The Parent That Calls Every Day

[SilverSabre25]

It sounds like this mom needs a lot of reassurance. Can you email her mid-morning to let her know DCG is doing great? Maybe she'll back off if you take the initiative...

This is a really old thread, but this family was nuts. I ended up having LOTS of other trouble with them and they were gone within a month or two.

[Sunnyyy1]

I let my answering machine pick up...it says

"Hi! If you are calling to check on your child, don't worry they are fine or I would be calling you! We are in the middle of a super fun activity and I cannot tear myself away long enough to have to answer the phone so I will see you at pick up time. Have a great day!"

If a parent is calling to tell me something (and not checking on their kid) they just leave the info they needed to say and that's it.

WOW ^^^^ .....This is great I will be using this... LOL

[My3cents]

Okay, I'm really glad I'm not alone in being bugged by this.

Re: letting it go to message won't work...one day (one, in the past 5 weeks!) I was changing diapers when she called. 5 kids, 5 diapers....5 poops. It was a LONG round of diaper changes. I didn't want to stop what I was doing (it was pre-naptime) to go get the phone, so I left it. She called back a minute later, and a minute after that, and so on until I was done with the diapers ten minutes later. Yep, it was 10 or 11 phone calls! I was really short with her when I got on the phone with her...explained of course that I was changing diapers and she was all, "Oh, I wondered, I was about to leave work and come over there! I thought something was wrong!"

Texting doesn't work; I don't text :: Yep, a happy member of the Digital Generation (or...whatever they are calling folks my age these days) and a huge geek, but our cell phones are pay-by-the-minute and I really dislike texting. I'm so behind the times, .

Message on the machine/email updates are good ideas; I'll have to think about it over the weekend and decide which to offer. I'm trying REALLY hard to not actually say anything about the calls being unnecessary (and to cut it out) because I'm afraid it would come off as being very rude, no matter how I phrase it.

I get being worried about your child, I really do...but I dunno. It just rubs me the wrong way in this case. Something seems off about it I guess.

Just level with her..........Mom, I know your looking out for little one, but I don't always have the time to talk daily on the phone. Unless it is important information that I need to know, please wait for an update at the end of the day at pick up. If something comes up I will call you, at this point in our relationship you should feel comfortable enough with me and I with you that we don't need daily phone updates. I am just too busy with all the children to stop what I am doing to do this. I hope you understand. Talk to her and tell her that from now on the machine will be taking her calls and you WILL call her if something should come up and you need to speak with her. If she keeps calling you...... answer and be blunt. I don't have time to talk with you at this time in my busy day, I will talk with you at pick up. Don't allow her to push you around- Let her know you understand it is hard to leave your child. Even if your doing nothing at all- having a break is ok, because they are far and few between in this line of work unless you have help.

[My3cents]

This is a really old thread, but this family was nuts. I ended up having LOTS of other trouble with them and they were gone within a month or two.

Ignore my last post......old thread and I responded before reading to the end of the postings......again.