Do they know is a job?

[Nicola Carlyle]

Hi. I just wondered if your mindees knew that when you look after them you are actually working?

I only ask as on quite a few occasions when parents have paid me their child seems shocked and ask why are you paying her? Parents are generally very good and explain but I often get the children asking me why I get paid to look after them and why don't I just do it for free lol. Of course I do explain that there is a lot more to looking after them than they will ever understand. I often ask them where there parents are when they are with me and they say work. So I turn to my own children and ask when other children are here where is your mummy? And they answer work! A lot of the time the mindees say but your just looking after us until mum/dad gets here. I just wonder why it's so difficult for them to understand that looking after them is a job.

I'm not really bothered about it, just wondered if anyone had the same experience.

[lizduncan72]

I had one little boy that used to tell me that mummy and daddy had 'gone work' and if I asked what do I do he would reply 'just play'!!

[lisbet]

I think work can just be quite a confusing concept for children; My husband works in a shop and when my youngest was 3ish she used to think that he went just went shopping for 10hrs! :laughing:

[oxfordshirecm]

My dd who is 22 months says "daddy gone to work mummy drinks tea" - hmmm not good when my own daughter thinks this :/ lol

[lubeam]

My dd who is 22 months says "daddy gone to work mummy drinks tea" - hmmm not good when my own daughter thinks this :/ lol

I can beat that , my 5 year old ds when asked by a little old lady in the supermarket what does daddy do, he drives a lorry and sleeps in it , so lady said owww poor mummy he said she's ok she only takes us to school !!!! Lol ! Yes I am simply a taxi ! Lol

[Nicola Carlyle]

I think work can just be quite a confusing concept for children; My husband works in a shop and when my youngest was 3ish she used to think that he went just went shopping for 10hrs! :laughing:

Hahahaha lol

[Nicola Carlyle]

It is funny to hear what they say and the surprised look in their little faces when you tell them its a job.

Interesting to see how other people's children and mindees see it aswell lol

[bunyip]

I think it's good that you're giving your mindees an insight into what 'work' is. Most children seem to think of 'work' as some secret place their parents go to without them, but have no idea what goes on there.

I had a mum last year who was really concerned cos her DD wouldn't tell her anything she'd been doing at preschool. I asked the mum, "do you ever tell your DD what you do at work? Does DD have any idea at all what you spend your day doing?" It had never occurred to Mum that she might actually have a conversation with DD in which they each took an interest and shared in each other's news. :p

[singingcactus]

I think they don't understand about work because they are children. They don't yet have the life experience to be able to figure out all the different jobs that are out there. They relate everything to what they know. They know when mummy stays home and plays with them she is not at work, so when you are at home and playing with them they cannot yet understand that it is a job.
Maybe you could have parents pay you more subtley so the kids don't see it. I don't imagine at a young age that it is a great feeling knowing someone requires payment before they will look after you, it might well be that fact that the child is having a problem with rather than differentiating between work and recreation. They might not like feeling that no one will look after them just for love. Just another thought.

[angeldelight]

I know what you mean

Some of my older children used to ask the same and now still don't see what I do as a job they just say I'm their second mom which I think is nice

Angel xx