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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>OMG..Safety and CLUELESS Mom
My4SunshineGirlsNY 07:43 PM 05-21-2010
I have already vented to GCBB about my new daycare boy...mom doesn't seem to have a grip on discipline with him. The boy will be 4 in two weeks.

I actually had this boy for 2 weeks about 3 months ago, then his dad ran out of work (painter contractor) and wasn't communicating with me so I unenrolled him...and just took him back in (the extra money was appealing).

Well let's just say I'm off to an annoyed start, but today topped the cake. I started him on Wed... Yesterday new Daycare Boy had a hard time listening to me and following directions, kept doing everything I told him NOT to do (keep your drink in the kitchen 100 times, and today he took it in my living room without me seeing and spilled it!!)..plus threw a fit when I told him we had to leave the playground. Refusing to lay down for a nap (I won)...There were many other things too throughout the day. I told his mom at pick up that he had a hard time listening today and she just said "oh ya"..like no big deal. Didn't say much at all....he's throwing a fit every night at pick up because he doesn't want to leave..yesterday he hung on her passanger side door of her car...she said in a weak voice "don't hang on my door"...kid still doing it and she ignores it.

Well today:

I was just a little on the shocked side this evening....for safety reasons. The new daycare boy's mother comes inside to pick up her son, while she's inside paying me and getting his things, the boy goes outside and gets in her car in the drivers seat. Both myself and the mom were standing right at the front door inside..I said "um, he's in your driver seat, do you have the car running?" She casually says "oh ya, he'll try to take off with it"....(like it was no big deal!!)..and I seen my 4 year old daughter go around the car to get to the other side (as I see the boy turning the wheel like it's a toy and bouncing around in the seat..and THE ENGINE IS RUNNING!) I run out the door as fast as can be to grab my daughter away from the car because heaven knows what could have happened if the boy was able to shift it into a gear. His mom wasn't even concerned.

I explained to the boy why that was dangerous and the mom acted like it was no big deal and like he does it all the time. She didn't even say anything to him, so I thought I would step in and explain why that was so dangerous so he understood. I was just really shocked that this didn't bother her.

Ok so now I have a question...I am a mandated reporter for abuse...is this a type of situation I am supposed to report or is it only physical/verbal abuse? This obviously wansn't safe and she acted like it was something he does all the time.
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HeatherB 08:07 PM 05-21-2010
As a foster parent Unfortunatly I do not think they would do anything about this. You can try if you will feel better..they might have had past investigation about safety and such with the family that it might warrant an open investigation. HOWEVER I truely do not think they would remove the child.. they would MENTOR her first and drown her with parenting classes and such.
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Daycare Mommy 10:02 AM 05-22-2010
I just wouldn't let him leave unless he's with mom. No dc kids are allowed to even touch my front door. If they want to go out they have to wait for mom. I will go get them myself if they manage to slip by when mom is coming in.
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MarinaVanessa 12:25 PM 05-22-2010
I guess the best way to find out is to call child services and ask them. If you are licensed I'd call licensing instead and at least report it to them. They can tell you whether it's serious enough to report it to other authorities. Ahh, what a nightmare! My daughter the other day jumped in the driver's seat (she's 5) and put the key in the ignition and started me car!!! I FREAKED OUT!!! I purposely don't start the car uneil all of the DC littles are in their seats AND buckled!! I had a 10 minute talk to her about the dangers of what she had done and things that could have happened (I was in the backseat buckling one of the kids in their seats). That same day I went straight to the store and bought one of those loop things for your keys to hang around my neck. Usually I have my keys in my purse and put it in the driver's seat while strap everyone in but not after this one incident. Why wouldn't the mom freak out with him being in the driver's seat while it's running and he's jumping around all over it?!?! He could've put in neutral, drive or reverse!! Ay ay ay, some people I swear.
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mamajennleigh 04:59 PM 05-22-2010
I don't know about you, but the way my driveway is set up, if that kid had somehow gotten the car in gear, that car would have ended up in my living room! I would have freaked out, seriously. I can't believe his mom was not concerned? Some people are just clueless.
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My4SunshineGirlsNY 05:41 PM 05-22-2010
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
My daughter the other day jumped in the driver's seat (she's 5) and put the key in the ignition and started me car!!! I FREAKED OUT!!!
My 4 year old has done that a few months ago and I also freaked out. My keys were in my cupholder and that's the last time I ever left them there. So yes, kids are curious and they love to do what we do...but for this mother to act like it was not a big deal, standing inside my house knowing her son is in the driver seat with the car running was scary to me.
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Tags:abuse, discipline - consistency, parent - its a verb, report, supervision - active vs. passive, supervision - inadequate
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