I wrote a contract for a reason! Acknowledge the contract! - Rant

[permanentvacation]

On one specific page in my contract, I list out my days that I'm closed. I make sure to go over that page with people during the interview and I tell them to write the days that I will be closed on a calendar or tear the list out of the contract (which is why I put it on it's own sheet of paper listed out) and put the list on their refrigerator so they can look and see when I will be closed. Then I tell them that I try to remind them throughout the year that a day is coming up that I will be closed, but that I don't always remember to remind people which is why I've given them a list so ahead of time.

No matter what, there's ALWAYS someone who doesn't acknowledge the list of days off in the contract and shows up for daycare and gets mad as all Hell that I'm closed! Then they blame me for not reminding them - even though I told them on the interview that I don't always remind them and that they need to acknowledge the list of days closed that I give them on the interview. Schools (elementary, middle, and high schools) don't call parents or send home a reminder notice that school will be closed on an upcoming day. They give you a school calendar which includes their days closed for the year and it's up to you to acknowledge their one school calendar that they give you. Why is it that parents of younger children need us to give them constant reminders of things like this? They won't get constant reminders once their child is in real school.

[Thriftylady]

I usually do give a reminder a week or so ahead of time. I forget things all the time, so I figure everyone else does also. Then if they show up I am still closed. It surprises me how many are closed for Columbus Day though since so may schools and places of work are open.

[permanentvacation]

My days closed have nothing to do with public school or any other company's days closed.

In this particular case, though, I wasn't feeling well all week last week and then I wound up in the hospital! So I was a bit too ill to remember that I was closed on an upcoming day. I was kind of busy being sick and being in the hospital.

I used to make monthly newsletters and in those newsletters, I wrote the days that I would be closed that month. I still had parents show up on my closed days and holler at me for being closed. It really just boils down to them not acknowledging things you tell them or papers that you give them and them only caring about their needs/wants rather than your company policies, rules, days off, etc.

[bklsmum]

I send home reminders. I also put it in the monthly newsletters and the weekly notes that go home and post it on both bulletin boards and put in on both sides of my door the day before. It would be great if everyone remembered but sadly that doesn't always happen so I would rather over remind than have to deal with them showing up on my day off and being pissy.

PS My kid's school district does send home closed reminders the day or week before and they robocall to remind as well.

[Thriftylady]

I send home reminders. I also put it in the monthly newsletters and the weekly notes that go home and post it on both bulletin boards and put in on both sides of my door the day before. It would be great if everyone remembered but sadly that doesn't always happen so I would rather over remind than have to deal with them showing up on my day off and being pissy.

PS My kid's school district does send home closed reminders the day or week before and they robocall to remind as well.

Yes our school does the robo call for reminders and remind students.

[Controlled Chaos]

I wish everyone was organized, wrote things on their calendars etc. But they don't.

If I have a holiday or random closed day coming up. It is in the monthly newsletter, and I post a note on my door the week before.

Ex: "Looking forward to my brother's wedding this weekend! I'm closed Thursday - Sunday. Have a great long weekend with your family! See you Monday!"

I'm sorry you were ill, I would have forgotten to remind them too.

[nanglgrl]

Our school does not give reminders and I never forget. I know I forget everything so I make it a point to write it on the calendar as soon as I get the yearly schedule. There is no excuse. It must just be a thing these days..the same reason the doctors/dentist etc. calls me about an appointment I scheduled and calls to confirm I'm coming. It annoys me. I put it on my calendar. If I wasn't coming I'd cancel..but I guess these days a lot of people don't have any personal responsibility.

[Thriftylady]

Our school does not give reminders and I never forget. I know I forget everything so I make it a point to write it on the calendar as soon as I get the yearly schedule. There is no excuse. It must just be a thing these days..the same reason the doctors/dentist etc. calls me about an appointment I scheduled and calls to confirm I'm coming. It annoys me. I put it on my calendar. If I wasn't coming I'd cancel..but I guess these days a lot of people don't have any personal responsibility.

I am not sure it is always about personal responsibility. Now getting mad because they forgot is out of line. But people have so much going on these days I think people sometimes get overwhelmed which is why I do give reminders. Now once I give the reminder I expect them to follow through. I am the kind of person I have to write down everything or I will forget. I know that so I do write things down, so there are things people can do. I guess I just think a reminder is the friendly thing to do.

[nanglgrl]

I am not sure it is always about personal responsibility. Now getting mad because they forgot is out of line. But people have so much going on these days I think people sometimes get overwhelmed which is why I do give reminders. Now once I give the reminder I expect them to follow through. I am the kind of person I have to write down everything or I will forget. I know that so I do write things down, so there are things people can do. I guess I just think a reminder is the friendly thing to do.

A reminder is a friendly thing to do but I don't think people should depend on a reminder and that seems to be what a lot of people have started to do. I think in this day and age where you can not only have a written calendar but can also have reminders on your phone, in your email etc. there is no excuse. I do remind my clients but there are times I've forgotten and think that's still no excuse for them to forget. I think people are so used to being reminded by others they aren't even trying.

[permanentvacation]

I think I'm more upset that she's so mad because she knows that I just went to the hospital because I was so ill. Even though I own a business, when a person is ill all week long, but works through their illness and pain, then the last day of the week, walks out with their last client of the day to take themselves to the hospital, I just don't know that I would yell at that person for forgetting to remind me of an upcoming day that they would be closed.

I think I'm more thinking, 'Cut me a break here, I was in the freaking hospital! I gave you the information when you hired me, don't yell at me because you don't care to look at the paper I gave you.'

I don't know. I'm just frustrated I guess.

[permanentvacation]

The thing is I could remind them in a newsletter on the first of the month, then a week before, put a note on the door, and then remind them the night before I'm closed and someone will still show up! Honestly it doesn't matter if I remind them or not, someone always shows up banging on my door on my day off and then gets mad as anything hooping and hollering at me because I'm closed!

Honestly, I think it boils down again to being in a lower income area. Here, almost every one of my clients is a single parent who is barely surviving, has to work every day even if they are dying so they don't get fired, don't have any family or anyone close by as back up child care if I'm closed, etc. Basically, I (their daycare) am their lifeline to staying employed which is their lifeline to not being homeless. So if I am too ill or in the hospital and can't work or if I have a pre-planned day off of work, it throws my parents into an anxiety attack of fight or flight of survival mode. Or at least, that's how they react to my being closed.

[Thriftylady]

The thing is I could remind them in a newsletter on the first of the month, then a week before, put a note on the door, and then remind them the night before I'm closed and someone will still show up! Honestly it doesn't matter if I remind them or not, someone always shows up banging on my door on my day off and then gets mad as anything hooping and hollering at me because I'm closed!

Honestly, I think it boils down again to being in a lower income area. Here, almost every one of my clients is a single parent who is barely surviving, has to work every day even if they are dying so they don't get fired, don't have any family or anyone close by as back up child care if I'm closed, etc. Basically, I (their daycare) am their lifeline to staying employed which is their lifeline to not being homeless. So if I am too ill or in the hospital and can't work or if I have a pre-planned day off of work, it throws my parents into an anxiety attack of fight or flight of survival mode. Or at least, that's how they react to my being closed.

I don't think income has anything to do with it. I have been "low income" much of my life, but I am still a responsible person who doesn't blame others for my problems in life. I just see it as there are two kinds of people out there. One type accepts responsibility for their life and their actions and makes things work. The other type doesn't and has a million excuses and blames others for everything.

[LysesKids]

The thing is I could remind them in a newsletter on the first of the month, then a week before, put a note on the door, and then remind them the night before I'm closed and someone will still show up! Honestly it doesn't matter if I remind them or not, someone always shows up banging on my door on my day off and then gets mad as anything hooping and hollering at me because I'm closed!

Honestly, I think it boils down again to being in a lower income area. Here, almost every one of my clients is a single parent who is barely surviving, has to work every day even if they are dying so they don't get fired, don't have any family or anyone close by as back up child care if I'm closed, etc. Basically, I (their daycare) am their lifeline to staying employed which is their lifeline to not being homeless. So if I am too ill or in the hospital and can't work or if I have a pre-planned day off of work, it throws my parents into an anxiety attack of fight or flight of survival mode. Or at least, that's how they react to my being closed.

I get the work thru the pain... I was in the Hospital Monday night & had an unplanned closing Tuesday due a real bad kidney infection (& a kidney stone); My parents took turns the rest of week keeping a child home just so all 4 babies weren't here all at the same time & I could work with a lighter load (not my idea but theirs) - They all even asked if I closed today and I said nope, not on minor Federal days, just Major... I'm in a low income area too, but all my parents had back up provisions in place when they contracted. Today I was told my color was back & they could tell I was feeling better since last Friday

[Blackcat31]

I am not sure it is always about personal responsibility. Now getting mad because they forgot is out of line. But people have so much going on these days I think people sometimes get overwhelmed which is why I do give reminders. Now once I give the reminder I expect them to follow through. I am the kind of person I have to write down everything or I will forget. I know that so I do write things down, so there are things people can do. I guess I just think a reminder is the friendly thing to do.

It IS about personal responsibility.

If people have so much going on in their lives that they forget things that have to do with their children, then perhaps its time to pare down the list of things they have going on in their lives.

I think when society begins to feel it's okay or understandable for people to not have to be responsible for something that DOES effect them the fall out is that those people start to believe it is someone else's responsibility to remind them of theirs.

I'm sorry but I already parented (taught my children how to be responsible and to how to endure the consequences when they do forget) so I a certainly not going to parent my daycare clients.

I send out a yearly calendar. Parents can keep it in a safe place so they know what days they do not have care or they can lose it and thus be upset that they now have an "issue" to figure out but no matter if they keep it or lose it, its not MY issue and I won't take responsibility for it when I have things going on in my life too...

I know Dr and dentist offices often send out reminders or make reminder calls but they have a secretary or staff person that can do that and until I am making somewhere along the same lines as those professions, reminder calls won't be part of my duty or my responsibility.

[Crazy8]

The thing is I could remind them in a newsletter on the first of the month, then a week before, put a note on the door, and then remind them the night before I'm closed and someone will still show up! Honestly it doesn't matter if I remind them or not, someone always shows up banging on my door on my day off and then gets mad as anything hooping and hollering at me because I'm closed!

Honestly, I think it boils down again to being in a lower income area. Here, almost every one of my clients is a single parent who is barely surviving, has to work every day even if they are dying so they don't get fired, don't have any family or anyone close by as back up child care if I'm closed, etc. Basically, I (their daycare) am their lifeline to staying employed which is their lifeline to not being homeless. So if I am too ill or in the hospital and can't work or if I have a pre-planned day off of work, it throws my parents into an anxiety attack of fight or flight of survival mode. Or at least, that's how they react to my being closed.

I am sorry you are sick and I agree with you parents shouldn't NEED the reminder. It is a courtesy. I had a parent last week tell me I need to remind her when its her week to pay. I said no, you are a grown up, you need to remember or you are welcome to prepay as many weeks as you'd like. Grrr!!

When I get the impression during an interview that a parent has only me to rely on I actually will tell them they are better off in a daycare center. I feel like for a home daycare you need to have a reliable back up or a flexible/understanding job - I am just one person (don't use a sub or anything) so those people who can never miss a day of work are not the right client for me. And its hard turning them away when I need the income too but it just isn't worth having them bring their sick kids, etc. later on down the road.