Last year, I was supposed to care for my best friends children when she went back to work. I was pensive about caring for someone's children who I was so close to, but gave her a contract, and told her it would be strictly business, and I expected her to follow my policies to a "t." I did not charge her a holding fee, and I held the spot for a few months. (I was on maternity leave and not in a big rush to start adding more dcks). She ended up not going back to work, and I was never really able to fill those spots. In fact, I had turned down several good families while holding her spot. Needless to say, lesson learned.

Yesterday, I watched her kids while she went to the doctors for a prenatal checkup. She hung out a while after her apt, and we got to talking about her previous provider with a couple of other moms that came over as well. She started complaining about everything, and how the previous provider was essentially "her employee" and had to do what she says, blah blah blah. It was SO hard for me to bit my tongue! Im so glad that I don't have to watch her kids.

I don't get how people can have use a plumbing service, or other in home service, but still expect childcare providers to be "their employees." I work for myself, not anyone else.

Never do business with friends!

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I am afraid I would have (gently) had to set her straight. If her provider was, indeed her "employee", she should have been paying in social security and Medicaid for her.

"gosh, I sure hope you did that, because otherwise you might have tax consequences!"

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I sure the heck would have said something. She was being rude saying that and it is simply incorrect. Like I say to my teen all the time, just because you say something out loud doesn't make it true.

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