When Lovely Wife and I first started dating, her mother owned and ran a daycare center. It was called Pitter Pat Daycare. (My Mother In Law's name is Pat, and also the pitter pat of little feet.)
Believe me when I tell you that there isn't a more thankless job in the world than owning or working in a daycare.
Even if your eyes never, ever, ever leave the kids, you still can't magically be across the room to stop a bite or a punch thrown by angry toddlers.
Every kid's parents think their kid was justified in whatever they do. "She NEVER bites unless she's provoked!" the parents will say.
The workers are NEVER right. The kids are always angels and all problems are the result of lax workers.
My future Mother In Law took great pains to literally cook a hot meal, each and every day for lunch. I saw this many times. It's just the way she is.
But invariably, the parent, six hours after lunch when they pick their kid up would have a conversation something like this:
"Little Billy, what did you do today?"
"Nothing."
"Little Billy, what did you have to eat today?"
Little Billy shrugs shoulders. Heck, the kid can't remember.
"Did you have a, a, bologna sandwich?"
Little Billy nods, affirmative, "Uh-huh."
So the next morning Mother comes wound up tighter than a two dollar watch. "You said you feed these kids a hot lunch but Little Billy says that you fed them a bologna sandwich yesterday!"
Mother In Law has to try to explain to the DingBat Mother that Little Billy can't remember what happened an hour ago, much less what he had for lunch (she does this nicely).
But this just fires up DingBat Mother even more! HER child is a genius! If HER child told her he had a bologna sandwich, then by golly, that's what he was fed!
So Big Sis, who was taking her oldest son to this daycare at this time, heard the parental grumblings and decided to test the memory skills of her Number One Son.
Big Sis comes back to Mother In Law one day to report her findings.
"I asked Number One Son what they had for lunch, after I picked him up yesterday."
"What did he say he had?"
"Alligators and popcorn!"
"What!"
"He said that what they had for lunch at daycare yesterday was alligators and popcorn."
I've laughed about that for years and years now.
Only in Louisiana (or maybe Florida) would a toddler claim to have had alligators and popcorn for lunch.
Moral of the Story? Parents, give your daycare workers the benefit of the doubt. Don't trust a two year old for accuracy of memory, ok?
3 comments:
what a great post. I am the Mom on the other side of that story :), but let her know, not all Mom's are like that. I am very aware that my little darling (now 5) tells big tales, and I always make it a point to ask the teachers if something was reported to me, and I try at the time of "reporting" not to take sides too quickly.
One time my dd told me that miss Carie made her sit out the whole recess. Of course at first my blood started to curdle, then I thought, no.... ask tomorrow, so before I could even ask, the teacher met me and explained they had a rough day the day before (she was 3 1/2 at that time) it seems everything the teacher tried to encourage, Emily delibrately refused (not my little angle, which this is EXACTLY something like she would do) so when she said lets go play, Emily sat down and refused to play at all. So ya, the teacher MADE her sit out!
Yep, that's my kid, man do I have my work cut out for me! I just wonder what she tells her teachers and hope that they understand the reverse from home! I can immagine something like.... Mom didn't feed me dinner, made me go to bed in my clothes and wouldn't let me brush my teeth last night :)
Alligators and popcorn!!! lol!!! That's the best ever. =P
I understand from the parents end too, we put our kids in daycare some as little ones. There's ALWAYS on kid that bites, etc. It's like in high school, no matter where, there are jocks, preppies, druggies, etc. Only they are little toddler versions. My oldest daughter was incredibly strong as a little girl, but luckily for us (and for the other kids) she's always had a sweet disposition.
Anyway, I know that there are neglectful daycares and daycare workers out there, so sometimes the parents are right to be indignant.
About your stubborn one, our two fought like cats and dogs when little, and were almost that stubborn. I worried and stewed and prayed about it until it's as if God spoke directly to me and I just had this knowing that they were made that way to be able to deal with the world they would grow up to be adults in. I never worried after that, we just tried to teach them best we could, and trust God to handle the rest.
Emily - My sister had actually forgotten that story, and when we reminded her of it a few years ago, she got very upset that she could have forgotten such a cute saying. That cute little boy is now a 26 year old, 6 foot 3 inch, blue eyed, handsome man. With dimples. We're talking serious handsome here. He was a gorgeous little boy.
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