Can i terminate?

[nesya]

i just cannot take it anymore. fed up of giving explanations every single day. the parent just keeps on accusing me for everything. the child complained of headache on monday morning she comes and accuses me of not taking good care of him which gives her child headaches!!!! i told her its monday morning sat sun the child was with her.this is just an e.g i have told her several times to leave if she doesnt trust me. am i bound to give explanations for every little silly thing? one day its her child's headache, the other day why did her child fall while playing (he didnt even get hurt), why did he catch a cold,why he got fever.. how am i supposed to know??? she just has complains everyday. i have not received a single complain from any other parent. do i have a solid base to terminate? do i NEED a solid base to terminate. she expects special treatment for her child and i am not ready to treat him differently thats her main problem. if yes i can terminate should i give a reason or can just do it nicely written or verbal?

[dodge__driver11]

Frankly in a situation I'd just give whatever notice is required in your contact..I would just say:

"Due to differences that I feel cannot be rectified I must terminate care, as a result you last day of care will be _______.

I'd hand her the notice at the door, and say for her to read it once she gets home, and leave it at that.

This is your business and sometimes you just need to terminate because.......no other reason but that.

[playfelt]

The joys of being our own boss is that we can do whatever we feel is necessary for our busines to function properly and sometimes it means letting a family go. While you don't have to give a reason it does help because it lets the parent know what could be an issue for them with the next caregiver as well as protects ourselves from someone claiming wrongful dismissal although they can claim what they want it won't matter. But if your termination letter gives a brief reason then down the road if it comes up it will be recorded. But that doesn't mean you need to go into detail. In this case you can just say something like due to a failure to meet your childcare expections I feel it would be best for you to seek childcare elsewhere. Your child's last day of care in my home will be ______. And always do it after fees are paid up so if the mom gets mad and leaves early she isn't owing you anything for care already given.

If you don't want to be the one to terminate you can try working with the mom - she honestly may not realize she is doing what she is doing or else she has been so conditioned to monitor her care for abuse that she has become obsessive. Choose a catch phrase that will work for all of her questions and then when she asks one just use it - kinda like the I don't know kind. If used enough she will get the hint that you are not engaging in anykind of game with her. If child is old enough to complain about a headache they are old enough to tell mom the answer to her questions -why did you fall should be directed to the child not you. The key here is to not take part in her blame calling. If you don't try to explain there is nothing for the mom to comment on. A one sided conversation usually ends quickly.

[dodge__driver11]

Yes I agree with playfelt, you may want to give a brief reason, but do not let her comfront you at pick up or drop off that is the worst time to do these kinds of things.

[Momof4]

You don't ever have to explain your reasons because you are the boss and you should definitely follow the rules and procedures and policies in your contract. But you don't have to give reasons. You do want to keep a good, professional reputation so always be professional, but you can't please everyone. We deserve to be happy in our own homes with clients who respect and trust us. How can they leave their child with you if they don't trust you. That is weird and sad.

[mom-in-alberta]

"due to a failure to meet your childcare expections"
playfelt said it perfectly. If you have tried and tried with this mom, there are obviously some challenges with your working relationship. If you can fill that spot, I would.