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MsMe 12:19 PM 03-29-2011
I have one daycare family that has two children that are here from open to close no. matter. what.
*Dad (a teacher) home for Spring Break-not even an extra hour at home, *Babies (3mo) first ear infection-quick trip to the Dr and STRAIGHT back to the daycare. Mom even dropped her off before going to the drive thru pharmacy.
*Mom and Dad take the Day off work...made sure to get them here right at 7:30 even in her PJ's
*One kid stays home sick the other one comes.
...and on and on........

They seem like nice normal loving people. They seem to have it 'all together' and be ready for kids, they just cant be bothered to spend an extra minute with them. It really shows in the kids attitudes and personalities. I get along really well with them and don't mean to sound judgy...I am really confused more than anything.

Point of this post.....I am normaly open on Good Friday as I am not religous. They are the only famiily that ever shows up, and neither have to work. I have given notice and am taking the day unpaid...and my ONLY reason is so the parents will spend time with their children.
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grandmom 12:52 PM 03-29-2011
Good for you. Too bad you have to take it off unpaid because they can't stand to be with their kids.
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dEHmom 12:52 PM 03-29-2011
yes it is very sad how some parents behave.

as mentioned many times in other posts, most parents see it as they have paid for it. some parents might see it as the kids would be upset missing a day of daycare. I know my kids would.


I actually have the opposite problem, where moms are always picking up early, usually halfway through the day. Now I feel guilty they are paying for time they don't use! lol. But in all honestly, I've told them, they can go to walfart before picking kids up, I really don't mind. But they want to spend that time with their babies. So I can't complain!
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melskids 01:19 PM 03-29-2011
Originally Posted by dEHmom:
yes it is very sad how some parents behave.

as mentioned many times in other posts, most parents see it as they have paid for it. some parents might see it as the kids would be upset missing a day of daycare. I know my kids would.


I actually have the opposite problem, where moms are always picking up early, usually halfway through the day. Now I feel guilty they are paying for time they don't use! lol. But in all honestly, I've told them, they can go to walfart before picking kids up, I really don't mind. But they want to spend that time with their babies. So I can't complain!
walfart? never heard of it....
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Evansmom 01:32 PM 03-29-2011
I have a family like this too. I watch their youngest kid and poor thing is here from open to close without fail. No days off except if she's really sick or if I'm closed and when I do have to close for vacation or if my son is sick (really only once or twice a year) it's a big deal to the mom. I know the mom goes to happy hour after work on Fridays before coming to pick up her child.

One time she got home and forgot to pick DCG up so she was 30 minutes late turning around to come get her! I feel the mom just has too much on her plate working full time and having 3 kids. I feel bad for her b/c she's always so frazzled coming and going.

And my DCG doesn't get bathed regularly. I also suspect she may be anemic. I mentioned it to the mom. I know she means to keep up with all these things but she doesn't. She gets home and gets right back on her laptop with work she's told me.

I actually worry that she is at risk of forgetting a sleeping child in a car or some nightmare like you've heard like that. I ALWAYS call my parents if they are late b/c of this.

Even though it's not how I'd choose to parent my kids I just try not to pick it apart. It takes all kinds ya know?
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Lucy 02:39 PM 03-29-2011
Originally Posted by LLD:
I have one daycare family that has two children that are here from open to close no. matter. what.
*Dad (a teacher) home for Spring Break-not even an extra hour at home, *Babies (3mo) first ear infection-quick trip to the Dr and STRAIGHT back to the daycare. Mom even dropped her off before going to the drive thru pharmacy.
*Mom and Dad take the Day off work...made sure to get them here right at 7:30 even in her PJ's
*One kid stays home sick the other one comes.
...and on and on........
Other than the occupation, this sounds EXACTLY like one of my families. Dad off every other Friday, but kids still come open to close. Mom stays home for the day, kids come bright and early and are not picked up till closing time. Doctor appointment, mom picks up 15 before appointment and brings then right back to me, then goes home and returns at closing. It makes me sick.

Yes, I have a "no deductions for time not in attendance" policy, and I know they're just getting their money's worth, but it really is sickening. These kids are here EVERY day I'm open. In the 7 years I've had them (boy for 7, girl for 3), I think they've not been here maybe 3 times due to the family going on a weekend trip and they didn't come on Friday. Sad.
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Evansmom 04:35 PM 03-29-2011
Oh yeah, one time I had a parent who stayed at home and would drop her son off at my house and then go home two blocks away. Sometimes she'd call and want to chat with me. I was like "Hello I'm working here!"

When it didn't work out with them (the little boy came from a very quiet home where he was the only child and was way too overwhelmed for group care, we tried for a month and he cried the whole time) and I gave them a two week notice she was super mad that I didn't give them longer notice. For what? You don't work lady!!!
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momatheart 04:40 PM 03-29-2011
Put them on contracted hours and since you know the dad is home by such and such a time they need to make sure it a reasonable time.

Eg. 7:30 to 3:30 He needs to be at school by 8 and he gets out at 3. Anything passed the contracted hours have to be asked for in writting and an extra fee may be applied. Then it can be mom to pick up which lets say her hours are till 4 so 4:30. Would be reasonable.
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SuperNinjaMommy 05:13 PM 03-29-2011
I think there are just parents like this. I say this because I have a family just like this but I don't charge for days not here and I never take paid holidays. They actually asked if I was working christmas eve because even though they had the day off they had a lot to get done. They also have asked me to keep their youngest up only giving him a morning nap (he's 10 months) so that he will go to bed easier for them when they pick up. One will be throwing up (they have 3) and they will pick him up but leave the other two. Even in a snow emergency, when both parents were told by their job not to come in because it was to dangerous, they brought the children and then went back home!!! First kids here and last to leave!

Unfortunately, these are also my most troublesome kids. There is something to be said about consistency and active parents.
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Evansmom 10:35 AM 03-30-2011
Unfortunately it's these kids that we as care givers really end up raising. I know we have a hand in raising all of them but the ones that are with us more than with the parents I feel become one of my own.

The little girl I have now that's family is like that I have considered bathing and giving a multivitamin. I would give her a bath if I really thought she was a danger to the other children as it is I think (by the smell of her poor thing) that the parents just push the envelope enough to where I don't have to do that. And with the anemia issue the DCM got a bit offended and brushed it off but this poor girl falls asleep all. the. time. She'll curl up on the couch and fall asleep during free play. And she barely eats. Exhaustion and poor appetite are classic symptoms of anemia. I have been a mom for almost 18 years and worked with children for 15 years and my hunch says this kid is anemic.
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MsMe 12:01 PM 03-30-2011
Originally Posted by SuperNinjaMommy:
I think there are just parents like this. I say this because I have a family just like this but I don't charge for days not here and I never take paid holidays. They actually asked if I was working christmas eve because even though they had the day off they had a lot to get done. They also have asked me to keep their youngest up only giving him a morning nap (he's 10 months) so that he will go to bed easier for them when they pick up. One will be throwing up (they have 3) and they will pick him up but leave the other two. Even in a snow emergency, when both parents were told by their job not to come in because it was to dangerous, they brought the children and then went back home!!! First kids here and last to leave!

Unfortunately, these are also my most troublesome kids. There is something to be said about consistency and active parents.
this is exactly like the family I have. they will risk their lives to get here. I also don't understand when one is sick why you would leave one at daycare just to pack up the sick one and take him/her out again to come back into town to get the other at the end of the day. If I or my child was sick I would just want to go home and stay there...not have to get back out in the cold again!!
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youretooloud 12:11 PM 03-30-2011
I've had parents who took advantage of me. I charge the same no matter how long they are here, so they'd come the second I opened, and pick up the second I closed.

Now, I have parents who can't wait to get here to see the kids. The kids are their favorite people in the world, and they love to be with them. I love these families!
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dEHmom 12:15 PM 03-30-2011
Originally Posted by youretooloud:
I've had parents who took advantage of me. I charge the same no matter how long they are here, so they'd come the second I opened, and pick up the second I closed.

Now, I have parents who can't wait to get here to see the kids. The kids are their favorite people in the world, and they love to be with them. I love these families!
yep both my fams left/are leaving early today! one heard that the other had a dr. appt so was leaving early, and I have an oil change later today. She said "great! now I have a reason to leave early!" she only brings her dd here 3 days a week, and misses her so much that she leaves early when she can.
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cherryhill 12:50 PM 03-30-2011
I have this one dcd that drops off early usually before I open at 7:30 and will pick up at exactly 5:30 closing to then take his son to the the gyms daycare while he works out. This dcb always goes to sleep at 7:30 so he pretty much doesnt have to spend anytime with him. This boy is pretty wild so I thinks it is easier this way.
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SuperNinjaMommy 01:37 PM 03-30-2011
It's so funny to read what I wrote this yesterday because today the youngest was puking so she came and picked her up and left the other two. Also, both parents were off work today.
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Blackcat31 01:58 PM 03-30-2011
I have seen this topic pop up several times since I have been visiting this board and I will NEVER understand why it bothers provider's so much when they have kids in care when the parent is off work....maybe they are painting the living room and the kids just get in the way, maybe they are working from home or doing something that does not require them to actually be at work but is still something that they can't do with kids under foot....heck, maybe they go home and screw like rabbits because they don't have time when the kiddos are around?!? Maybe mom is taking a hot bath and enjoying every second of it since her kids aren't bawling outside the door for her to get out! LOL!!

Anyways, I just think this subject is a moot point because when I go to Wal-mart and buy a product, I do not expect the cashier tell me how I can use the item I paid for so like daycare, if the parent is paying for their time/space they should be able to use it however they wish...with or without their children.

It is sad that it may seem as though parents do not want to spend time with their kids but in reality there are probably all sorts of things we would be surprised to learn that goes on when we aren't around to notice or be privvy to.....I have probably even complained about this topic before too but I have learned that really, it isn't fair to judge anyone's actions unless we have honestly walked in their shoes......
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SuperNinjaMommy 03:03 PM 03-30-2011
You know to be honest it's not really the parents who are off work that bring their kids, it's the parents who find every reason not to spend with their children that are the problem. And yes that problem ends up taking on toll on the children often making them the more troublesome child for a dcp. I have two families, both of which have brought when they were off work. One family doesn't bother me and the other does. The family that doesn't bother me often comes and gets the children early so they can see them, takes vacations together and just all around pays great attention to them. The other family loves their children however they not only bring them during the week when they don't work but they get sitters on the weekend too. Not just for date night saturday but for grocery shopping and even putting up the christmas tree. Even going as far as to telling me to cut back on naptime because bedtime is at 7, they pick up at 5.

However, I completely understand where you're coming from and I often remind myself I'm getting paid for them being here. My thinking on that is that a child's well being in whole is a priority for me, I don't dislike it on a business level but rather a personal level. I feel bad for them and don't understand why their parents don't want to spend time with them. It leaves them crying for attention, often negatively.
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Tags:good friday, unpaid days
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