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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect that my DP can get on with his work in clients house, without having to put up with their children

83 replies

lucyellensmum · 01/06/2007 15:03

or more to the point, not having to worry about 1 year olds hurting themselves on his tools because their lazy arse middle class parents cannot get off their lazy arses and occupy them whilst they have the builders in!

OP posts:
kimi · 03/06/2007 21:54

DH1 was working at a house the other week painting and the bloody kid went and covered himself in the paint as well as rubbing up against the wall DH1 had just painted, kids mother was not impressed, but DH1 told her if she was not going to take the kid out of the house [nice day park over the road] at least keep the bloody child out of his way.

He has also worked at a house where the kid kept taking the tools and hiding them every time DH1 turned round.
I keep my children out of the way of workmen and I always give them tea and bickys.
We had an extension built that took 7 months so that was a bit of an effort.

MrsSpoon · 03/06/2007 21:46

As someone who has been through two house rennovations with small children I always tried my best to keep out of the way when there were jobs going on, I spend countless hours wandering aimlessly round shops, sitting frozen in parks and bored ridged for hours at a time in coffee shops. There were of course the more interesting days when I threw myself at the mercy of friends and family. However I can understand that some people would prefer to be at home whilst work was taking place but feel that an effort should be made to keep children out of the way.

lisasophie · 03/06/2007 21:39

YANBU. She should be keeping him away from your OH when he is working. Does she want her LO to have a lovely drill hole in his head from playing with tools. Tell her to get a stair gate to stop him going in the room.

flightattendant · 01/06/2007 18:36

My Ds is the same...won't leave anyone alone and refuses to be kept away, so I have to just stand there pulling him back and constantly saying 'no'. Workmen are usually great about it but you can see they get fed up sometimes and I always feel terrible that I can't do more to 'protect' them from Ds!!

But yeah, you try your best and just leaving them to get on with it is silly as the man would never get any work done.

OrmIrian · 01/06/2007 16:01

Ha! lucy! "too bloody right im jealous, these people have my DP in their house to make it all lovely, and my house is a shambles, never marry a builder"

That says it all..... I so agree! We had a kitchen that was put in 2 years ago and the tiling still isn't finished. Mind you my dad was an electrical engineer and we had the only house I knew where the sockets hung off the walls.

handlemecarefully · 01/06/2007 15:56

Any way 'reprieve' was tongue in cheek - you don't need approval or 'permission' from anyone on MN!

handlemecarefully · 01/06/2007 15:54

Aww lucyellensmum - no your reprieve was because you had moderated what you had said, and because if you know the mother personally then perhaps you are in a fair position to judge that she is lazy

Original poster
lucyellensmum · 01/06/2007 15:50

i dont like myself very much just now, that was a pretty bitch thread, so feel free to hurl soggy tomatos

OP posts:
Original poster
lucyellensmum · 01/06/2007 15:48

handlemecarefully, is my reprieve due to my claim of middle class status? hmmmm, actually not sure these people are middle class, rather middle class wannabes, is that anothen of worms.....

as for your comment re , too bloody right im jealous, these people have my DP in their house to make it all lovely, and my house is a shambles, never marry a builder, i should have listened to my mother and married a nice accountant!

Oh bugger, now i really do feel bad because these are nice people and they have always been really good to DP which is probably why their DC is allowed under his feet, see, the lesson being, never allow the bounderies between the blient and the employee be blurred.

OP posts:
Carmenere · 01/06/2007 15:46

Oh no I agree they should keep thier little darlingas away from your dh's tools. And of course mn is exactly the right place for judging

CrispyNoodles · 01/06/2007 15:46

I like your style lucyellensmum!

Original poster
lucyellensmum · 01/06/2007 15:45

Clearly Mr Batters if these people were allowing thier children to watch TV then he would record the evidence on his mobile phone and call social services!

Actually, i feel bad now but honestly, most people would keep their one year old safely out of the way, wouldnt they?

you see, its very easy for me to comment, because im blatantly a perfect mother, yeah right.

OP posts:
Idobelieveinfairies · 01/06/2007 15:43

ok..well if you know her personnally then fair enough...lol

handlemecarefully · 01/06/2007 15:42

Ok lucyellensmum - you have a partial reprieve

Original poster
lucyellensmum · 01/06/2007 15:41

oooh goody, just the responses i hoped for, firstly, i think i made the point that i do not think all middle class mums are lazy, just this one in particular, who i also should point out, i know personally. Secondly, if i can't be judgemental and smug on mumsnet where can i be!, thirdly, i am a lazy middle class mummy myself so ner ner ner.

Crispy, you are right, he should say something, but he, unlike me, is too nice!

But on a very serious note, if this child is hurt because he picks up one of my DPs power tools then it will obviously be seen as my DPs fault. I am sorry if i have offended people, my middle class comments were tongue in cheek and i consider myself chastened but it is not my DPs responisbility to keep their children out of his workspace.

To be fair, mostly peoples children are simply inquisitive and excited about having "bob" in their house. DP is always friendly and the children to tend to warm to him but most parents, middle class or otherwise recognise that he has a job to do and keep them safely out of the way.

OP posts:
bookwormmum · 01/06/2007 15:39

I'd think that the builder/painter/plumber was being paid by me to build/paint/plumb, not child-mind. Supposing the child got injured?

YANBU.

CrispyNoodles · 01/06/2007 15:34

LOL Mrbatters.

Chugnuts · 01/06/2007 15:34

I agree with HMC. Both parties have a responsibility. It's not always possible to keep small children out of the way.

Mrbatters · 01/06/2007 15:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

yaddayah · 01/06/2007 15:30

and the judgemental comments

purleeeze

yaddayah · 01/06/2007 15:29

Having done a major renovation with builders/carpenters/plumbers/vicars/soothsayers and the like tramping in and out i let the dc's say hello, and then hurl them upstairs/downstairs wherever they are out of the way,i wouldn't expect a tradesman to be a rl version of bob the builder, friendly hello from them is fine , they're there to do a job, and the longer they're in my house the more money i have to shell out (and more tea they drink)

and the cat litter [boak]

Idobelieveinfairies · 01/06/2007 15:26

The parents should really keep the children out of the workmens way, but not sure about the comments.

How do you know they are lazy??

handlemecarefully · 01/06/2007 15:25

I think it's a bit of a two way street - the workman should be sensitive to the fact that it is the woman's house, and that it's often a pain in the arse having work done in your own living space...etc. He should take whatever reasonable precautions are possible to keep tools out of reach.

Similarly the lazy middle class mother (grrr - over priviledged bitch; string 'er up!) should not abdicate responsibility for keeping her children safe, and as far as possible should monitor them so that they aren't over 'bothering' the workman

Simple really.

CrispyNoodles · 01/06/2007 15:23

Why doesn't he just point out that he has brought dangerous tools with him, and his insurance doesn't cover children playing with them, so please could they keep the baby out of the room whilst he is working?

OrmIrian · 01/06/2007 15:22

Bit judgemental maybe .

But it's not always possible to keep tools out of reach. Where can you put them all? It really is up to the parents to keep the child away. Easier said than done I know, my littlest one would want to join in watching paint dry, but a job would take twice as long if every time he needed a drill for example he had to unpack it and plug it in.