I agree that the problem isn't about your son it is about the whole situation in general. What sounded like a good idea in terms of making a little extra money on the weekend turned into a chore. On weekends as daycare providers we have things we have to do that we don't do during the daycare week such as launder all the daycare bedding, wash and sanitize toys, equipment. Plan lessons, meals, premake some foods and freeze them, grocery shopping, etc.

I am guilty if you want to call it that of letting my children have "treats" on the weekend that they weren't allowed to have during the week or in school lunches. Some children are effected by them and others are not.

You don't mention how old your son is. It sounds from his ability to speak with you that he is old enough to entertain himself when presented with a room of toys and that is likely what "Barb" was expecting in that he would just play while she went about her weekend daycare work, cleaned the house, etc. and act just like one of her own children. There is no programming on weekends. There is more tv as an option, there is relaxed meal times and down time when desired.

If the caregiver is finding that she isn't getting her work done because of the needs of the extra children then she is right to stop doing it because it is the daycare children for the coming week that are going to suffer too if the work isn't done on the weekend. It is time to just move on to someone else but be prepared that working on weekends isn't something all caregivers want to do.