Daycare Drama--Part Three

Now for the continuation of the Babysitter Saga, Part Three.

In Bad Babysitter--Part One, my babysitter says she is raising her prices, she insists that I put Sunshine on a strict schedule, and bombards me with parenting advice from What To Expect The First Year, and babycenter.com, via text message. She also keeps Sunshine awake for 3 hours, until she is so over-tired she has a meltdown, and then asks me to leave work to come pick Sunshine up, as she can't handle the crying.

In Cuckoo Child Care Provider--Part Two, she increases her prices three additional times. She tells me my happy, easy-going baby, Sunshine is a High Need Baby who cries all day, eats too frequently, doesn't sleep long enough, can't self-sooth, and that she can't put her down without her crying. She says she is doing "sleep training" with her and expects Mr. Wright and I to do this "sleep training" with her at home. She also says she wants to be a "second mom" to Sunshine, and that we are "co-parents."

After having long discussions with her for 30 minutes before work, and 45 minutes after work, I think we have resolved everything, except the price. I am willing to play nice and jump through her hoops to keep the peace, despite her REALLY rubbing me the wrong way personality-wise.

That same evening, I start receiving text messages from her while I am in rehearsal for a play. I brought my kids with me, and they are both playing in the lobby. *Spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors have not been changed, they are as they came across my phone 


BadBabysitter: Thanks for taking the time to talk this evening. I'm still not sure how well it went, but I tried my best to convey the fact that I'm doing my best to

BB: take care of Sunshine. These types of challenges are going to accure in most infant care situations and I hope the fact that Im doing some research would

BB: be seen as a plus. I had a strong feeling that her needs weren't being met when she was w/ur husband and when u shared ur own frustration w/how he was

BB: handling her, it confirmed my intuition. (I was NEVER concerned that my husband wasn't meeting her needs, nor worried about how he was "handling" her. I simply wanted him to put her down for more regular naps.) I am very frustrated that my efforts to improve my time w/Sunshine isn't being respected. (She most certainly didn't respect MY decision to wait to feed Sunshine fruits and vegis until after I spoke with my Pediatrician!) I'm also concerned w

BB: /the hesitation to feed her solid food. (I'm not hesitant to feed her solid food, it's just that I wanted to make sure it was okay with my Pediatrician first. Not to mention that I hadn't yet fed Sunshine her first taste of fruit.) There is no chance of her and I having an enriching experience if her needs aren't met...(Her needs ARE being met!) good eating and sleepi

BB: ng habits r key to her happiness. There is no easy way through this...it is what it is. Im here to do my job. If we aren't on the same page...then th

BB: is isn't going to work. If u r ready to work together then lets do it...otherwise its best to part ways and let things be.

That is SEVEN text messages. SEVEN! But it sounds like the closing argument. Then I get more.

BB: Another concern of mine is that there was little intrest in the info im trying to share...child rearing is a challenging process and if there isnt any i

BB: ntrest on ur part as of what i trying to provide for ur daughter then im not the caretaker for u. I put my heart into my job and i can no longer provid

BB: e care for people who have no vested intrest in what im doing and how im caring for ur child. (I want my child to be safe, and happy, but I don't consider Babysitter a co-parent.) If u just need cheap care and want only to pick ur child

ME: I can't talk about it right now. I'm in rehearsal for a play.

BB: up at the end of the day and go...(Yes, that is EXACTLY what I want!) then this isnt the place for u. To me childcare is a partnership. This is where I stand and I need u to know where i

BB: m at and what im doing. I look at this job in perspective of creating emotional stability and security for the children who come here. I need to know

BB: that I can talk openly w/parents and work together. I truely care about what im doing and i need u to care that im doing my very best to provide quality care.

BB: When u have time...let me know what ur thinking.


I was so completely flabbergasted, and PISSED OFF! I felt she was extremely rude, but I didn't want to respond until I had cooled off first, and talked with Mr. Wright. It took me three days to calm down enough to come up with a response.

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion in Part Four....