Why do some parents have to be so
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Why do some parents have to be so
| Tue, 02-06-2007 - 1:51pm |
ridiculously difficult. I am a SAHM that decided this year I would watch a couple of children to make some extra money. I have lurked on this board a lot and notice quite a few WOHM here. I just stopped watching this one baby that I just couldn't figure out the parents. The baby was a mess all the time. She was sick, had multiple respiratory problems, and cried all the time. Every time I called the parents to pick the baby up due to wheezing, or fever they seemed annoyed with me. Which I thought was odd. I have a strict policy that if the children have green noses they must go home. Also if the children have a fever they must go home and not return for 24 hours after the fever has broken or on antibiotics. Well I could never figure out why the baby cried so much until I was talking to the mother. Apparently they allow this baby to sit in a swing in the evenings and on weekends to get her to sleep. So the only time this baby naps during the day on the weekends is in a swing. Well that is not going to happen here. The baby is almost 20 lbs and I am not purchasing a swing for this child to sleep in. So according to the mother this child goes home around 5:30 or 6pm and sleeps from 6:30 until 6:30 the next day. No wonder...she won't nap here. So I told the mother that if I couldn't get the baby to nap during the day then I would no longer be keeping this baby. Well I guess she didn't believe me and I gave these parents a 1 week notice. I can't imagine having my baby that I haven't seen all day sleep a half hour after I got home and sleep until the next morning. I have tried for 4 months to get this baby on a schedule. When the other 2 children I have take their nap this child screams and screams. Just weird to me that a parent would want this for their child.


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"Why couldn't you train your children to sleep without co sleeping or nursing them?"
I didn't want to or need to so I saw no reason to change it.
"Why couldnt the parents of this child not get her to sleep without the swing?"
Hmmm? Let's see, I'm picking up an over tired and VERY stressed out baby from day care. Let's go home and "train" her, lol. You're kidding right? Do you have any idea what these poor parents were dealing with if this baby really wasn't napping at day care? When was the last time you "trained" an exhausted baby to do anything?
Now, in my case, since I wasn't dealing with a child exhausted from not sleeping and stressed out from their dcp, I could probably have done something to train my girls to sleep without me nursing or co-sleeping but if it ain't broke, why fix it?
"I think you are out of line here with respect to the op. She has told you that the parents use the swing to get the baby to sleep. So what is their excuse? Is the baby stress filled at home too?"
The parents don't need an excuse to do anything. THEY are not the ones who have failed to get the baby to sleep. That would be the dcp. And yes, she failed. This baby started with her at 6 weeks. Long before she could possibly have been addicted to anything to sleep. Yet she failed to train her to sleep at her house. I know exactly where the problem is if this story is even true and I have my doubts about that.
These parents are in the same place I was. It ain't broke for them. The baby sleeps for them. It's broke at day care where the baby doesn't sleep. There is no need for them to change what they do to get the baby to sleep to accommodate a dcp who can't get the baby to sleep. It's the dcp who needed to figure this out but she just went looking for invalid excuses because there's no way that baby was addicted to that swing from day one or couldn't be trained to soothe in some other way while in her care. Consistency is the key. If the only consistency the baby is getting is the swing then yes, she'll develop a depenencey but the dcp can offer consistency too.
ITA! thankyou.
"So basically you expect a dcp to be able to do something the child's parents cant do. That is a very interesting thought you have there."
Yes. There is absolutely no need for the dcp to do things exactly like the parents do. The parents don't need to change anything. THEY don't have a problem getting the baby to sleep. They have a problem keeping her awake after her long stressful napless day in the hands of this dcp.
There is something very wrong when a baby this young refuses to nap for one person and you don't look to the people who she does nap for to point blame.
"Why couldn't you train your children to sleep without co sleeping or nursing them?"
Why the need to train a child to sleep a certain way?
Thank you. IMO, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. It worked for me so, IMO, I didn't need to do anything.
Sure there were times it was a bother but not enough to warrant changing it. Besides, I kind of liked them needing me. I figured I'd better enjoy that while I could. Now as soon as we get to whatever function it is they're going to I get "YOU dont' know me" as soon as they hit the door, lol. It's not cool to be seen with your mom anymore, lol.
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I just looked and she said she had a front to back swing. The baby had a side to side one. Who is arguing that someone micromanage parents handling of their own children? Did she?
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I disagree with you here. I never once saw her mention their work status at all.
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