AAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

[stargazer1]

Will be glad when today is over. Mindees and own children have the devil in them I swear.

Mindee this morning had taken a biro from mantlepiece and drawn over toy laptop. Not v happy! Placed said biro high out of reach, explained she mustnt draw on things, things cost money etc and we should respect my things etc. Half an hour later mindee has got my DD to lift the biro down for her and shes scribbled over my wooden coffee table in black biro!! AAARRRRGGGHHH! A little spell then on time out, after which she refuses to say sorry and just laughs at me

Do you mention to parents if their LO has been naughty and if you have had to use time out? First time Ive had to address this.

[BucksCM]

Oh dear
Yes I would let the parents know what has happened, as she may try it at home and they would be miffed if you then said" oh yeah, she did that the other day"!

I alway let parents know if something happens...no comeback then

[Bridey]

Where were you when all this was happening?

[stargazer1]

Doing my accounts books at the kitchen table, I can see the playroom and the living room from there. But head down doing paperwork, took my eye of the ball for a split second and I now have a table covered in black biro.

[Bridey]

This is going to sound harsh and you aren't going to like me saying it ... but the parents aren't paying you to be in a different room doing your accounts while you are supposed to be looking after their children. You didn't even hear the LO asking your daughter to fetch her the pen. You can hardly blame the Lo's for playing up in those circumstances.

[littlecheeks]

Will be glad when today is over. Mindees and own children have the devil in them I swear.

Mindee this morning had taken a biro from mantlepiece and drawn over toy laptop. Not v happy! Placed said biro high out of reach, explained she mustnt draw on things, things cost money etc and we should respect my things etc. Half an hour later mindee has got my DD to lift the biro down for her and shes scribbled over my wooden coffee table in black biro!! AAARRRRGGGHHH! A little spell then on time out, after which she refuses to say sorry and just laughs at me

Do you mention to parents if their LO has been naughty and if you have had to use time out? First time Ive had to address this.

no i dont use time out. you never mentioned how old mindee was? if she is younger then what do you expect really? maybe check around for things she shouldnt get hold of. i dont mention every little thing to parents, but you could mention she managed to draw on your table but they may wonder why you were not watching her?

[stargazer1]

I appreciate what you say but when I say playroom and living room and kitchen, it is all open plan so I am not in a separate room as such. I didnt see the harm in completing attendance books etc while the children are enjoying some child led play. When I worked in law, I didnt take all of the paperwork home to do when I got there in my own time, it was done in working hours. I appreciate what you say but I dont feel that I have been negligent. My DD said she has whispered for her to get the pen down so she could draw a picture (the crayons and paper were on the table) so it wasnt like she had been shouting it and I wasnt paying any attention. A lesson learned I guess.

[stargazer1]

Going to wish I hadnt posted this now!

Mindee is 3. Like I say, lesson learned.

[Bridey]

This job is a continuous learning curve - 12 years on and the little pickles still manage to surprise me!

I can appreciate when you were in law that all paperwork was done in working hours but you are now working with the most dangerous and unpredictable creatures on this planet ... children!

I think you will find most self-employed people end up having to do their paperwork in their own time. It sucks

[littlecheeks]

Going to wish I hadnt posted this now!

Mindee is 3. Like I say, lesson learned.

no dont, use it as a self-reflection improvement! none of us are perfect. but i do most of my paperwork in my own time too, no way get the chance when mindees are here.
i would say at 3 she probably bit young to know better (depending on development)

[stargazer1]

I just thought as they were playing nicely and I could see and hear them (ahem!) that I would complete attendance book and log yesterdays receipts. I would never sit and do a whole weeks accounts, I understand that obviously we have to supervise them constantly and to be perfectly honest I thought I was. I have learned a valuable lesson anyway, if I want to get any small thing done to do it while they are sleeping!!!! (thats a rare occurrance). Attendance book will now be firmly back in office waiting for me to do tonight.

[Bridey]

Aww, bless you! On a good note, some of the surprises you get are fantastic, positive ones, real WOW moments

[stargazer1]

no dont, use it as a self-reflection improvement! none of us are perfect. but i do most of my paperwork in my own time too, no way get the chance when mindees are here.
i would say at 3 she probably bit young to know better (depending on development)

Feel really rubbish that I let it happen to be honest. She has been so cheeky today, it was the straw that broke the camels back re timeout. I havent used a timeout at all so far but she has spent this morning tipping other mindees off of chairs, tearing up other mindees pictures. Shes normally so good,being a monkey today!

In Wales children start full time school at 3, she will be starting in September. To be honest, I guess that due to this and the fact that my DD started school at 3, I do probably expect them to know right from wrong by now. I know that things like this would absolutely not be tolerated in the school. But I probably do expect them to understand more than maybe they can at that age.

[stargazer1]

Aww, bless you! On a good note, some of the surprises you get are fantastic, positive ones, real WOW moments

I've had a couple of those so far and they have made the harder days so worth it. I am so new to this, and it is such a difference from what I am used to, I am learning with the children! I think I am learning as much from them as they are from me! Just feel a bit rubbish when I realise Ive got it completely wrong today. Whoops.

[Bridey]

Don't feel rubbish - I'm sure I'm not the only one who could fill a page listing similar moments over the years! I hope you find a way of getting rid of the biro.

[Chimps Childminding]

Even if you are watching them they still get upto things they shouldn't!! I had a 20 months old this morning, and 1 x 5 year old 1 x 28 month and 1 almost 2 the 20 month old managed to almost put a snail in his mouth, have a mouthful of compost and pull the head off a dandilion and put it in his mouth all while I was in the garden with them

[ajs]

no dont, use it as a self-reflection improvement! none of us are perfect. but i do most of my paperwork in my own time too, no way get the chance when mindees are here.
i would say at 3 she probably bit young to know better (depending on development)

At 3 she's definitely not too young to know better, the fact she whispered to ask your daughter for the pen shows me she knew exactly what she was asking.

[stargazer1]

At 3 she's definitely not too young to know better, the fact she whispered to ask your daughter for the pen shows me she knew exactly what she was asking.

Thats what I thought! She had been sneaky about it so she obviously knew she shouldnt have had it. After mindees left today I went through and removed anything that they could see as temptation.

My little girl at 3 had just started school, she and a friend were in the toilet and wet the tissue and stuck it to the wall. She got hauled in front of the headmaster for it. So I do think that considering mindee is starting school in 3 months time, she better get a quick grasp on right from wrong! Shes normally so good, but due to the bank hol hasnt been for a week and seems to be full of naughtiness!!

[stargazer1]

Even if you are watching them they still get upto things they shouldn't!! I had a 20 months old this morning, and 1 x 5 year old 1 x 28 month and 1 almost 2 the 20 month old managed to almost put a snail in his mouth, have a mouthful of compost and pull the head off a dandilion and put it in his mouth all while I was in the garden with them

In the nicest possible way this has made me feel a bit better!! Kids will be kids

[sarah707]

stargazer you have not got it 'completely wrong'.

I spoke to Ofsted once, many years ago, about writing up Learning Journeys etc while children were playing.

It was at a conference - I forget who was giving advice but it was someone high up.

They said as long as you can see the children, they are happy and playing independently, you are ready to leap in there at the first sign of problems or join in with them if they ask you to play... then there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing your routine paperwork during the working day.

It came about as part of a wider discussion on how childminders do not have the time in their day to fulfil the writing requirements of the EYFS if we are not allowed to take our eyes off children and have to play with them all the time.

We are not like schools - we do not have non-contact time - our non-contact time is our family time and that is precious.

I know you are in Wales but I imagine it is very similar there too - you can see them, you can hear them, they are playing and busy. If you start interfering in their games they will not thank you for it... if you sit and watch them all day you are wasting valuable time!!

So carry on what you are doing - just put safeguards in place so children cannot get to pens etc - and make sure all the children including your own know the boundaries.

Maybe chat with your mentor or inspector as well and ask for some time management tips... well all need them

Hugs xx