unhappy in my own business. That's why I have a trail period. Or I let them go. Ain't no body got time for that. Lol

[Snowmom]

I used to care if I LIKED them, now I don't.

There's been many families over the years that I thought I loved, but turned out I really didn't like them at all in the end. Then there's some that I adored from the get go and I still miss them years later.

Now, as long as they don't disrespect me, I don't care to get to know any of them. I'm less likely to give second chances and warnings with the offenders, instead I just go about my business and replace them if I need to. The good parents are great to have, but it's never going to be more than business.

[crazydaycarelady]

I don't dislike any of my dcparents. Sometimes I think they do goofy things and question their decisions (but never say anything) but overall I like them.

[Baby Beluga]

I don't dislike any of my dcparents. Sometimes I think they do goofy things and question their decisions (but never say anything) but overall I like them.

All of my current families are wonderful, giving people and I do like them as clients. But I would never consider bring friends with any of them or discussing anything personal about my life with them. Once I am in a business relationship with someone I can't make the switch to friendship.

[Gemma]

From all the families you have enrolled how many do you like and dislike?

It might seems like a odd question but as I am feeling really frustrated, i wondered how many others felt this way and if i should just accept it as part of the job of been a daycare provider. Beside these two, everything would be a bliss.

I like most of the parents I've worked for, since putting my foot down and demand respect (for me, my property and my rules) during drop off/pick up!

Believe it or not most parents have no idea what bothers you, unless you straight out tell them! ....then there are those that just can't get it, well, we get rid of those!

Sorry you're having a tough time!:hug:

[Play Care]

Honestly, I used to like all my parents. I have since become a little more business orientated and less interested in parents and their lives outside of business so naturally I've gotten less close to the parents and therefore can't say I like or dislike any of them.
There are a few I think I could probably be friendlier with but it's worked better for me (business wise) to keep it strictly business.

This.

[Stephnrich]

I'm transitioning from full time care (11 hrs) to more of a MDO schedule (7 hrs), so I've lost 4 of my families. I liked 2 of them, but they were also my first to arrive/last to leave families. Of the 7 I have left, 3 of them I feel close to (we're facebook friends, I attend the events they invite me to), 3 I like but keep professional and 1 I am not fond of.

Reading other's responses in this thread makes me feel less guilty for not adoring all the families equally!

[Unregistered]

A Husbands Perspective

We laughingly apply our version of the 6 month rule to ALL new incoming families and some aquaintances outside of business. It seems to prove true for us, many more times than not. Let's be realistic; time and what you experience in that time is the true measure of ones demeanor and personality. This all comes from the point of view of a husband to a Childcare provider. I can't believe I'm doing this 👀.
This is my 1st day reading some of 👃🏼 your posts and find them very entertaining, comical and pretty much hit home with what my family and I have experienced in our home for the past 12 years. I worked outside of the home at my own career until an injury forced me to stay home and my wife to get her large license. I would do all of the Transporting of ours and the childcare children to and from schools, help out with incidental childcare duties and house chores. I remember coming home after a 10 hr workday to a house full of kids and having to immediately change directions to get my kids to they're perspective practices or games. Dinner was most often on the run, come home and get homework done and kids to bed. Then I got to start all over again, but wasn't until I was home for good did I start to see everything my wife had to do and put up with in a day. I always knew she had a really tough job but couldn't grasp the magnitude until I was there day in and day out. I also knew that it wasn't so much the children being a lot of work as it was the PARENTS. I'm sure you all have the same stories and could say, "boy do I have a story for you". Right? I think you should all write a book when your finished with this chapter of your life. You aren't just a childcare provider, your a friend (whether you like it or not), you're a counselor, a therapist and should be receptive to text messages at 11pm answering the question, "how did my child eat today" or "what kind of poop did they have".
I totally agree with "unregistered". That is exactly what I would tell my wife; treat it like a business because that is exactly what it is. Sometimes parents behave as though it's not really a business because it involves they're children. Nobody really wants their children to be treated as part as business, it's too impersonal. Many parents want that personal care for their child but when your in charge of watching 8-12 kids, how can you be so personal?
I don't know how my wife does it. Even some parents say, "I don't know how you do this".
She can do it because she is good at it, or is it she is good at it that's how she can do it. I always ask her if she ever wonders why she get so many of the jacked up parents/families? Seems like every one of them have some kind of issue or hang up about something, anything that is brought into our home.
So all of you men and husbands that perhaps may think that your wife just feeds, changes diapers and puts down for naps little kids. Let me say that unless your wife is probably one of the few priviledged in not having the drama that most certainly have; it's not like that. There is so much more that the average childcare provider deals with on a daily basis. In my estimation, it has got to be one of the most difficult jobs there are. Get her out of the house more often, take her to dinner, take her to a movie, go shopping with her. Show her how much you appreciate what she does. It's not easy.

[daycare]

We laughingly apply our version of the 6 month rule to ALL new incoming families and some aquaintances outside of business. It seems to prove true for us, many more times than not. Let's be realistic; time and what you experience in that time is the true measure of ones demeanor and personality. This all comes from the point of view of a husband to a Childcare provider. I can't believe I'm doing this ��.
This is my 1st day reading some of ���� your posts and find them very entertaining, comical and pretty much hit home with what my family and I have experienced in our home for the past 12 years. I worked outside of the home at my own career until an injury forced me to stay home and my wife to get her large license. I would do all of the Transporting of ours and the childcare children to and from schools, help out with incidental childcare duties and house chores. I remember coming home after a 10 hr workday to a house full of kids and having to immediately change directions to get my kids to they're perspective practices or games. Dinner was most often on the run, come home and get homework done and kids to bed. Then I got to start all over again, but wasn't until I was home for good did I start to see everything my wife had to do and put up with in a day. I always knew she had a really tough job but couldn't grasp the magnitude until I was there day in and day out. I also knew that it wasn't so much the children being a lot of work as it was the PARENTS. I'm sure you all have the same stories and could say, "boy do I have a story for you". Right? I think you should all write a book when your finished with this chapter of your life. You aren't just a childcare provider, your a friend (whether you like it or not), you're a counselor, a therapist and should be receptive to text messages at 11pm answering the question, "how did my child eat today" or "what kind of poop did they have".
I totally agree with "unregistered". That is exactly what I would tell my wife; treat it like a business because that is exactly what it is. Sometimes parents behave as though it's not really a business because it involves they're children. Nobody really wants their children to be treated as part as business, it's too impersonal. Many parents want that personal care for their child but when your in charge of watching 8-12 kids, how can you be so personal?
I don't know how my wife does it. Even some parents say, "I don't know how you do this".
She can do it because she is good at it, or is it she is good at it that's how she can do it. I always ask her if she ever wonders why she get so many of the jacked up parents/families? Seems like every one of them have some kind of issue or hang up about something, anything that is brought into our home.
So all of you men and husbands that perhaps may think that your wife just feeds, changes diapers and puts down for naps little kids. Let me say that unless your wife is probably one of the few priviledged in not having the drama that most certainly have; it's not like that. There is so much more that the average childcare provider deals with on a daily basis. In my estimation, it has got to be one of the most difficult jobs there are. Get her out of the house more often, take her to dinner, take her to a movie, go shopping with her. Show her how much you appreciate what she does. It's not easy.

you should register and stick around.......you rock....

[daycarediva]

We laughingly apply our version of the 6 month rule to ALL new incoming families and some aquaintances outside of business. It seems to prove true for us, many more times than not. Let's be realistic; time and what you experience in that time is the true measure of ones demeanor and personality. This all comes from the point of view of a husband to a Childcare provider. I can't believe I'm doing this ��.
This is my 1st day reading some of ���� your posts and find them very entertaining, comical and pretty much hit home with what my family and I have experienced in our home for the past 12 years. I worked outside of the home at my own career until an injury forced me to stay home and my wife to get her large license. I would do all of the Transporting of ours and the childcare children to and from schools, help out with incidental childcare duties and house chores. I remember coming home after a 10 hr workday to a house full of kids and having to immediately change directions to get my kids to they're perspective practices or games. Dinner was most often on the run, come home and get homework done and kids to bed. Then I got to start all over again, but wasn't until I was home for good did I start to see everything my wife had to do and put up with in a day. I always knew she had a really tough job but couldn't grasp the magnitude until I was there day in and day out. I also knew that it wasn't so much the children being a lot of work as it was the PARENTS. I'm sure you all have the same stories and could say, "boy do I have a story for you". Right? I think you should all write a book when your finished with this chapter of your life. You aren't just a childcare provider, your a friend (whether you like it or not), you're a counselor, a therapist and should be receptive to text messages at 11pm answering the question, "how did my child eat today" or "what kind of poop did they have".
I totally agree with "unregistered". That is exactly what I would tell my wife; treat it like a business because that is exactly what it is. Sometimes parents behave as though it's not really a business because it involves they're children. Nobody really wants their children to be treated as part as business, it's too impersonal. Many parents want that personal care for their child but when your in charge of watching 8-12 kids, how can you be so personal?
I don't know how my wife does it. Even some parents say, "I don't know how you do this".
She can do it because she is good at it, or is it she is good at it that's how she can do it. I always ask her if she ever wonders why she get so many of the jacked up parents/families? Seems like every one of them have some kind of issue or hang up about something, anything that is brought into our home.
So all of you men and husbands that perhaps may think that your wife just feeds, changes diapers and puts down for naps little kids. Let me say that unless your wife is probably one of the few priviledged in not having the drama that most certainly have; it's not like that. There is so much more that the average childcare provider deals with on a daily basis. In my estimation, it has got to be one of the most difficult jobs there are. Get her out of the house more often, take her to dinner, take her to a movie, go shopping with her. Show her how much you appreciate what she does. It's not easy.

I agree with this, except for 1. don't call or text me after hours. A woken up provider is NOT a happy one. 2. Please don't take me out after I have been "on" all day. I'm introverted, let's stay home.

Definitely register, it's neat to get a man's perspective. The field certainly needs more of it.

[DaveA]

you should register and stick around.......you rock....

I agree with this, except for 1. don't call or text me after hours. A woken up provider is NOT a happy one. 2. Please don't take me out after I have been "on" all day. I'm introverted, let's stay home.

Definitely register, it's neat to get a man's perspective. The field certainly needs more of it.

YES PLEASE REGISTER!!!!!! I'm outnumbered badly here!::::::