OMG! So, he hands you the daughter then continues to "threaten" you?

I would have handed the child back, passed him his belongings and let him know that I would be calling the police as he's threatening you on your property.

This is one of the worst parts about our business. We are, for the most part, home alone with several children. We invite parents who we really don't know that well (we don't do police checks on them or reference checks on the parents) in to our home on a daily basis.

We all need to be able to react immediately when we feel threatened or bullied. No amount of money is worth that.

I would have simply given the child back, returned their items and shut the door. I would have called someone over to assist me with the rest of the kids. I would have called the police and reported him as threatening and I would take my contracts to collections if they still owed you money.

If you have the money and they're asking for a refund then I would hope that a visit from the police about threats would make them go away. Otherwise, it would be another call to the police.

I will not put up with threatening behaviour in my home and I will not be put in a position where I feel unsafe.

I hope all works out with your mom. I think your decision to return the money at this point is the only way out. However, if they utter any further threats to you or your business you should write them down, time and date stamp them and call the police in immediately.