Misgivings / Uneasy relationship
I started a new family in December for a 1 year old. The mom did many interviews with other providers before choosing my daycare. I didn't feel like we really clicked in the interview so I was surprised that she picked me a few weeks later because I didn't really feel the warm fuzzy feeling from her during the interview.
I started the child and there are no major issues. The child has some nap issues, some issues pulling on other kids' clothes and the parents have come late a few minutes a few times beyond my close time. These are all just little things that kind of nag at me but are nothing that I would really term over.
Then today the dcm says she drove by my house during daycare time and saw me and the kids outside but she did not see her daughter outside. Her daughter was playing in the open garage because there are some trikes and the water table and toys in the garage and the kids often go in there and play near that stuff instead of the front yard. It isn't a big deal to me but it sure didn't look good when mom drives by and her child is not visible.
The mom says "was someone else here watching her?" I say no and I explained that her DD was in the garage at that time. She would have been about 20 feet from me where I was on the driveway colouring with chalk with the other kids.
In any case...it is unsettling that this mom drove by and spied and then questioned me on it as though I was hiding something.
Part of me thinks it is totally her prerogative because she doesn't know me from Adam but the other part of me feels under scrutiny and feels like putting up my ad. I work really hard at my daycare and the kids and preparing a program for them and a safe, fun day and it doesn't feel good that she would think otherwise.
Then her daughter had a little mark on her hand and she asked where it was from. We had come from the yard about 20 minutes before pick up time and I never noticed that her daughter got any kind of injury or scrape while playing outside. She didn't cry or seem like she got hurt during the hour outside at all.
I guess I feel kind of like terminating based on the little issues plus what happened today...the other part of me says that they are just worried about their child and I should maybe start closing the garage so no kids can play in there in case other parents would do the same.
I am just kind of uneasy now...and adding to it my little issues with this family and then today makes me feel like these are early red flags and I might regret keeping this family down the road.
WWYD?