Do you care for neighbours and friend's kids?

As a new member to the group and someone just starting out, I expect to be on here a lot with lots of questions. I excited that such a site exists! :)

I'm just wondering how people feel about looking after close neighbours' or friends' kids? Is it something that you avoid because you don't want to potentially wreck the relationship or does it make things easier because there's less advertising, less interviews and you and your own kids already know and like the families and they know and like you?

I care for a family (3 kids) who lives on my street about 8 houses down. We can see eachotherw driveways from our living room windows - good or bad? Not sure. Lol I don't have any issues and the fact that we are SO close together was something my family LOVED due to the convenience factor. I just had another mom 2 houses down contact me for her son... Again, conveneince factor. In my situation its been a selling point. If its a neighbor right beside you same thing unless your personlaities don't mesh and clash down the road then sure... Akwaaaard! But no one can predict that. However... I would NOT watch any of my friende kiddos. I would never want to mix kids and friendship due to boundaries etc :)

I cared for a neighbour's kids who lived down the street, and I had to terminate the child due to behaviour. Now our relationship is very tense. I will never care for kids from my street/friends/family etc. Just my experience, but lesson learned. It just gets too complicated if things go wrong.

No close friends or family! I had the neighbors granddaughter for a bit. I knew it was temporary so it wasn't an issue.

My general rule is no to friends and family. However, I helped a friend out one summer and it was fine. We had previously lived together and have a relationship where we don't take advantage of each other ever, so i was fairly sure it would be fine. I have a pregnant friend right now and if it works out, I will likely offer care for her too. Again, we've been friends for 20 years and are so similar in regard to child issues and business etiquette that I don't foresee see any issue. She's known my policies and programs for years and agrees to it all. But for the most, I do try to stay away from friends and family lol.

I've never had a neighbour need care but that might make me leery too. I don't want to feel like I'm being watched, even on days off and if things go wrong, it's not fun running into them at the grocery store let alone on my street every day!

I not take children of people we have personal relationship with. It harder to enforce own policies with friend and neighbor because we not wanting bad feeling to cross from professional relationship to personal life.

Some friend forget it business and sometime think 10 min late not big deal because we friend. Some neighbor think paying in evening instead morning not big deal because we not able to deposit fees until finish work.

See many provider who lived regret this situation. When they speak up, parent can feel that they not being good friend and if it go wrong, make for tricky situation if seeing neighbor daily or have friend in same circle.

If you have do it, I would sit down before and be very clear that this business arrangement and during business hours, friendship not come into it. That value their friendship but not able to bend rules for them during work day and make sure they fully on board and respectful of it. Could be very awkward if this not clear from beginning.

never !!!!!!!!!!!

Never! I don't do neighbors, family, cops or teachers!!! I learned the hard way

I'm the same. My do not care for list:
Cops
Lawyers
Cas workers
Neighbours
Friends
Family
Teachers (unless they want to pay all yr round ;) )

Haha, I just thought about my group. 4 of my kids are teacher's kids, and the fifth one is a lawyers kid.

Mine not only lives same street but also a teacher ;) I only take teachers kids. Having said that, in my opinion some s erious conflict would have to arise in order to not be able to be civil with them should care be terminated on either side - for me anyhow. I don't turn away clients for a reason like that, but to each their own.

I'm dealing with this right now... my son's friend comes over after school as much as 3 times a week although for an hour at the most. He's sometimes picked up within minutes of arriving, by his older brother.

This is a new thing and I'm a bit taken aback that they haven't offered to pay me. In the past I did get paid by them to care for him full-time during the summer and it was all fine.

I don't know how to price this since the times vary so much. My son and him are 8 so they don't need much hands on care, but he asks for snack and sometimes even goes into my fridge to help himself :mad:
Before I didn't mind the occasional rare day here and there, and never asked for a formal payment because I thought it was the neighbourly thing to do.

How much would you ask for? This is very awkward for me!

10$ every time he is there for up to an hr. Basically 10$/hr for after school case. If care is 30mins or under then 5$. Like when brother picks up within 5/10mins.

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Originally Posted by babydom

10$ every time he is there for up to an hr. Basically 10$/hr for after school case. If care is 30mins or under then 5$. Like when brother picks up within 5/10mins.

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Thanks babydom for the pricing suggestion.
Sounds fair and reasonable. Just wish I wasn't put in that position to have to ask, but you gotta do what you gotta do...

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Originally Posted by cdngirl

I'm dealing with this right now... my son's friend comes over after school as much as 3 times a week although for an hour at the most. He's sometimes picked up within minutes of arriving, by his older brother.

This is a new thing and I'm a bit taken aback that they haven't offered to pay me. In the past I did get paid by them to care for him full-time during the summer and it was all fine.

I don't know how to price this since the times vary so much. My son and him are 8 so they don't need much hands on care, but he asks for snack and sometimes even goes into my fridge to help himself :mad:
Before I didn't mind the occasional rare day here and there, and never asked for a formal payment because I thought it was the neighbourly thing to do.

How much would you ask for? This is very awkward for me!

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Do the parents think it's just a friend going over to play or do they treat it as Childcare? It kinda sounds like a play date to me but maybe I'm misunderstanding!!

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Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys

Do the parents think it's just a friend going over to play or do they treat it as Childcare? It kinda sounds like a play date to me but maybe I'm misunderstanding!!

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That could very well be that they consider it as a playdate which would be acceptable if very occasional like before.
But now he comes to our house because his older brother does extra curricular activities 2 or 3 times a week, and unable to pickup when the bus drops him off. He gets off at my son's stop so I pick them both up to come here. So to me it's now a childcare situation. What do you think?

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Originally Posted by superfun

Haha, I just thought about my group. 4 of my kids are teacher's kids, and the fifth one is a lawyers kid.

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That is funny:) and I hope you are having SUPERFUN with them:)

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Originally Posted by cdngirl

That could very well be that they consider it as a playdate which would be acceptable if very occasional like before.
But now he comes to our house because his older brother does extra curricular activities 2 or 3 times a week, and unable to pickup when the bus drops him off. He gets off at my son's stop so I pick them both up to come here. So to me it's now a childcare situation. What do you think?

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I'd say childcare. Not a play date....playdates with snacks 2/3 times a wk? No thank u!

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Originally Posted by cdngirl

That could very well be that they consider it as a playdate which would be acceptable if very occasional like before.
But now he comes to our house because his older brother does extra curricular activities 2 or 3 times a week, and unable to pickup when the bus drops him off. He gets off at my son's stop so I pick them both up to come here. So to me it's now a childcare situation. What do you think?

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Talk to the parent and let them know that you have to start charging them by such a date if he continues to come to daycare as you have to watch your ratio of children and when he is here he is stopping you from having a paying client