Child Is Driving Me Crazy VENT

I have had this family for about 4 months now, and I have had it. His parents are the working, corporate type, who put their jobs before their child. He has been sick all week, and today is his 2nd birthday. They brought him today and then let me know that they might be late picking him up, depending on whether or not it snows. I am in Michigan, so it snows a lot here. The sick child just wants to sleep and cry and they think he is just fine. I guess if you try to leave your kid 12 hours a day at daycare and take him home to eat dinner and fall asleep you dont know him well enough to know he is sick. Poor child- sick, away from mom and dad who cant be bothered to leave work early in a snowstorm to pick up their sick child on his birthday. His parents are jerks. I dont really want to cuddle up to a sick child and infect myself or my family either. How do you separate sick kids so that they dont feel isolated but you dont get sick too? I feel sad it is his 2nd birthday today. Right now he is off in the corner just crying and whining and is inconsoleable. so tempted to terminate today! His parents are the type too who think they are my "boss," and I think they look down on me for being "just a babysitter."

[Blackcat31]

If he is sick, why are you allowing him to be there?

Child care providers have some responsibilty in these situations too.

You have the power to say "No, he is sick and needs to be home."

If you allow them to bring him when he is sick, then you can't complain about it.

a lot easier said than done. Some parents pre medicate, and you have no idea their sick until later in the day when meds wear off. The parents say "They weren't sick when I dropped them off". It's always the sitters fault. I've been in this business for 21 years and have heard and seen it all. And I was a working outside the home Mom, prior to this and my child was in daycare. Never took him to daycare sick. And I was military. So don't blame the sitter. Parents know when their child is sick. Plus it's the child's 2nd birthday. Bithday's fly by and can't be replaced. Lord forbid, take a day off and, be home with the baby on his 2nd birthday. and be home with your sick child. Parents need to be parents. Stop expecting the baby sitter to raise your children.

That's horrible. I would never leave my daughter at daycare sick. Even if she's a little "off" in the morning, we always let our provider know which parent is working nearer so thy can call us for a quick pick up if she starts feeling yucky.

I don't know how you providers do it, I really don't. I'd lose faith in humanity!

[dave4him]

Had that problem last week. One kid got everyone else sick and of course it's not the kids fault. I'm just way to nice and get taken advantage of

[clep]

I screen my families quite closely for this reason among others. If a parent puts their work first, that is the first red flag for me. If they let me know they may be late due to snowfall that is the second. They are able to provide themselves extra time to get home should it snow.

As a provider there are times when a child has fallen ill in the afternoon that has seemed fine in the morning. I do not however have parents that would medicate in the morning to be able to leave their sick child with me. I would not have parents like that in my day home space. I would terminate.

Parents often do not have a birthday party for their children on the day of their birthday if it falls on a weekday in my day home. They have a large celebration on the weekend and a little one with mom and dad the evening of their birthday so my children come on their birthday so we can have a party for them here. That to me does not show an uncaring parent at all.

Op, I don't see that anyone is trying to blame the sitter. I see someone empowering you and sharing the fact that you are in control of your situation and what you accept and what you don't. You can call the parent and tell them to pick up their child because they are sick. You do not have to keep them there and should not be for the sake of yourself and the other children present.

And to answer your original question: I separate sick children from others by sending them home. If my parents are over half an hour away, they will send someone else to get their children out of my house as quickly as possible when I alert them of illness.

Do you have a sick policy in your contract?