Why do we feel guilty?

[MonkeyPrincess]

I will speak from my opinion. I think it's because we don't want to inconvenience the daycare parents. They have to find alternate care (which is their responsibility anyhow) or have to leave work early (or go to work late) to accommodate our doctors appts. We understand that some parents have a harder time getting out of work/changing their hours/finding alternate care for the kids when we have to take time off.

With that being said, don't ever feel guilty about taking care of number 1- you! If you don't take care of yourself, then you won't be in good shape to care for your dckids, and your own, if you have any. If you ever have a parent complain about you taking time off, put them in their place, and you tell them that! DCparents have the right to call in sick to their employers when they can't make it to work, you have the same right.

Don't ever do what I did, bow down and take it. The ONE and ONLY time i ever asked a parent if it was ok to pick up the child early for me to go to a dentist appt, the parent told me it was not convenient, so i didn't go. I had to postpone my appt. This is the same parent who picked up their child LATE on the day i had to go to the doctor after daycare hours, and i had advised all parents two days in a row prior, then this one parent claims they had a surprise staff meeting. I was a half hour late for my appt, and because of that i was bumped to the last appt of the day (7pm). After that I decided i will never ask parents again. I just tell them i will close early and they must pick up the kids by a certain time, and i make that time 30 minutes before i actually have to leave the house, just in case i ever encounter that experience again.