My vent as a child care provider and mom.
I realize your time is important, but so is mine. Please do not take 20 minutes to pick up your child at the end of the day (6:40pm), and take a hint when I say I need to get started on making dinner for Terry, who works hard all day, and gets home late and hungry.
Also, I have my hours open at 5 am just so that way it gives a little extra time in the morning to get to work. I know you don't work till 5:45, and you are 15 minutes down the road from where I live. Please do NOT arrive at 5:01 am just to ask for a bottle to feed your child at my daycare. I would be fine if you dropped her off, and she needed to be fed, but not when you sit here for 20 minutes, and feed her yourself with a bottle I had to make. Do it at home if you have that much time please.
Please remember that at 5am, my ENTIRE family is still asleep, and I would appreciate it if you would not be super loud and practically holler at your baby while "playing" with her.
I know teething can cause nose issues, and general crankiness, but since I have two kids of my own (which are still young), and have worked with kids/babies since I was 11 years old, I think I can tell when your child is sick. Even if you can't/won't. Don't blame it all on teething. Your poor baby is suffering while you just go about in your own little world. I'm not sending her home, or saying she can't stay....I'm just politely letting you know that she is sick.
Also, formula is a key part in your infants nutrition right now. Please do not try to ask me to "limit" your childs formula for the day to help spread it out. I know you get WIC and they only allow so much formula per month. I know your job and I know you have thousands of dollars in savings (which you were trying to hide from the state so you could apply for state assistince in childcare, food, etc....but i guess you get the food anyways, so you scammed the government.) I KNOW you can buy an extra can of formula for the month. I will NOT limit your child to 8-12 oz of formula during the day (and have you give her another 6 oz at night). This is not enough for your baby!!!! Even WIC told you that! I will not give her juice or water in place of formula. You have one month left till she drinks whole milk. Stop being cheap.
When you DO finally start to leave my house in the morning, please do not hand over your child to me, then proceed to mold yourself around your child to give her hugs and kisses, and go to touch her arm, with your palm up. Makes her think you want to take her back, and then when you don't, and you let her lean into you and you half hold her- that is teasing her, and is cruel to her. Give her your loves while YOU are holding her, then blow kisses and wave when I am holding her, and L.E.A.V.E. Do not spend another few minutes pawing on her and leaving my front door open the whole time while saying goodbye. (after you already pawed all over her). You let in bugs, and cold air into my house. We pay to heat the house. Would you like it if I came over and did the same to you? Probably not
I realize I have big comfy furniture. This does not mean you need to rest half of your upper body on the cushion like a cat. You know, where you lean all your weight on TOP of the back cushion, and push it all the way down. Now that cushion needs some serious restuffing. Thanks for making it just the one cushion though.
This one really irked me.
Do NOT come to pick up your child, see that my immediate family including my wonderful grandma, see the balloons and presents and still sit for HALF AN HOUR talking to me. I told you that my mom, dad and grandma were going to be out of town for Maddies birthday, so they came on her actual birthday to celebrate. No big deal...Just had them come at 6:30ish for dinner (cause I knew you would be there to pick up your daughter, and I thought you would take a hint and just leave instead of talking for the normal 20 minutes). Instead, you say how good the food smells, how you wish you had that at your house that night, mmm...smells good, etc. I'm sorry, but this is not just a dinner. I am not going to invite you to stay. This is me and my family for my daughters birthday. But you didn't stop. Oh no. Instead, you stayed 10 minutes longer than normal, talking while everyone but me was eating dinner. Why did they get to eat? Because they are all early dinner people, and 6:30 was already late for them. Dinner was ready, and I told them to start eating. I did not get to eat maddies birthday dinner with the family. I gave you lots of hints to leave. But since I am open to 7pm, I am not sure I could have actually kicked you out. i am seriously considering changing my hours from 5:15 am to 6:45pm. All because of you.
OH! And we can't forget my sisters 21st birthday! It was over by my house at Red Robin on a Sunday evening. (cause that was her actual birthday day.) I had told you that morning about her birthday starting at 6pm, but i knew I would be a little late because of you working. No big deal. You get to my house at 6:40- later than you normall do, since you get out at 6? or 6:15. I had the presents in the truck, kids ready with shoes and coats, and me ready. I had your daughter up and ready, house cleaned up. You again sat and talked forever, even though i said i had to leave for her birthday. Her 21st birthday.
Do not tell me you packed enough clothes for your child, only for me to go through the bag and find 2 outfits. This was when she was poo'ing through her diaper, so clothes were much needed. Then, come summer, you said you had plenty of clothes for her. I think you are confused on the seasons. Summer means shorts, t-shirts, tanktops, etc.. Not pants, long sleeves. Now that fall has come, and the forecast called for rain and cool temps, you told me you had warm and cold clothes. Nope. you had tank tops, a summer dress, and two pairs of pants. Then you bring a tank top and pants for me to change her into the next day. It rained. I kept her in her long sleeve jammies all day to keep her comfy cozy. Today, it is muggy and 77 degrees forecasted. I understand the tank top, but why pants? Why not leave her in jammies, like I have told you several times, then I could dress her in the tank top later when it actually got warm outside? I'm more than happy to do that, since she is so young, and can't tell me when she is actually cold or not.
When your child has been hacking up a lung for two weeks, and you don't make her an appointment, and then you get sick, and you make an appt for you, that is wrong! Always put your children first!
You pay me $38 per day for care while at work. Do NOT think that just because you paid, you get to leave her for the full 13 1/2 hours when you take a day off for errands. Really?! She should only be here maybe 8-9 hours for that price. Not to mention it is pretty bad you send your kid off like that. You practically don't see her the whole half a week I have her, plus your sister takes her for a night every other weekend. and even a day when you don't work.
Just cause you are a single mom means nothing. I could do it too if I needed to. don't try to make it a pity story so you can get sympathy and free stuff, free babysitting. wont work.
To wrap it all up, so you understand better:
1. Spend 5 to 10 minutes MAX when picking up/dropping off your child. If you have extra time to spend with them, do it at home.
2. Send enough formula for their health. Don't be cheap.
3. Respect my time and family.
4. Check your local forecast and send clothes/dress accordingly.
5. It is cruel to leave your child in care over 10 hours a day, just cause you need to do some running around. Take her with. Moms everywhere do it, you can too.
6. Don't play the single mom card on me. Wont work.
7. Respect your child more.
