Just turned away my first family
Have you ever had an interview and within the first 5 minutes just knew that it was not going to work out well?
Well, I just had my first. Up until today, I have never turned away a family after I have meet with them. Maybe I have been lucky enough to find great families right from the start. Or that it takes a lot for me to throw up the red flag.
Anyhow, I had an inquiry over the weekend about a full time spot that I have opening up in September, but she wanted to start next week. I was not able to accommodate that, but I suggested that she can start part time here (family is currently caring for her) and I can fill her in on my other part timers day off (1 day per week) and then come September, she can go full time. She was a go.
Yesterday was our scheduled meeting, after waiting for 30 minutes to show up, I emailed her and she got back to me right away saying that she was bathing her daughter and that she missed her afternoon nap. She asked to reschedule and I did.
She comes in today with her daughter and as I am heading upstairs to show her the upper level, my dcb awakes from his nap screaming. I go in, pick him up and show her the sleep room and one of the play rooms. As we go down stairs she says that her mother in law let her daughter cry it out yesterday and she freaked out. She never lets her cry it out and she believe that it is selfish to do so. I am not sure about you all, but I let my daycare children and my own, cry it out to an extent.
She told me that she tried to let her cry it out once and she threw up everywhere. Not what I want to hear. So I asked her how she puts her to sleep. She breast feeds her to sleep. Great. She is not weaned. Not only is she not weaned, she will not take pumped milk in a bottle. So if she is not taking a bottle, how are her eating habits? She does not eat. She only gets cheese puffs and yogurt melts. So how is the family getting her to sleep. They walk around with her in their arms until she passes out. On top of that, she does not have a set nap time. Her afternoon nap is anywhere between 1-3 (when my daycare kiddies start waking up!) and she apparently is a very bad sleeper.
If this was not enough, I have my own 11 weeks old that I am breastfeeding throughout the day. How am I suppose to feed him, know that she is sitting their starving, waiting for breast milk?
*sigh* As nice as it would of been to fill in that one day per week and have a set full timer come September, I am sure that this would of been a disaster.
