What You Don't Like/Pet Peeves About the Business

[Jo123ABC]

I often think about how difficult it is to operate a daycare. I do it because I am so lucky to have the chance to be there for my kids every day! I get paid to have the opportunity to snuggle and play with my kiddos every day! I think it's great that they get to play with their friends every day in our home and that my group of kids are pretty awesome! On that note....

I dislike these things about my job:

Whenever a kid trips over their own feet or jumps off of something I think "oh my god! His/her parents are gonna hate me because he just hurt himself 3 flippin' times today!"

Or... Whenever one of my kids is responsible for hurting another kid... "I understand Fred went in your room and took your favorite toy you got for Christmas but you can't pull hair or you will go in time out." I hate telling a parent my kid did something

When parents treat me like their employee.

Family clashing- my family likes dirt, gardening, animals, etc. Kids get dirty outside here because I let them make mud pies and dig in the dirt
There's just so much to disagree with parents about and we have to have a close relationship with them. One parent didn't like that I use great value dish packs instead of some homeopathic stuff. Nope. I can't afford that stuff and give kids all the other necessities/luxuries.

The obvious: late payments or pickups

Parents not bringing appropriate clothing

Parents hanging out to chat

Parents knowingly bringing sick kids!!! This one REALLY annoys me

Parents that say "didn't I just bring you wipes last week?" In sorry, I can't control how much your child poops and I don't limit my wipe usage. I prefer clean.

Never being able to run errands

Feeling guilty for needing a sick or vacation day

How quickly I'm watching my furniture, etc. Get worn out from all of the usage

Trying to keep my house perfect all of the time

Sorry for the Debbie downer rant! These are some of the things that make my job difficult. How about you guys?

[Homebody]

Right now I'm having problems with my own two kids (ages 5 and 3) wanting to bring their toys out to play with and dc kids (two 2 year olds) wanting to play with them. I have to keep reminding my two that this is what is going to happen so you can't get mad at them. I feel bad for them because this is their house, and they want to play where me and my husband are instead of their room. I'm seriously thinking of getting an extra long gate to separate the living and dining area to give them separate space.

I also have parents who don't bring appropriate clothing. One brought her 2 yr old daughter the other day in a short sleeve jacket! It was in the 30's when she dropped off. I thought the sleeves were pushed up, but when I took it off I realized this isn't a real jacket, it's got short sleeves and zips up! I'm like what's the point? So I text mom and reminded again that we go outside and she needs appropriate outerwear. I had to dig out my daughter's old coat for her to wear.

The last two days I have a newly turned 2 year old who doesn't think he needs naps anymore.

Having to remind parents that yes it's Friday and payment is due.

Parents who forget diapers and change of clothes.

[Unregistered]

Parents are really my biggest annoyance. They do not think the rules apply to them even though the rules were written specifically for them to follow and they signed the contract.

[Josiegirl]

Today might not be the best day for me to answer this question.

[Jdy2222]

*the germs we're passing around, I'm so tired of the kids (and me) being sick with one thing or another

*the hours - this is a heck of a time commitment, getting time off is not as easy as calling in sick, and I can't time off as easily as some other jobs

*the little nagging voice in my head that wonders if I'm doing the best I can at this - it's tiny, but it's there and does keep me learning and growing so it's not all bad

*the pay - yes, I get to stay home and home school my son which is the reason I do this and most certainly a fair trade-off instead of a higher paying job, so I'm not complaining, but per hour the pay rate is a little discouraging

[Unregistered]

Well.....as nanny de has stated " this job would be great if it wasn't for the parents. I am not overly impressed with any of mine.

At pick up time, please get your child and leave promptly. I have a life

The same family with the kids that apparently have no immune system. I kid you not. Since last May ( and yes, I have kept track) these kids have has some kind of illness that lingers EVERY.SINGLE.MONTH. so, we are talking 12 different viruses.

Your kid is obviously great and special to you dcd and dcm but honestly I don't think everything they do is laugh worthy or cute.

I could go on and on... One of those weeks I guess

[amberrose3dg]

Today might not be the best day for me to answer this question.

Right now I have no specific annoyance other than the usual excuses like shes teething that's why shes being a nightmare,or them trying to bring the kid to daycare and forgetting their diapers or something else that is needed.

Overall the biggest issue with the job is two things:
1. The long hours and scheduling to get my own things done.
2. Parents!
I kid you not I had a part time mom tell me yesterday her doctor recommended her son go to daycare full-time for HER mental health. Yes you read that right. Her precious angel is going through a phase and she is having a hard time handling it. I can tell you from what I witness it is a parenting/discipline issue. He is almost 3 with a binky still. She claims she was gonna take it like a year ago and still has not. She does not follow through with discipline.It is all words to him. He is hard to deal with here but we give him natural consequences and he listens most of the time.

[Josiegirl]

I guess my biggest pet peeves right now:
#1 the state and all its confounded rules.
#2 nap time has pretty much flown out the window and without a few minutes to clear my head mid day, I become a bear.
#3 dcks who are being brought up that life is always a picnic, you don't need to do anything you don't want to do,and are coddled over every single teeny whimper.
and #4 the repitition of changing diapers, getting outdoor gear on, feeding and cleaning and redirecting and....it feels so mind-numbing at times.
#5 my house will never be looking nice.

[Unregistered]

I've always said...the best part of home daycare is that you're home. The worst part is you you're tied to your home.

[Pestle]

#2 nap time has pretty much flown out the window and without a few minutes to clear my head mid day, I become a bear.

PREACH.

Tied to this: The dishes. Dear god, the dishes.

My mini stuntman, who keeps me on high alert at all times. In the time it took me to send a text to DH about how stressful the kid's behavior was yesterday, kid in question had tried to belly-flop into a puddle, had lunged onto and immediately flipped off of a trike, and had found the giant stick I confiscated earlier and was running around laughing maniacally while gripping the stick like a baseball bat.

My work/life balance, shifting further and further askew as my life increases in complexity, without a partner who shoulders enough of the daily tasks to give me time to be anything other than a housekeeper.

[daycarediva]

Today might not be the best day for me to answer this question.

Yup. Not even opening pandora's box today.

[amberrose3dg]

I guess my biggest pet peeves right now:
#1 the state and all its confounded rules.
#2 nap time has pretty much flown out the window and without a few minutes to clear my head mid day, I become a bear.
#3 dcks who are being brought up that life is always a picnic, you don't need to do anything you don't want to do,and are coddled over every single teeny whimper.
and #4 the repitition of changing diapers, getting outdoor gear on, feeding and cleaning and redirecting and....it feels so mind-numbing at times.
#5 my house will never be looking nice.

Yes all the cleaning too. I have considered hiring someone to come in once a month and do a deep clean as I do not have the energy. In addition to the long ass hours the daycare, i'm pursuing my doctorate ( so i don't have to do this forever i hope). There isn't any energy left in me after all of that each day. My weekends are spent cleaning, school work and shopping for this business.

[storybookending]

I don’t like how much I have to pay in on taxes being self employed with no spouse of child dependents of my own to claim.

[Unregistered]

My biggest struggle is not having my house to myself. My own kids are getting older (8 and 6) and I really hate having baby toys, gear, pack n plays, etc all over the playroom. It seems ever expanding. Plus, my kitchen/dining room always has curriculum planning on the counters or art projects drying. Granted, part of that is just that I am not great at organizing. But, there's just so much stuff! I miss my clean house!

[HappyOwl]

So many things...

I love the benefits of doing daycare... like being able to work from home, making a decent income for my family, being available to my family when they come home from school and work. BUT there are a lot of things I dont like about it too...

I'm available to my family, but I hate that I cant leave my house WITH my family to do fun family things. Being stuck at home is sometimes the worst.

I miss having my home look like "my home". Like I'm sick of seeing daycare toys decorating my front room. I have fantasies of how nice it would look being decorated like a normal home!

"Some" of the parents are the worst. Especially the ones who lie all the time about the dumbest things. The ones who sneak their kids here sick - trying to say they have allergies when they are actually super sick with a contagious illness.

Parents who come late - even a minute are like the devil to me! haha. ESPECIALLY on a Friday. Like really?

There are so many pro's and con's of doing daycare for sure.