What Is Wrong With Parents?

[wdmmom]

What is wrong with parents in today's society? I care for 5 children in my home daycare and I don't know what has gotten into them lately. Here's a brief rundown of the events:

LAST THURSDAY: DCM drops of DCG (age 3). She's been unemployed but actively seeking employment. She put child to part time status to avoid losing the slot. She comes in Thursday telling me she has a 2nd interview scheduled for Friday and asks if I would watch DCG. I said, "Sure. What time." She proceeds to tell me her interview is at 230pm. I mention to her that I close at 3pm on Fridays. She hastily says she will find someone else to do it and departs.

At pickup she again mentions to me that if she gets this new job, her hours will be until 5pm and since travel is required, she will be needing care until 530pm. She TOLD me that I would need to change my Friday hours to accommodate this because she doesn't want to look for another provider. (That's great and all, but I'm NOT changing my hours.)

Today she comes in telling me she got the job and wanted to know if I would accommodate the 530pm pick ups on Fridays. I told her that I wouldn't, even with more money. I attempted to explain that it's not advantageous for me to remain open for 2.5 additional hours for 1 child. She then said she could have her step dad watch her every other Friday afternoon and looked to me to work the opposite Fridays.

I have been working for this family for 2 years but something has to give.

THEN:

FRIDAY: Another parent asks me if I would work Saturday to care for DCB. Ummm no! What happened to business hours and hours of operation. I haven't worked on a weekend in over 6 years! I don't plan to start now! DCD then asks me if I know someone that could...like my daughter or my assistant. Ummm no. Since when is it up to me to find care for YOUR kid on a WEEKEND?! Isn't working 12 hours a day enough?!

[Live and Learn]

Is it a full moon?::

[QualiTcare]

I don't think there's anything wrong with asking just like there's nothing wrong with you saying no. What if you would have/could have said yes and they were going around asking other people? I can just imagine what this thread would've said instead.

"Can you believe some parents. I've kept these children for two years and even though they know I have a daughter who could babysit they went and got the lady down the street without even asking! Etc etc."

[Abigail]

Good job for sticking to yourself and saying no. It's not your responsibility to find alternative care, but I don't see anything wrong with asking. The persistant questions for staying open later on Fridays would have driven me nuts. Maybe you should post a business hours sign outside your door?

[wdmmom]

What burned me is that they couldn't take "no" for an answer that each parent had to persistently ask. Three times for one of them, two times for another.

Today at drop off parent told me she got the job and ask me for new rate information to accommodate the new schedule.

At pick up I gave it to her and she proceeds to tell me that she is checking into two other daycares so she will take the rate into consideration. I hope she takes into consideration that I get a 2 week notice.

[wdmmom]

I don't think there's anything wrong with asking just like there's nothing wrong with you saying no. What if you would have/could have said yes and they were going around asking other people? I can just imagine what this thread would've said instead.

"Can you believe some parents. I've kept these children for two years and even though they know I have a daughter who could babysit they went and got the lady down the street without even asking! Etc etc."

Funny that you would mention something like that. I would never in a million years expose my daughter to caring for families I work for. That's bad business. My daughter doesn't have the experience nor the responsibility that I do. Should she do something wrong in the parents eyes, it would come down the ladder to me. I won't let that happen.

[momofsix]

Funny that you would mention something like that. I would never in a million years expose my daughter to caring for families I work for. That's bad business. My daughter doesn't have the experience nor the responsibility that I do. Should she do something wrong in the parents eyes, it would come down the ladder to me. I won't let that happen.

Really? All six of my daughters have watched all my day-care families. They are pretty much the only sitters my parents trust. They know my kids, they know my kids know how to take care of llittle ones because they've seen me do it since they were babies They know my kids pretty much do things like I do, and that's the way they like it!::
The only thing I don't like about it is that my DD's make about 3 to 4x per hour doing evening care for a family than what that family pays me for daycare!
For our family it's worked out great...and I can see why the parent would ask, but I can also understand your stance. Does your daughter do any babysitting for other families?

[Blackcat31]

Funny that you would mention something like that. I would never in a million years expose my daughter to caring for families I work for. That's bad business. My daughter doesn't have the experience nor the responsibility that I do. Should she do something wrong in the parents eyes, it would come down the ladder to me. I won't let that happen.

Funny, how things are so different for everyone.....my DD had a great working relationship with almost every single family I cared for during her babysitting/teen years. I don't think a parent ever confused her services or quality of services with mine. My daughter babysat so much for the families in my care that she was able to purchase a car for herself before she went off to college. When she left, my DS took over some of her jobs and profitted as much as my daughter did. Both of my kids loved doing it and my families all considered it a wonderful perk that they were able to find a sitter that they knew and knew well. So for our family, it was a good thing.

[momofboys]

Good for you for sticking w/your hours. I think it would not have bothered me that they asked once but they continued to ask several times. That would tick me off a little. I have this week off for my kids' spring break,I notified parents months ahead of time & about 2 weeks prior to my vac. one family asked me 3 times if I was able to watch their kids on 2 separate days. Ummm, no!!! That kind of defeats the purpose of being on vacation. ::

[wdmmom]

I can understand asking once if I would consider changing my hours but straight up demanding it...that doesn't fly well with me. And, as for Saturdays...I've never had a parent ask me so I was pretty offended. As if working 60 hours isn't enough already. I do my best to accommodate all schedules but Friday afternoons is the only time I have to do doctors appointments, etc. I don't take days off or close early, etc. How else am I suppose to keep up on the physical that is required to work, dental visits, etc. Right now, my husband is playing taxi and taking all of our own kids to all appointments because I can't.

As for my daughter...she's 14 and she's watched her younger siblings but I wouldn't even consider allowing her to work for my families. Considering that she's never worked before and she's shown a lot of immaturity, I could just see her having friends over while babysitting, etc. I wouldn't want to deal with any reprocussions so just not allowing it to happen prevents any issues with my families.

[QualiTcare]

i don't know that i'd let my daughter babysit either (she's not old enough now) or if i'd let a teenager babysit my kids. i know that i babysat when i was very young (even overnight) and even though i never had a problem and everyone said how mature i was - i wonder now what on earth they were thinking.

anyhow, my point was that there's no harm in asking. i don't really LIKE to work extra, but when my employer throws that "incentive pay" up there which ups my hourly pay AND gives me overtime - it makes it look a little better. maybe they thought you'd do it if they paid you more. that's not unreasonable - and like i said, it's not unreasonable that you said no.