Advice needed fast please

No aggression intended, no opinion on actual toy. Big issue with being allowed to take a £100 toy into school, or a Nintendo DS for that matter. Just an opinion.

why does expensive equal ridiculous? PinkChicks DD has one expensive toy that you obviously don't approve of (which btw has not been broken), you do sound quite agressive anout it.

Not sure why I'm even commenting on this, I normally have so little interest in what other people pay for their DC's toys!

lou - accidents happen - toys get dropped my own dd is incredibly clumsy, this doesn't mean she doesn't care for her belongings.

Not personal, just seems that the OP's daughter is 50% responsible, has no regard for her toys, which are ridiculously expensive anyway, so why would she then show respect for household items? I stand by my observations from the info given, and think that Pinkchick needs to let this one go.

oohh this thread went a bit WRONG and personal there didn't it - sometimes on mumsnet i think people just like to be bitches.

Pinkchick - i bet you were fuming , personally i wouldn't charge the parents for damages
a. because you weren't in the room and didn't see which girl initiated it.
b. because annoying as it is sometimes kids are just naughty.

Hi PinkChick, ive had a constructive idea. Why dont you nip down to supermarket, ask for a big box and ask the girls to make it/decorate it into a new storage box. If they stand on it and it breaks, all their hard work has gone to waste. A lesson learned dont you think.

My sympathies go out to you. I look after a little boy who just loves to break things. It is frustrating but his mum had a real go at him and now when he arrives in the morning the first thing he says is 'im not going to break things today' .

I think its just part of the job. Good luck.

Thank you kewclotter

Lou

Is there something in the air this morning?

To be honest, Pinkchick, your daughter sounds a bit spoiled to me. And she shouldn't be taking expensive toys to school.

Also, although I can see your annoyance, presumably if you didn't CM, your daughter may well still have broken your storage box, and you wouldn't have the added advantage of tax relief on the replacement.

So I think that you need to swallow this one.

sorry being dozy just realised you mean "whatever"!

what does "tever" mean?

tever.

you are right Sammy. You can deduct 100% of allowable expenses against Income but the effect of that is that you get a tax credit on your expenses of 20-40% depending on your tax bracket.

So If you income is £100 and your expenses are £20 you pay tax on £80 say at 20% which is £16. If you couldn't deduct your expenses, you would pay tax of £100 x 20% which is £20. You thereofre get a tax creidt due to your £20 expenses of £4 (ie 20%)

Sorry I'm an accoutant - these things matter to me!

sigh.

I know this will come across as rude as I am tired and grouchy but have you read what I have put?? If you are simply trying to help me then pleased don't be offended, but I am four tax returns in which I do myself so think I would have had it flagged up by now if I had a misunderstanding of how I pay tax.

Will leave this and come back a bit later I think. maybe my head really is not working

our expenses are taken off completely, the whole cost of, not just the tax on them Sammy. We then pay tax on the remainder, our profit.

Is that not what I said?????

We don't pay tax on our expenses - therefore what's left afterwards we pay tax on (the profit).

If I have written this wrong I apologise - I have been up all night with ds, but (and I don't normally stick my neck out on here) I am pretty sure I wrote correctly if not very succintly.?

SammyK, we pay tax on our PROFIT, which is income MINUS our expenses.

I agree that you just have to accept that breakages happen, but in these circumstances I can understand the upset and frustration PC must feel.

The children were doing something they had been told not to, and are old enough to understand why, and then mindee's parent has shown PC no concern and laughed with his child about it!!

I have also found most non cm's think we get our expenses 'back', when I explain we simply don't pay tax on our expenses people are usually much more sympathetic.

I have never actually thought about a Damages policy. I keep on meaning to do a Lost Items policy too - if children bring in things to my setting and they get lost, etc. I also had to ask one really lovely mum not to dress her LO so beautifully because she only lands up getting dirty (the best possible dirt of course!)

I think I agree with you TP - CM have insurance, both lublic liability and one would assume home insurance, also the wear and tear covers this, sorry Pinkchick!

Thats said, I am at Dad's attitude, it stinks. No wonder mindee has no regard for other peoples belongings if this is the reaction she gets at home.

A letter to the mindee parents is in order I feel.

I agree Ithink the childminder can expect some accidental damage occasionaly and should not expect the parents to pay out.Children are not adults.
Deliberate damage I think its very important to discuss with the childs parents and Id also have a good chat with the child to try and understand why the child is or was deliberatly spoiling something

I actually don't think it's fair to charge parents for breakages or damage, whether it is deliberate or accidental.

The 10% of total earnings for wear and tear that we can claim is for this sort of thing. There is also your public liability insurance that you can use to claim.

I hate to put it bluntly andI know it sounds harsh - but is this after school child making you any profit after breakages??

for you, can't believe dad's reaction. How appalling!

Did it cost a lot? I don't think parent's get it TBH, in a family environment a cracked toy storge unti could be left, we can't leave something like that, we would get in trouble with Ofsted, and so have to replace tings that are broken.

Aged 6 is definately old enough to know. Is your DD 6 too? Hope she is gutted about DS! Can you gie them a task or challenge when you have to leave them if they are finding mishief?

{hug} I feel for you!

My ds used crayon on my childminders french polished unit. She wasn't happy about it and though she didn't say she was going to charge us she implied as such.

Though I pointed out that he was only 19 months old, and asked why had crayons unsupervised? She went a bit quiet then.

After your experience today I would set up a damages policy. At 6 they do know that they shouldn't have been climbing and jumping.

Can't believe some parents! I would seriously consider writing up a policy about damages, do you have many more mindees so you could send a newsletter home with it included so it doesn't look really obvious that you have done it because of this particular occasion?