Am I a Sitter?
 

I got a fb message from someone and I'm not quite sure how to respond, as I don't know if I should be offended or just laugh.

The message goes like this: "Hi, I'm going to be looking for a sitter soon as mine is retiring. You have posted on someone else's post and I was wanting to ask you some questions. Are you a sitter?"

I don't feel like I am a sitter considering all the training I've had to do and keep doing for my license. To me a sitter is someone who goes to someone's house and watches kids on occasion.

Would you even bother correcting her? Then again maybe she is looking for a sitter for her home, but I don't think this is the case.

Originally Posted by Homebody:
I got a fb message from someone and I'm not quite sure how to respond, as I don't know if I should be offended or just laugh.

The message goes like this: "Hi, I'm going to be looking for a sitter soon as mine is retiring. You have posted on someone else's post and I was wanting to ask you some questions. Are you a sitter?"

I don't feel like I am a sitter considering all the training I've had to do and keep doing for my license. To me a sitter is someone who goes to someone's house and watches kids on occasion.

Would you even bother correcting her? Then again maybe she is looking for a sitter for her home, but I don't think this is the case.

You can but be prepared to hear it all the time. It is one of my biggest pet peeves. :mad:

I would ignore the question and simply state “I am a licensed daycare provider and have x amount of experience working with children. What hours are you looking for etc etc.”

OOO i hate that :mad: even my daycare families would call me a "sitter" like "hey i told so and so i know of a great sitter for their little girl"

I'm thinking man if you think these are sitter prices i should charge more. :mad: GOOD NESS that upsets me

BUT i always ignored it with a smile on my face :ouch:

It can get annoying. Anymore I'm at the point where it's "Pay me on time, follow my policies, don't be a headache and you can call me whatever the @#&* you want to.":cool::)

Originally Posted by Ariana:
I would ignore the question and simply state “I am a licensed daycare provider and have x amount of experience working with children. What hours are you looking for etc etc.”

Yes reply like this.

Originally Posted by Ariana:
I would ignore the question and simply state “I am a licensed daycare provider and have x amount of experience working with children. What hours are you looking for etc etc.”

Exactly this likethis

FWIW, some of my families also refer to me as a "sitter." It doesn't bother me much. Call me whatever you want. Just follow my rules and pay on time and we're good.

Sometimes I think it's simply because parent don't know the different between babysitters, nanny's in-home daycares, in-home preschools, etc. I have a mom now who kept calling her ex provider a nanny. She was convinced the provider was a nanny and not an in home provider.

Thanks everyone! I replied similar to what Ariana had suggested. She asked for our location, and so I told her. Haven't heard back, so I guess we aren't in a convenient location for her.

From now on I will try not to take it personally. Like some of you have said as long as they pay me and follow the policies then that's what matters most.

Originally Posted by Homebody:
Thanks everyone! I replied similar to what Ariana had suggested. She asked for our location, and so I told her. Haven't heard back, so I guess we aren't in a convenient location for her.

From now on I will try not to take it personally. Like some of you have said as long as they pay me and follow the policies then that's what matters most.

I don’t think people know that it is a degrading term to be honest. Most people think of anyone who watches kids as “sitters”! A friend of mine called me a sitter once and
I told her why I hated that term. She apologized and said she had no clue. There are a lot of clueless people out there ;)

Originally Posted by Ariana:
I don’t think people know that it is a degrading term to be honest. Most people think of anyone who watches kids as “sitters”! A friend of mine called me a sitter once and
I told her why I hated that term. She apologized and said she had no clue. There are a lot of clueless people out there ;)

I completely agree! :)

I tend to let it go when people say that.

But to answer the email, I would state that you are a licensed daycare provider and start asking your questions about days/hours care needed, age of child etc.

If it's one of those people who wants some version of: "I'm looking for care on Mondays with alternating Fridays" etc etc, then advise them to look for a sitter or a pt time nanny.

Originally Posted by Ariana:
I would ignore the question and simply state “I am a licensed daycare provider and have x amount of experience working with children. What hours are you looking for etc etc.”

This is what I would do too.

It used to bother me but there are more important things to worry about. And just think of all the times you or I may have inadvertently called a custodian a janitor or an administrative assistant a secretary. As times and political correctness change, so do the terms. Sometimes we're slow to keep up and don't realize the difference until we get corrected.;)

Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
It used to bother me but there are more important things to worry about. And just think of all the times you or I may have inadvertently called a custodian a janitor or an administrative assistant a secretary. As times and political correctness change, so do the terms. Sometimes we're slow to keep up and don't realize the difference until we get corrected.;)

That's a very good point!