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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Friends with Parents on FB?
Christina72684 02:09 PM 01-13-2014
Are you friends with any of your parents on Facebook? If I was already a friend with someone and their kid started coming to my daycare I didn't unfriend them, but lately several parents have asked me to be their friend and I've not known what to do. I added one parent because our kids are really close friends but that's all so far. I was friends on FB with a guy that I went to high school with and his wife wanted to add me so I did. Long story short, they were over-reactive first time parents and up and left the daycare without any notice. She unfriended me so I unfriended him. This was almost a year ago. Then just lately she messaged a friend of mine asking about the daycare and saying how I always complained on FB about daycare and yada yada yada. I'm sorry but who wants to stay half an hour after they are supposed to leave work?! I'm sure they wouldn't want to work for free and I don't either. Anyways, just wondered what you guys did if a parent asks to add you on FB.
lovemykidstoo 02:12 PM 01-13-2014
I would refer them to my Daycare FB page. Even if they are your friend on FB, you can do your settings so they can't see everything. So, you were complaining about them on FB and they got mad did I read that right?
MotherNature 02:13 PM 01-13-2014
Both of my current families are fb friends, but I don't really interact with the pt one much. The ft one is in my circle of friends, so we're friendlier than normal business relationships, but still professional. The family I termed unfriended me, so I did the same & the family that just quit never friended me or my business page. Strangely none of my parents have friended my daycare page. 
Christina72684 02:14 PM 01-13-2014
No they weren't the ones picking up late, and I'm not sure what I even said exactly because it was almost a year ago. But we had one parent that would frequently pick up 30mins late and sometimes not give any notice. I must have complained about it but don't remember. She said I also complained one time because the schools were closed due to weather but we stayed open because we have too many kids who had to come to us. I was going to be a teacher before opening the daycare and I said something about how a pro to being a teacher instead was getting a snow day. Big deal!
jenboo 02:16 PM 01-13-2014
I give parents my daycare fb page
If i was a friend of theirs before, i would probably unfriend them and just tell them no hurt feelings, its a business policy.
my sister is my only DCP and personal fb friend. But she hears me complain all the time
If i was a friend of theirs before, i would probably unfriend them and just tell them no hurt feelings, its a business policy.
my sister is my only DCP and personal fb friend. But she hears me complain all the time
lovemykidstoo 02:17 PM 01-13-2014
Even though I understand your frustration, if you are friends with them on fb then you have to be very careful what you say. Even if they're not, you never know who knows who. I don't talk about my business at all on FB. It's crazy how small of a world it is and sometimes you don't know that your friend Sally used to work with your daycare family or they're friends of friends or whatever.
Heidi 02:24 PM 01-13-2014
All my parents are FB "friends" and they also "like" my business page. I do not put anything on FB that I wouldn't want them to read. I'm also (maybe of the generation?)mind that doesn't think FB is the place to "vent" frustrations, period. 
Msdunny 02:28 PM 01-13-2014
I am Facebook friends with all my dcp, except my new family. That said, my daycare families are all parents who were kids I used to babysit for (no, I am not that old!) or friends of friends. It is a very small circle, so even if I weren't friends with them on Facebook, I wouldn't complain about my job there anyway - it would probably get back to them. That, and my husband is in ministry, so I really try not to complain about anything on Facebook...or here, for that matter!
All that said - if I were in a different situation, where these were strictly business relationships, I would not friend them on social media. I don't really need anyone knowing my personal business.
All that said - if I were in a different situation, where these were strictly business relationships, I would not friend them on social media. I don't really need anyone knowing my personal business.
mountainside13 02:30 PM 01-13-2014
All of my daycare parents are friends on my FB. I'm very careful about what I say. Also if you add them you have to be careful what you post on your friends pages, public pages or things you "like" because it will show up on their FB news feed.
MCC 02:33 PM 01-13-2014
I am not friends with any of them. They all "like" my business page, but that is as far as it goes.
I keep my business life and personal life very separate. I don't want them seeing what I'm up to on the weekend, or me at a concert with a beer in my hand, vacation pics, etc.
I honestly see no reason to be friends with them on FB. I have friended a client after they moved, and we were no longer in a business relationship.
I keep my business life and personal life very separate. I don't want them seeing what I'm up to on the weekend, or me at a concert with a beer in my hand, vacation pics, etc.
I honestly see no reason to be friends with them on FB. I have friended a client after they moved, and we were no longer in a business relationship.
jenboo 02:44 PM 01-13-2014
Originally Posted by lovemykidstoo:
Even though I understand your frustration, if you are friends with them on fb then you have to be very careful what you say. Even if they're not, you never know who knows who. I don't talk about my business at all on FB. It's crazy how small of a world it is and sometimes you don't know that your friend Sally used to work with your daycare family or they're friends of friends or whatever.
Even though i do not friend them, i don't say anything negative about the daycare on fb. but i will say positive things like "i passed our health inspection today!"Even though I understand your frustration, if you are friends with them on fb then you have to be very careful what you say. Even if they're not, you never know who knows who. I don't talk about my business at all on FB. It's crazy how small of a world it is and sometimes you don't know that your friend Sally used to work with your daycare family or they're friends of friends or whatever.
cheerfuldom 02:54 PM 01-13-2014
Your options
1. unfriend every daycare parent and tell them why. dont accept daycare parents in the future as FB friends
2. make a daycare FB page and friend all the parents, only there.
3. friend all the daycare parents on your personal page but know that they will read your updates, look at pics, etc. you never know what might offend someone.
1. unfriend every daycare parent and tell them why. dont accept daycare parents in the future as FB friends
2. make a daycare FB page and friend all the parents, only there.
3. friend all the daycare parents on your personal page but know that they will read your updates, look at pics, etc. you never know what might offend someone.
Happily_wed 04:16 PM 01-13-2014
No. Although I love this family to pieces sometimes they irritate the snot out of me LOL. My FB page is private and I limit who I am friends with to mostly people who don't live in my area. Every now and then when I am having a rough daycare day I need to say "OMG this day is never going to end!" and I don't want to have to explain myself to a daycare parent. My best friend and I also have a weird sense of humor and daycare mom might not like some of what she would see on there LOL. What I say or post is just none of their business. We do message each other through Facebook and I can send her pictures when necessary but we aren't friends.
renodeb 05:18 PM 01-13-2014
To be really honest I think its hard to be fb friends with dc parents. I 'am friends with all but one of my dc parents because I want them to be able to see my dc fb page. I friended this one mom and after she left my dc I unfriended her and she texted me shortly after asking why weren't we still fb friends with a 
face. I played it off like I unfriended her by mistake and friended her again out of guilt. (I don't want to burn any bridges)
That story in a nutshell: She left me b/c she said she couldn't afford my dc anymore and that she had bills in collections. Not even a week later I start seeing all these posts about going shopping,& going on trips. Now she has him at one of the most expensive centers in town. I would caution against it and definitely unfriend them when they leave. If you friend the parents on fb do be careful about what you post, it could come back and bite you! JMO!
face. I played it off like I unfriended her by mistake and friended her again out of guilt. (I don't want to burn any bridges) That story in a nutshell: She left me b/c she said she couldn't afford my dc anymore and that she had bills in collections. Not even a week later I start seeing all these posts about going shopping,& going on trips. Now she has him at one of the most expensive centers in town. I would caution against it and definitely unfriend them when they leave. If you friend the parents on fb do be careful about what you post, it could come back and bite you! JMO!
melilley 05:33 PM 01-13-2014
Originally Posted by lovemykidstoo:
Even though I understand your frustration, if you are friends with them on fb then you have to be very careful what you say. Even if they're not, you never know who knows who. I don't talk about my business at all on FB. It's crazy how small of a world it is and sometimes you don't know that your friend Sally used to work with your daycare family or they're friends of friends or whatever.
Even though I understand your frustration, if you are friends with them on fb then you have to be very careful what you say. Even if they're not, you never know who knows who. I don't talk about my business at all on FB. It's crazy how small of a world it is and sometimes you don't know that your friend Sally used to work with your daycare family or they're friends of friends or whatever.
So true!
melilley 05:38 PM 01-13-2014
I'm the same as lovemykidstoo and like she said, you never know who knows who! I always watch what I say or post for the most part even though I'm not friends with any of my dcp's. I did however friend some old families of kids that I took care of when I worked in a center.
None of my dcp's have ever friended me or asked me about fb and I'm glad! I wouldn't be friends with them on my personal fb page. If I had a business one I would.
None of my dcp's have ever friended me or asked me about fb and I'm glad! I wouldn't be friends with them on my personal fb page. If I had a business one I would.