Should I let this family go?

I've also had 2 past families call me a night because their child has a bruise they've never seen before. Child was under 2 and not long walking..ya ok...I was really offended at first and then I thought about it, and I said to myself, self I'm not going to let this stress me out I may be the same if it was my child (not) anyhow, so I said to the parent, call me anytime if your wondering and if I know where it comes from I'll tell you, if not oh well. I wasn't sure what would happen after and there were some scratches here and there but they were good about it. Because I decided they were not going to put me down, so I said very casually, no problem kind of voice, Call me anytime about anything, I did assure them that I would always try and tell them first even if they had a little fall. It worked great for me, this is a really stressing phone call to get at night then I worry and worry. Not after this . I really felt relief. But if it continued I would have told them to go elsewhere.

I think you are right. If this was only his first full day and they already had a complaint, what will the rest of the time with them be like? I guess there are other things about them that bother me so that's why this comment really got to me. When I had told them I take 12 days off unpaid, the mom said ''do you have to take holidays? Because I don't have any other sitter''. She really expected me to never take a single day off. Then she asked if she could bring her son half the day on stat holidays because she is paying me for it, even though they don't work. I told her I don't keep kids on stat holidays and that's that. So yeah, this one comment annoyed me even more. I have a feeling as soon as I tell them I am pregnant they will hit the road. I'm planning on taking 4 weeks off and I'm pretty sure that's not going to sit right with them. The other two families I have are great and have no problems with any of my rules. We'll see how this goes!

You can try to talk to them if you think they are just paranoid ( which is common with most parents). If they are unreasonable then it is better to end it.
I think since you do not like them very much it is better to part ways.

If you do not care if they pull their Child I would tel them flat that you did not like it and then maybe write down on a daily basis what the child ate how much and the times of the meals and the snacks. Give this to them on a daily basis and this shoudl shut them up and if not then I would tell them you do not derserve this kind of treatment and that they can find alternative childcare. parents do not realize how difficult it is to take care of children and they should be thankful when they find a good child care provider. I have been there times in the past and just came out and told the parents how I felt and that they could take their child elsewhere etc.. Where there is on family there are 2 more families looking for childcare.

So they sound like they are going to pick and pick no matter what you do. I hate confrontation and having to kick people out is not easy for me, however I've found that saying this arrangement just isn't working for me, us whatever.. and I've always given my parents other provider names in the area who may be interested (or not), or write on a nice piece of paper to look on kiji, used ott, and daycare bear, this way I always felt I was helping them to transition elsewhere with a bit of ease and it made me feel a bit better about saying "see ya". Or you use your pregnacy and say guess what I'm pregnant and I'll be taking a large amt of time off, here's a list of names or sites you can use to find another provider:) good luck!!
Just so you know it seems fairly slow for daycare calls so it may be a while before your able to replace him. There are alot of providers looking for kids right now including me in the very east end.

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Originally Posted by Marie

I think you are right. If this was only his first full day and they already had a complaint, what will the rest of the time with them be like? I guess there are other things about them that bother me so that's why this comment really got to me. When I had told them I take 12 days off unpaid, the mom said ''do you have to take holidays? Because I don't have any other sitter''. She really expected me to never take a single day off. Then she asked if she could bring her son half the day on stat holidays because she is paying me for it, even though they don't work. I told her I don't keep kids on stat holidays and that's that. So yeah, this one comment annoyed me even more. I have a feeling as soon as I tell them I am pregnant they will hit the road. I'm planning on taking 4 weeks off and I'm pretty sure that's not going to sit right with them. The other two families I have are great and have no problems with any of my rules. We'll see how this goes!

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Whaaaat? I don't know whether to laugh or grimace at her suggestion that she could bring her child for half a day on a stat holiday Wouldn't she or her husband be HOME to be with their child on a stat? That is kinda crazy to think that you should work on a stat whereas the parents are home and paid for the day without working half of it. I have never heard anything like that.

Also....don't these parents want to take any time off from their job during the whole year? usually my parents tell me when their vacays are and we try to build something around those days so I am off when they are off if we can make it all work. That way it works and everyone has time off. There is no purpose staying open if a few of your families are on vacation the same week.

It sounds like they are just very inexperienced with daycare and what to expect. :p

This is their first time dealing with a daycare of any kind. The feeling I get is that they really want to make sure they are getting their monies worth. I'm thinking that's why she asked if he could still come on the stat holiday, seeing as she is paying for it. I understand money can be tight and no one wants to get ripped off but I am only one person caring for all these children so it's not like one long weekend is undeserved. They've also made the comment that I'm lucky I get to ''stay home all day''. This bugged me so much but I just bit my tongue and didn't say anything. They have said money is tight for them and I think maybe that is making them bitter about paying for childcare...I don't know.

I used to have my kids in a home daycare and I would have to pay stat holidays. It never crossed my mind to see it as giving 'free money'. Sure you have a thought how nice it would be to save the $35 for the day and not have to pay but I knew that my boss was paying me and my paycheck was the same so therefore it made no difference. It wasn't as if I was paying $35 extra and getting a day's salary less from my job.
The way parents should think of it (or at least I came to think of it) is that you get paid, the provider gets paid and the bonus is you get a day to spend quality time with your child and be relaxed and enjoy each other. A stat holiday really makes no financial impact to a family at all. The salary they make and payment they give to a provider are the same regardless so it shoudln't even be an issue. The only difference is that instead of going to work that day and instead of the child going to care that day - they got to be together.
I really don't see how it should be a struggle for them.
I think parents should see what other providers offer and ask around what the general guidelines are for stats, sick days, vacations etc and they would find that it is all very normal and standard. I know that Durhamdaycare.com used to post polls where providers would answer average salary, whether they get paid vacays and stats etc and when I was looking for a provider I knew what to expect.
I have no idea in what sense they would think that a stat holiday is ripping them off or that you should have to work on a stat. Why wouldn't they want that time at home with their child to bond?
The stay at home all day comment - well....sadly not many people realize how hard it is to be a provider and give 100% every day to these young people, to keep them safe, busy, happy, clean, etc.
When I first used a home daycare I also thought to myself that this provider was lucky to be there for her kids and be able to make an income doing daycare whereas I had to go off to work and deal with a bi-polar CEO every day. lol Of course it wasn't until I became a provider that I realized how hard this woman must have worked !

I had someone come for an interview once who didn't like the fact that he would still have to pay even if his daughter was home sick...let alone the fact that I take two weeks paid vacation and 5 paid personal days if needed, plus stat holidays. I am glad he decided to go elsewhere, becuase he was the type who would not value the work providers do. Seeing as we are with their kids all day, parents should want us to be well rested so that we have the energy to deal with them! I always felt this way when my daycare provider wanted to take time off, even though it was sometimes a pain to have to arrange our schedules around it. Many of the providers in my area take paid holiday, let alone unpaid, so good luck to that family if they are looking for someone who will not take holidays! And the half days on stats is just ridiculous! When I worked outside the home, I couldn't wait to have a long weekend and get extra time with my baby.

I didn't think paid stat holidays were unreasonable so I'm glad to hear most people do this. I am planning on telling the parents this week I am pregnant so we'll see what happens. I don't think they mean to come across the way they do, but the impression they've left me with is that I am just a babysitter. The reason they have a problem with vacation time is because they've said I'm the only sitter they have, so if I can't take their son that day they have no one else. Whenever they ask for extra things they do it in an almost pleading way that makes me feel bad for them and I just want to cave in but I don't because I know if I do it will never stop. They've said more than once money is tight, they have no family help to watch their son if I am not able to...etc. And I don't like to be referred to as a babysitter but I'm not about to go into that with them. Not worth it!