Some questions from a Newbie!

[angelsmith]

Hi, I have been doing part time child care from my home for about 3 1/2yrs now. I have recently gone "full-time" and am having an issue with quiet time for older kids and their parent. I really need some advice.

I have a 6yr old and 7 yr old sister/bother who do not nap anymore. this is fine, however I do require them to have quiet time while my younger kids sleep. I usually put everyone in a seperate space. the two older ones have books/puzzles/stuffies and know they have to be quiet. Occationally, one or both of them fall asleep (I assume then that they NEED a nap!)
The parent is quite upset with this and is INSISTING that I do away with the quiet time altogether.
I have tried to explain the benifits for a quiet time but she is not accepting of this and is quite angry.

Please help. Am i doing the right thing? I believe kids need a "down time" in the afternoon. If I don't do it (I experimented) then they are cranky and fight constantly. Also, I need the quiet time for my Little kiddies to sleep and for me to re-group..

How can I relay this to the mom without sounding rude and controllling? What is the general concensis for 6 / 7 yr olds.

Thank you all so much!

[Momof4]

By the way, I know a lot of parents will hate the advice I just put into print. But I'm a parent too. I really believe that children will only fall asleep if they NEED sleep. And I believe that part of my job is to help parents learn as well as the long days I spend giving me all to their children.