Originally Posted by nannyde:
you said they seemed to cherish their family time
Yeah that's as long as there isn't much cherished family time.
Qual: they have this kid down to an hour a day of face time. The parents CAN do a nine hour day. They just DID a nine hour day last week and the provider ran into the Mom on her way home from her nine hour day. They live close to the provider. The Mom is SAYING she wants the kid away from her every day so she can have me time.
Nobody is saying that if a parent has twelve hour days that it's crappy of them to work it. If they have twelve hour days and only WORK three days a week then they would have two full days extra home per week with the child. If they work twelve hours every day then NO. I wouldn't be involved in that kids care.
Do you work twelve hour days five days a week?
i don't work 5 days a week - i'm scheduled for 3 and work 4 if i can. that's irrelevant because my children aren't in daycare. there was a time when my daughter was in daycare for nearly 12 hours and i wasn't having "me time." i was working and going to school. i didn't LIKE it, but it was a means to an end which worked out well, was over quickly, and she doesn't remember it nor do i regret it.
bottom line is that this provider isn't going to be able to accept what this family wants. regardless of the fact that she thinks they are great bc they send good meals, give bonus pay for holidays and birthdays, send treats, and offer to give the daycare anything it may need - that's not worth the 2 hours of "me time" this mom uses each day. i doubt that raising the rates so they pay for those two hours would offer any consolation if all of the above doesn't. therefore, it sounds to me like she might just need to terminate.
this has been an ongoing debate here for as long as i can remember. i wonder if the providers who think it's insane for a parent to go to the gym or god forbid the grocery store without their child thinks parents who hire a provider or babysitter so they can have a "date night" are crap parents as well? this family is either going to pay extra to keep the schedule or find someone else who will care for him and accept the money for the time they care for the child without obsessing over what the parents are doing. the ball is in her court.