One Thing I Hate About Sibling Situations...

[DancingQueen]

I could see if she just wanted to have some 1 on 1 time with her son. I love that idea actually and wish I had more opportunities to have that with my own children. But I think that she should have started the day off that way and not picked up mid day. That doesn't seem very fair to the little guy

[ninosqueridos]

I'm a Mom who will purposely only take one of my kids with me and leave the others home if I'm going somewhere. My kids need time with me individually, and I don't see anything wrong with that. It doesn't make me a bad parent.

In your DCM's situation though....I would have dropped the younger one off alone in the first place - that is just cruel to come to pick up only the older one when they're used to being picked up together.

[MsMe]

I had a dcm a few years back that told me on a Tuesday that she would be coming at lunch time that day to pick up her 3.5 yr old to take her down to the county fair but was planning on leaving the 1.5 yr old at daycare because he would be too much work for her to take there.

So I immediately planned our daycare field trip to...(Yup, you guessed it!) the fair! I told the parents we would play it by ear and would go when it worked best so they weren't aware of exactly which day we were going just that we were going sometime that week. I am less than 8 blocks to the fairgrounds.

So I walked all 9 of my dck's (minus her dd) down to the fair and low and behold who did we run into? LOL!!! We chatted for a few minutes and they were off but I laughed big time because as they were walking away I could hear her dd screaming that she wanted to come with us instead! ::

I can see why in some situations it is okay to pick up one and not the other but there are also times when I have to wonder WTH?

In cases where it makes sense and the little one may get upset when they see the parent and can't go with, I usually ask the mom or dad to call me on their cell and let me know they are in the drive way and then I just send the older kid out to them so the younger one never knows what just went down.

I love this! I have done the same thing with the pool in the summer time. Same thing happened they saw us and DCB3 wanted to hang out with the group. She sat beside us and was kept saying I don't know how you do it. The kids are super well behavied, they never leave the area I ask them to stay in, the three year olds use the slide alone (made for toddlers and attended by a lifegaurd ten feet from where I sit). Yes they need little reminders now and then and I never take my eyes off of them, but for the most part it is a stress free FUN sumemr day. I LOVE to do special trips with all of the kids....listening to them talk about they fun they had is the BEST part of my job.

If I only had one kid to take to the pool, zoo, or fair I would be lost. I plan to quit daycare with in two years to start a family of my own and I am terrified that I will be bored out of my mind with only one.

The only way I can wrap my head around parents like this is to think back to when I was an accountant and I HATED it. I couldn't handle it and it drove me crazy. It was not my thing.....I unfourtunaly think parenting just isn't "their thing" We are all good at something and while all of us here can manage 3-12 kids in public it is hard for us to understand that not everyone can. I couls not walk into any of my DCP offices and do their job and they couldnt do mine.

[MamaBear]

Yeppers

She should have just only dropped the younger one off in the morning and not both of them. Thats what I dont understand either. Why drop them both off here for a couple hours and then come pick up just the one for the zoo. And she wasnt secretive about it either. She was telling her daughter "are you ready to see the monkeys and the hippos?" all loud with the younger one right there. He knew what she was saying.

I think I am going to change my contract to state that they have to take BOTH children in a sibling situation - unless its a dr appt. Sometimes I think if one is sick then they should take them both too. Since that one might be the monkey carrier of whatever disease the other one has.

I love your story (BlackCat31) about the fair! That is awesome! She HAD to feel like the biggest loser seeing you handle the fair with all those kids! Thats freakin awesome!

It amazes me how some of these parents never take their own kids to Target or Walmart with them for shopping trips and how its SO hard for them! Its crazy to me!!! And it always seems like those same parents just keep pumping out more kids when they couldnt even handle the first one!! Well... at least it keeps me in business! hahaha

[Kaddidle Care]

Well let's hope she takes a special trip next week with the 18 month old.

The zoo - I don't get it though - BOTH would enjoy that trip and easy enough to put the 18 month old in a stroller unless he's one of those kids that hates being in one.

I found that strollers and cheerios were a great combo!

[melissa ann]

I have 2 that are 1/2 siblings, ages 4 and 2. Sometimes the 4 yr old's dad will pick her up and she will spend the rest of the day and sleep over at his house. Well, her brother goes crazy because she left and he didn't. They have the same mom. He cries and cries. Normally, her dad will pick her up between 2-3 and the normal pickup time is close to 5, so I have to deal with that for 2-3 hours.
Once, their g-ma picked up girl and left the boy because a relatiave was visiting and they picked them up at the airport. I don't get people.

[nannyde]

Glass half full
Glass half empty

The Mom is looking at it like this: Daycare provider gets afternoon with only one of my kids instead of both for the same amount of money. Lucky daycare provider.