What are the strangest questions you've been asked during an interview?

I still can't believe some of the questions people ask me during interviews. I thought it might be fun to share some of the strangest ones we've been asked...

Here are some of mine-

Can I look in your fridge?

Do the kids in you care come from financially stable homes?

Do any of the kids in your care have siblings with special needs?

Is that a bullet hole? -one of the kids threw a stone at our one very old window. DH just taped it until he had time to replace it on the weekend. We don't live in the best area but still??

Are you able to promise me my son won't be playing with dolls?

"Can you take down your religious artifacts (a cross on the wall at my entrance and a pope-blessing from our wedding in a frame in the dining room) as we don't practice the same religion. Also not to celebrate easter or christmas" how about NO?


(as child was feeding off of mom @ 14mos old) "I don't believe in baby-mush-food. I'd rather you give him a full peice of bread/nugget/fries and let him learn how much to take in.....he wont choke himself" Seriously? how about 1st getting him off the boob for daytime feedings if you want to start in 1 week??? I was magically FULL for that spot.

"Wow you have a lot of pink in the playroom, will you be getting more boy-colours down here?" (I had for 1yr all girls so yes there was a doll area but otherwise did you ignore everything else that was primary colours? All the red/green & yellows?? :eyeroll:

"How many sq feet is your house? How many bathrooms? Are you going to change the floors?" are you interviewing for daycare or wanting to buy my house??

LOL my favorite is your wheelchair desease (sp) catching ???


ROFL copter

I was once in a McDonalds play gym with my family (a rare treat for them!); I was chatting back and forth with a Mom and casually mentioned that I run a Home Daycare. She then said I am really stuck and need someone to take my 3 year old tomorrow. So, I told her to come a bit early, she filled out some forms and he started right away. I ended up being their back up a few times until I completely filled up. Great kid & family...but very brave!

I had one last week -- she was reading from an interview list and the question written and asked was ---

Do you use a fresh tissue for each child when you wipe their nose?

Followed up by....

Do you wash your hands after each diaper change?

Ewwwwww. LOL I mean....really?

These were from a OEYC recommended question list.

Some of these are priceless - ROFL!

Potty elimination of an infant is my strangest - yes I have time to put your infant over the potty every 10 minutes and am going to notice that if she pulls her ear that means she's going to poop and needs to sit on potty :rolleyes:

These are hilarious. Dodge, Wheelchair disease? That hurt just reading it! My sarcastic side would come out if I was asked that question. I would just answer "Yes, very catchy, so if you run out the door right now, you might be o.k." and smile.

hurt cause you were laughing? LOL@ Mimi

No Dodge, because it was so ignorant :no:

oh....I just laughed and asked if they wanted a pair of rubber gloves, then showed them the door

one mom wanted to know if the stairs to my basement would be removed as they didnt want to introduce stairs to their child yet. he was 3 ?!?! i moved the interview along pretty quickly and hurried them out the door lol. Another mom wanted me to send her my menus a month in advance wo she could make notes on them. Um, no thankyou. I dont mind sharing my menus but I dont need the critique :ohmy:

OMG! These are freakin' hillarious! I have none! I can't think of one single weird question I've ever been asked. Well, maybe one. I had a real b$@ch of a mom in the beginning. I was too new to know to give short contracts at first and I couldn't break it. But, then I switched over to be subsidezed (in Quebec), so my original contract became void and I offered a new one of 1 month to have time to find other care. She asked me right out if it's because of how she treated me and spoke to me. So, not only was she rude, but she was fully aware of it!
So, I said, actually, yes. Along with other issues.

too funny! these are great!

I had 1 dad ask me if I serve meals that were from the previous night family supper. I said yes, if it's a stew or soup or something like that. He then asked if I scrape our family plates BACK INTO THE POT to be served to the daycare the next day. :blink: Um ya...all the time...barf! :rolleyes:

I think the strangest questions I had was from one mom who didn't want me to let her child have any plastic toys or sleep in a plastic bed of any type or a plastic booster chair and sent me an email with an attachment on all the ways to clean with vinegar. Um, no thanks!

I once had a mom and dad come together for an interview and during the interview mom kind of took over with questions and chatting and dad began to play with our dog and then proceeded to look around my house - opening cupboards, drawers, fridge. I asked him to please stop, then he asked if he could look inside my bedroom "just incase you're some sort of weirdo that has swords hanging above the bed or something". Um, no! I basically said have a nice day, we are done here and he then asked for a lint roller to remove the dog hair he had gotten on himself after picking up and hugging our terrier. I told him I didn't have one and he freaked out because a)WHO in the world doesn't have a lint roller?!!!! and b)I didn't realize terrier's shed. Otherwise I wouldn't have picked him up........

I also had a woman who asked me if I had ever shaken a child and injured them(Of course not!) and then asked me if I had a written 'action plan' on what protocol I would follow in the event of a crying child that was inconsolable. She also parked 4 houses away from mine(rather than in front of my house) and walked over.......not sure why.

She also parked 4 houses away from mine(rather than in front of my house) and walked over.......not sure why.So you wouldn't see her coming and she could "surprise" you! One of my parents did the same thing except she forgot the eliment of surprise was not there as she always arrived at the same time each day. I find people who are sneaky themselves resort to these tactics.

I had a Mom get upset that my DD was watching a Max and Ruby dvd. She was 2 at the time and it was part of our night time routine, as the interview was at 7pm. She told me they don't watch T.V, I said we don't watch much but DD has a show in the morning and one before bed.

She then asked if her 18 month old could have a glass of water, I told her sorry that my husband was on his way home with the water cooler jugs and we were out. I asked if she would like milk or apple juice as a substitute, she gave me an extremely dirty look and said tap water is just fine. Seriously she looked at me like I had the plague, our towns tap water tastes awful and is loaded with bleach.

She never called me for daycare, lol. I already new she wasn't impressed with my T.V watching, juice/milk drinking attitude. Seriously though I water down juice for my kids and 80% of the time we drink water but I wasn't even going to bother answering any of that to her.

I also had an interview with a couple that didn't believe in telling there 1 year "no" they believed in just letting her explore. They told me if she wants to climb on top of the kitchen table then she can, they will make sure she does safely. They also wanted her to only have positive experiences, the Dad also showed me to only use 1/2 a wipe is all that's necessary to wipe her with. NEXT was all I could say.

Oooh, funny thread...
I wish I had something to add, but I don't! LoL... I suppose I am glad for that, though. ;)

Remove the stairs???????? Yeah, because an 8 foot drop-off to the hard basement floor is ever so much better than "gasp" the dreaded stairs :blink: I am having so much fun reading these...wish I had something nearly as funny as these to add!

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Originally Posted by monkeymama

one mom wanted to know if the stairs to my basement would be removed as they didnt want to introduce stairs to their child yet. he was 3 ?!?! i moved the interview along pretty quickly and hurried them out the door lol. Another mom wanted me to send her my menus a month in advance wo she could make notes on them. Um, no thankyou. I dont mind sharing my menus but I dont need the critique :ohmy:

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Hey sunnydays, maybe that parent wanted her to install a slide to the basement? Actually, that would be fun! Well going down, but not climbing back up.

LOL ~ if I had the money and the space for my dream home daycare I would so have one of these in my playroom so that they could 'slide down' and than crawl up except I would not want the open stairs but closed style ;)

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps6152f103.jpg

The strangest question I was asked in an interview:

"how do you go to the bathroom?"

LOL, my answer... "how do YOU go to the bathroom? " Ha. I didn't take those clients on. I figured if their child was that much trouble that she didn't know how I was going to possible take a potty break then maybe that child just wasn't for me.

I almost choked when I saw the wheelchair decease... Oh dear! That's awefull!!

I don't think I had any ''strange'' question asked to me.... But I had wierd answers!

I Asked a mom what her expectation were when it came to child care and she just said: I really don't have any... after 4 kids you stop caring... as long as she eats I'm okay. :blink: Really lady?

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Originally Posted by busydaycarelady

I once had a mom and dad come together for an interview and during the interview mom kind of took over with questions and chatting and dad began to play with our dog and then proceeded to look around my house - opening cupboards, drawers, fridge. I asked him to please stop, then he asked if he could look inside my bedroom "just incase you're some sort of weirdo that has swords hanging above the bed or something". Um, no! I basically said have a nice day, we are done here and he then asked for a lint roller to remove the dog hair he had gotten on himself after picking up and hugging our terrier. I told him I didn't have one and he freaked out because a)WHO in the world doesn't have a lint roller?!!!! and b)I didn't realize terrier's shed. Otherwise I wouldn't have picked him up........

I also had a woman who asked me if I had ever shaken a child and injured them(Of course not!) and then asked me if I had a written 'action plan' on what protocol I would follow in the event of a crying child that was inconsolable. She also parked 4 houses away from mine(rather than in front of my house) and walked over.......not sure why.

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Someone asked me once if I knew what shaken baby syndrome was, and what my plan was should I get angry with a child. :blink:

You know, I have three children of my own, all of whom are older than her child. They all made it to school age without my hurting them in a fit of rage. I felt the question was very insulting, and to be honest, as a seasoned caregiver, it really hurt my feelings.

Of course I get frustrated when babies cry all day long. We all do. But you know what? I have NEVER come close to shaking one. I did not accept her into care, even though I would have loved to fill my spot. I couldn't.

I had someone ask me when I was going to have another baby, because apparently my bedroom activities and family planning are the business of a perspective family. Furthermore, I'd need a crystal ball to really answer that question honestly.

I had someone ask if I had any teenagers living in the house (not too sure why that matters??)

During an interview when I was reviewing my illness policy I had a family (mom is a nurse) tell me that they will TELL ME when their child is sick and they will make the decision whether to keep him home or not. Because apparently I have no say in who crosses my doorway??

I'm sure there's others but thats what's jumping out at me right now.

I dont have much weirdos questions... but I find that parents are weirdos without even speaking sometimes hahaha

There was one mom that visited end of december and of course saw I didnt hadnt fenced the backyard yet, the child was starting in march so no biggy, with the mountains of snow cant go very far.

Then wrote me an email in beginning of march : So did you put up the fence yet ?? - Uh helloooo there is still full of snow and uhhhh the ground is still frozen !!!!! :thumbdown:

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Originally Posted by mlle.coccinelle

I almost choked when I saw the wheelchair decease... Oh dear! That's awefull!!

I don't think I had any ''strange'' question asked to me.... But I had wierd answers!

I Asked a mom what her expectation were when it came to child care and she just said: I really don't have any... after 4 kids you stop caring... as long as she eats I'm okay. :blink: Really lady?

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Well... after 4 kids... I think she's use to it lol

Teh teens in the house is one I have had. Interviewed a family a couple years back - son by this point was away at university 8 months a year with a guick 2 weeks home at Christmas and they were overwhelmed by the p rospect he might be here while their precious was in care - and it was a boy not even that it was a girl. I kindly but firmly reminded them that this was a family home and that my son was welcome to come home whenever he wanted and to stay as long as he wanted and there's the door please take your hang ups with you as you leave - and I got constructive and told them to consider a nanny or a daycare centre where interactions were more controlled.

What was so weird was the fact my husband would have been home for the last half hour while child was here, home whenever he wanted to be etc. and that in my contract it says he will be here to help with the kids if possible on days I am sick. They didn't care that he would be in the house all the time but cared my son might come home to visit his mommy once in awhile - ok well bye, bye. This will always be my own kids' home first.

I had an interview last night. Mom was very nice but clearly nervous about putting her 19 month old into care. She pointed out that she read my parent handbook and really like my discipline method but she was concerned about meal time. I asked why and she said that her son can feed himself but is very messy and sometimes wants his food warmer than originally given. I said ok thats normal, he's not even two. she went onto say that her and her husband were worried he would spend the entire day in time out over making such a mess. I laughed at her.

I've been open one year now and my team is all girls (well I have one boy last year but now its all girls). My husband takes over when needed and no one has any problems, even if he has to change diapers. We do have 2 daughters of our own, and they are all grown up, what are the parents going to say really !! If they didnt like the idea well, they can keep their girl at home during that time, but they still have to pay (its in the contract).

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Originally Posted by mlle.coccinelle

I almost choked when I saw the wheelchair decease... Oh dear! That's awefull!!

I don't think I had any ''strange'' question asked to me.... But I had wierd answers!

I Asked a mom what her expectation were when it came to child care and she just said: I really don't have any... after 4 kids you stop caring... as long as she eats I'm okay. :blink: Really lady?

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I heard someone say once that when you have your first child and they get the sniffles you rush them to the emergency room and after your fourth child and they swallow a dime you tell them it's coming out of their allowance ......
I have five kids and i have to say I'm pretty relaxed .... I'd probably have the same answer " keep em' alive and we're all good

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Originally Posted by Crayola kiddies

I heard someone say once that when you have your first child and they get the sniffles you rush them to the emergency room and after your fourth child and they swallow a dime you tell them it's coming out of their allowance ......
I have five kids and i have to say I'm pretty relaxed .... I'd probably have the same answer " keep em' alive and we're all good

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That's funny Crayola and so true. My youngest daughter who is the youngest of 4 children asked me if I loved her one time when she was about 10. I was flabbergasted. But she noticed that there were lots of pictures of her oldest sister when she was a baby and not as many of her in the photo albums. But my oldest child had the strictest restrictions and rules and they were a whole lot more relaxed by the time the 4th child got to them, so it all worked out evenly as far as I'm concerned.

I think it's funny when a new baby gets a sniffle and a new Mom wants to rush them off to the doctor. I just had that conversation with a dcMom this morning saying, oh he's fine, don't worry because she is trying to get her baby with the tiniest cough ever a dr.'s appointment. She's a wee bit overprotective to say the least.

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Originally Posted by Crayola kiddies

I heard someone say once that when you have your first child and they get the sniffles you rush them to the emergency room and after your fourth child and they swallow a dime you tell them it's coming out of their allowance ......
I have five kids and i have to say I'm pretty relaxed .... I'd probably have the same answer " keep em' alive and we're all good

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should have mentioned that the general feel of the interview was just odd. she walked into the door and said ok so she will start on monday ( that was the friday night)... You know even before calling my references, or finding out if I was a freak or not! :laugh:

Maybe its because I only have one child..... but I was SO suprised! most parents I interviewed before had 3 pages of question... she only had one : how much d you charge?

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Originally Posted by mlle.coccinelle

should have mentioned that the general feel of the interview was just odd. she walked into the door and said ok so she will start on monday ( that was the friday night)... You know even before calling my references, or finding out if I was a freak or not! :laugh:

Maybe its because I only have one child..... but I was SO suprised! most parents I interviewed before had 3 pages of question... she only had one : how much d you charge?

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I get the relaxed attitude with multiple children. You learn with each child. This Mom is taking risks and that is dangerous and sad.

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Originally Posted by Alphaghetti

Someone asked me once if I knew what shaken baby syndrome was, and what my plan was should I get angry with a child. :blink:

You know, I have three children of my own, all of whom are older than her child. They all made it to school age without my hurting them in a fit of rage. I felt the question was very insulting, and to be honest, as a seasoned caregiver, it really hurt my feelings.

Of course I get frustrated when babies cry all day long. We all do. But you know what? I have NEVER come close to shaking one. I did not accept her into care, even though I would have loved to fill my spot. I couldn't.

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This one even insults me when I think about the rudeness of some people. Your come back should have been, I personally have never felt that way about any child only extreme rude parents.