Every child has his own sleep requirements, we know that as caregivers, but there is no child who needs no rest even if he/she does not sleep during that rest. And we need our mental sanity too: why do we cut ourselves so short as caregivers? If we do not care for ourselves, we will get burned out and resent constantly being on-deck when the reality is, they should be resting.

I have parents all the time trying to manipulate the nap issue and it is for their own selfish good, not the good of the child. They are overworked, long hours, shift work, whatever, or just want to get rid of the child in the evening as early as possible. No family time, no wonder these little ones are sad and stressed out.

I stick to my guns on the nap issue: parents have to understand that we are functioning as a group and if they want individual schedules they should hire a nanny. Daycares don't work that way...period. So I let them know square and clear that the sleep routine is non-negotiable.

I have parents all the time whining about how the daytime nap is ruining their evening go-to-bed schedule...well what about the overly-tired whiny child of theirs I have to put up with all day, who is exhausted and needs a nap? Do they ever stop to consider how wearing this is on the nerves of a caregiver dealing with a grumpy, non-co-operative child? No of course not, so they (the parents) have to be "disciplined". Either they suffer or you suffer. Decide. Don't be desperate.

We are not servants; we are running a credible business and a tough one at that. Because we are caregivers we have a certain personality type which is not attune to being hard-nosed. It is hard to be a caring person towards children and tough with their parents, but you have to be otherwise we will end up burned out and resentful like many of us describe on here.

It requires a change of attitude towards ourselves as caregivers. We love the children but we have to primarily take care of ourselves and our energy levels by showing ourselves the respect that parents don't.

Be fussy about who you take on as parents: they need to be "trained" from the get-go. Easier said than done, but if you don't like them from the beginning...forget it...don't even take them on. A clear written policy which forms A. part of the contract and B signed by the parents at the get-go will serve as a starting point. Revise it twice as year as issues arise for you or whenever you take on new parents...update it to serve your needs and protect yourself...then when things get tough you have your policy and conditions to fall back on. They form an integral part of the contract and the parents are violating the contract by not respecting your terms and conditions. Sounds tough as nails but hey...it's that or get walked all over.