Originally Posted by nannyde:
The 65 dollars isn't a bonus. It's a fee for over usage of the business. The parent agreed to pay it by contract.
When I was on vacation last week my son asked to play with my phone. I thought he was going to play with my games. After a few minutes of him having the phone I looked at the screen and realized he was on youtube. He had downloaded two youtube videos. I don't have free internet on my phone. His two videos cost me SEVENTY FIVE dollars in fees.
The car I rented had unlimited miles. I had to pay a premimum rate to have unlimited. If I didn't pay the rate I could get about a thousand miles with all additional miles being twenty five cents a mile. Think about that kind of money when you are twelve hours away from home.
If I bounce a check my bank charges thirty bucks PER each attempt the check clears.
Why is it in home child care we are to look at the fees for over use are somehow different than my cell phone, bank, car rental etc.? The answer is because we are a bunch of women and we should do as we are told. We are to be understanding.... realize things happen....
We don't "just get on with our evening" when we have a child left in our home when we are CLOSED. I run eight kids. A kid alone and awake here in the evening is making me keep my eight child business open for one kid. I can't make money with one child in my house. It costs me more to have them here than I make.
Why would you expect your kid to be fed when you are paying a late fee for being an HOUR late? I didn't expect for the cell phone company to give me something special when I accidently accessed expensive services from their services. MY mistake... I pay. I don't get special when I'm the one who makes the mistake. I get a big fat fee to pay.
If the provider would have known minute to minute that the kid was going to be there THAT late she would have been best to put him/her down for an hours rest so that he was well rested for the wonderful evening the parent had planned to make up for what she did to him.
When parents are that late they are nearly ALWAYS avoiding calling the provider and telling them the truth. They force the provider to stay open way beyond her hours because the provider can't walk away from her job or put it in a closet to deal with tomorrow. The provider sits there minute to minute expecting THIS is the minute the parent is going to show and was disapointed sixty five times before she actually showed. It would have taken nothing to call her and tell her she was running that late. The parent didn't do it because she didn't want the provider to refuse to do it. She wanted to just show up when she pleased so she could show her who her boss REALLY is. It was incosiderate and rude to not keep the provider posted on where she was and what she was doing. She did as she pleased, was rude when she picked up the kid, and then she paid.
Another one of those deals and she would find herself looking for day care if she was at my house. I've had parents be an hour late before but they have the common curtesy to call me and let me know when they are going to be here. They are gracious and apologetic. When I need something special they do it for me because I did special for them.
We are SICK TO DEATH of people thinking it's no big deal to have their kids in day care beyond their contracted hours. It's not "no big deal" to anyone BUT the parent. We have a right to decide our business hours and shouldn't be FORCED because it's a little kid that we deal with to continue operating beyond our business hours.
"Are you okay?"
Are you KIDDING me? If the parent wasn't OKAY they would have called to say what happened TO them to cause them to be so late. When parents have something happen to them where it is beyond their control.... believe me.. we KNOW about it because they call and tell us.
It wasn't something that happened TO the parent... It's something she DID. We know the difference the second they pull up the driveway and get out of the car. When a parent is a victim of a bad circumstance they have the body language and the words that show you they have been in a bad deal not of their making.
When they do it on purpose and don't care what you want then they do stuff like text you about what YOU were doing while they were late. They deflect their incosiderate behavior onto you so they don't have to discuss what they did.
BTDT and have the t-shirt
AMEN Sister!!!!! ^5 Thank u on behalf of every provider that has been put in this position!!