Charge them or not? What would you do ? Help!

[Meeko]

How rude! She really has a nerve asking for free child care while you are willing to watch her kids on your son's birthday! Charge her! Just tell her that any time you are responsible for watching her child...no matter what they are doing.....you expect to be paid for it.

My concern is that the other parents are going to see you are taking care of kids on the weekends and feel THEY can ask you to tend on the weekends too. If you say no, they will feel like you are playing favorites and giving special favors..(which you are!) That may not go over too well.

[daycare]

Thanks for all of your responses.
I just talked to the mom and said unless she can provide supervision herself, I will be charging. Omg she then said well how about I just ask one of the other parents to watch them for me during the party. I told her that I would not allow for another parent to watch the kids on my property as it still falls back on me if the parent does not supervise them properly.
I then told her I felt that it was not going ti work out for this weekend for me To watch the kids, however she was still welcome to attend the bday party with them.
Ugh what a mess. I guess this is why this family is loaded they try to get everything for free...

[Crazy8]

I am going to go against everyone else and say, no if it was me I would not charge for those few hours of the party. If you weren't watching them for the day they would have come to the party anyway, correct? Unless this is a party where you REQUIRED all parents to stay and I am assuming you didn't I would deduct the few hours from the total. With our parties you always get a handful of parents who stay, but many leave. I am still supervising, feeding, etc. all of those children but am not charging them. Now, if those children weren't invited to the party originally then yes, I would charge for the entire day.

Honestly though I never would have agreed to watching them the day I was hosting a party.

[cheerfuldom]

how unbelievable! wow, that is a doozy. I am glad you said no. I can't believe she would have the guts to ask another daycare parent to watch her kid at your house during your child's bday party?!???!!! I am soooooo shocked!!!!

[SandeeAR]

Thanks for all of your responses.
I just talked to the mom and said unless she can provide supervision herself, I will be charging. Omg she then said well how about I just ask one of the other parents to watch them for me during the party. I told her that I would not allow for another parent to watch the kids on my property as it still falls back on me if the parent does not supervise them properly.
I then told her I felt that it was not going ti work out for this weekend for me To watch the kids, however she was still welcome to attend the bday party with them.
Ugh what a mess. I guess this is why this family is loaded they try to get everything for free...

I'm on your side, I don't blame you at all. However, you might be on the out look for daycare replacements. Is she the type to pull her kids over this? Sounds like she wants a provider that she can push around.