Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Ok, you're right about the contract thing. It was not explained well in this provider's contract.
She stated that "Naps vary depending on daily activities, but usually last 2-3 hours and children are allowed to stay awake but must remain quiet if they cannot sleep" This is very vague and I should've addressed this at first, but I understood "children are allowed to stay awake but must remain quiet" as - my child will be allowed to play quietly with other children his age while the younger ones sleep. When actually, it was "your child will lay there and do nothing for 2-3 hours while I take care of personal things". My son was allowed to "read a book" while laying there. He cannot read, and no book you give him will entertain him and keep him quiet for 2-3 hours, he is going to get bored, and he will want to get up, but you will lay him back down and tell him to hush and he will eventually fall asleep out of boredom.
I was angry at this provider because she was disrupting my son's normal sleep schedule so that she could take her break. I do not get this. Why are you expecting us to pay you when you are taking such a large break? This is just unacceptable. & yes, technically, the parents are your boss. We write your paychecks, so make sure you make your nap policy very clear, and make sure that it caters to children who are old enough to stay awake. Make sure you are making the parents happy, the children happy, and if you are not happy then maybe this isn't a good line of work for you.
You do not need such a large break, nobody needs a break like that. You do not need to make a child lay there so that you can accomplish things that every other parent/person-who-has-a-job makes time to accomplish on the weekends, or after work. That is just ridiculous, and I refuse to pay someone to take a break like that while my son is laying there.
During my HUGE "break" I normally do the following:
Dishes from lunch and the morning.
Clean the dining room. Wipe down table, chairs, sweep and mop.
Prep snack for the PM.
Sweep hallways and front entrance.
Clean DC bathroom.
Paperwork
Eat lunch
Sterilize any toys that were mouthed that morning.
Prep any craft materials for the next day.
Lay out jackets, hats, mitts and boots for pm walk.
Lots of time left there to eat bon bons and watch soap operas.
We also work 10+ hour days NOT 8 hour days like the majority of the Monday to Friday workforce. Some of us work 12+ hour days...something I couldn't do. We also work very long stretches with no break at all. How often at your job do you need to "hold it" until you nearly burst because you can't leave your desk. It happens daily in our profession.
I DO NOT work for you. I provide a service and you pay for that service under my terms. The onus is on you to make sure you understand those terms and ask questions. If you don't like the terms you need to look elsewhere for service that fits your needs.
I totally understand that you want your child to go to bed easily for you but your child needs a rest and your DCP deserves a break. With all due respect if your child is falling asleep then they're tired and need a nap. I've had true non-nappers and they don't fall asleep.