Days Like This I Wish I DIDN'T Do Daycare!!

[AfterSchoolMom]

Thanks for the responses ladies. The one stool they received for Christmas, addressed to all 4 of my girls, because for the longest time they only had 1 stool because the other was broke and not repairable. That is what my 13 year old is complaining about....so i see both sides of the story.

Well, I think that changes the situation. I change my answer and agree with letting your girls have "ownership" of the stools. However, I do not think they should be allowed to behave rudely to your DCG, and vice versa.

[SilverSabre25]

Well, I think that changes the situation. I change my answer and agree with letting your girls have "ownership" of the stools. However, I do not think they should be allowed to behave rudely to your DCG, and vice versa.

Yes, this.

[My4SunshineGirlsNY]

Well, I think that changes the situation. I change my answer and agree with letting your girls have "ownership" of the stools. However, I do not think they should be allowed to behave rudely to your DCG, and vice versa.

Exactly! I don't tollerate her saying rude comments....and she does try to hold back because she knows I don't tollerate it, but some mornings she can get argumentive.

I have been thinking all morning and came up with this solution: my 2 girls get the stools in the morning for breakfast, and if daycare girl wants it for snack in the afternoon, she can have it then. This way there is no "who gets the chairs today" senario so early in the morning creating havoc at 7a.m. I'm going to roll with that and see how it goes.

[Lucy]

I have a couple of thoughts here. First, my mom did Daycare since before I was born until I was about 15, so I well know what it feels like to have these "outsiders" come in and invade your territory. Especially when Mom expects you to just "give" them the choice seats, toys, etc. Please realize I'm saying this from the perspective of myself as a kid. That was how it felt to me. As an adult now, I do see the background and reasoning to all this, but it sure didn't feel very good at the time.

Second, what I've done when there was a squabble over seating, who is first in line to go outside for the bus, etc. etc., is to make a chart or calendar where they rotate turns. It really helped a couple years ago when I was overrun with school-age kids who squabbled over the most petty things.

[laundrymom]

I think assigning the stools to your girls then sounds awesome. Sorry those are jessie and Raylens chairs, yours are at the table. and leave it at that.

[SandeeAR]

Having raised two girls, 2.5 years apart, that are now 27 and 29, I feel your pain of the pre teen and teen years!

I would also make those stools for your kids only. Off limit to ANY daycare kid. Period. I'm sure there are other areas of your home that are off limit.

One thing I did to stop the fighting between my girls was assign days. One was born on the 11th, the other the 12th, (different months). One got first choice on odd days of the month, the other first choice on even days. This worked for who sat by me, who got the front seat, who picked where we ate out, etc. You get the point. It evened itself out on a day to day basis, and best of all, I was no longer the bad guy.