Do you feel self-conscious?

Do you feel self conscious when you show parents around your home and do parent interviews? Has a parent ever made you feel self-conscious?

I've got a mum coming around at the weekend. On her profile she talks about how green/ethical/environmentally friendly etc she is. I keep looking around my home and seeing all the plastic jumping out at me, and my non eco friendly cleaning materials (I know I should be better).

I'm actually rather nervous, even though she's not coming to assess me on all that. I must remember to not pretend to be anything that I'm not, and that she can take it or leave it.

All the time!

But it has got better as I've got older and a bit more 'whatever' :huh: !!! :D

Not quite the same thing but EVERY.SINGLE.PARENT/CHILD FIRST MEETING i guarantee they will pick up the ONE TOY that doesn't have a battery or doesn't work in some respect or a wheel is falling off or something. I always think you could have picked ANY toy in here and you've picked the ONE that doesn't work!! Honestly it happens every damn time! Always leaves me feeling cr@p!

Oh that made me laugh, mumofone.

It’s taken me years to get to this point, but no, I don’t feel self conscious at parent interviews. I used to be. I’d spend half the time apologising for everything - sorry about the messy bookcase, it needs sorting. Sorry about the state of the garden, the fence needs painting. Sorry I don’t provide an organic, home cooked lunch, sorry I don’t have use of a car so don’t do big trips out.

I realised I was being ultra-critical of myself and drawing attention to what I thought parents would see as failings. I know I was also comparing myself to other childminders and pointing out all the things they did that I didn’t!

Now I’m very much “this is me, this is what I do. Take it or leave it!” That’s not to say I don’t prepare for a new parent visiting. I have a really good clean and make sure everything looks inviting, but I don’t try to be something I’m not.

Have confidence in yourself Maza!

I seem to be going the other way Mouse. I don't think I was that self conscious years ago when I first started minding. I wonder if that was before pinterest and all the super setups we see on there.

I think I'm a bit self-conscious with this one tomorrow because on her profile she listed all the things she does and believes in with regards to being environmentally friendly and leading a wholesome life. I always feel really naughty and irresponsible around people who are like that. I totally respect them and aspire to be more like them, but I'm several years behind. My brother and his family are very conscious of their impact on the planet and I always feel a bit ignorant around them.

Until quite recently every time a child had dirty or messy clothes or muddy wellies to send home i would shove them in a plastic carrier bag thinking i was being helpful. It only dawned on me that families are probably cringing and appalled at my use of plastic bags I was using! You never know what the other person is thinking!!

Mumofone, that's ironic because I always moan (in my own head) that they never send the plastic carrier bags back to me, and I always think 'that cost me 5p, and now I have to give you another one! I bet you're taking it to the supermarket to do your own shopping!' I don't have many carrier bags like in the old days, so any that I do have I like to save for my own family. I often rinse out and re-use my own.

Re carrier bags. I bought a roll of small bin bags from somewhere . .. they are a touch bigger than a shop carrier bag and have handles and I think cost less than a penny each. I use those to send home anything that needs a plastic bag, but I have also asked parents to put a spare bag in child's bag for wet/ dirty clothes etc and most do! X

We don’t have many carrier bags now so I sometimes begrudge sending one home with a child! I have one child who regularly needs wet/ dirty stuff sending home, but we’ve got into the habit of using the same carrier bag. It’s kept in his bag and if I send stuff home in it, parents put it back in his bag again. It’s really just happened by chance, but in my next newsletter I’m going to ask all parents to leave a carrier bag in their child’s bag that we can reuse.

Yes, I think I'll ask them to send the bag back in future. I'm a tad irritated with parents who get muddy wellies sent home in a bag (we hose off wellies if time and practicality allows, but not always) and then on the Monday the wellies are handed over to me with dried mud on them, which causes a few 'crumbs' in my hallway. I guess no one is a mind reader though, so I just need to mention it.

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Originally Posted by Maza

Yes, I think I'll ask them to send the bag back in future. I'm a tad irritated with parents who get muddy wellies sent home in a bag (we hose off wellies if time and practicality allows, but not always) and then on the Monday the wellies are handed over to me with dried mud on them, which causes a few 'crumbs' in my hallway. I guess no one is a mind reader though, so I just need to mention it.

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That irritates me as well. I have one who always arrives in really muddy walking boots. They’re an absolute pain to get on and off and I always end up with dried mud on my hands and the floor. I keep hoping that they’ll send him in something different now the weather’s getting better, but every day it’s the same boots.

Do you know what silly thing annoys me most though? Parents who send their child spare clothes inside out!! I have a couple of children at the moment who regularly need a full outfit change at least once a day. I get their spare clothes out of the bag and they’re always inside out. I know it only takes me seconds to turn them the right way, but then it would only take parents seconds to do it before putting them in the bag! Do these parents wash everything inside out? Do they put clothes away inside out? It baffles me :laughing:

My current parents do that Mouse! I've never had it before and didn't really give it much thought - but it's going to annoy me now that you've brought it to my attention!

I actually don't mind it because it helps me know instantly which clothes from the bag are clean, and which ones are the dirty ones that I might have already packed away after the mornings session. If I had more mindees it would probably annoy me because every extra second on chores can make a difference.