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Original poster

CM's Do you get dressed before mindees arrive?

89 replies

Rossco · 27/04/2010 11:13

I'm just curious really.

My CM greets us most mornings (8.50am) still in her dressing gown, usually just getting out of or going into the shower.

I was a bit at first but put it down to her being in her own home and getting ready at her leisure.

I feel its a bit unprofessional but in the grand scheme of things it is harmless.

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Summerfruit · 27/04/2010 18:27

I'm a cm and I would never dream of welcoming my mindees in my pjs, never. I wouldnt give her references.

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2010 18:23

Very unprofessional and as others have said what are the children doing when she is in the shower?

She needs to up/dressed/ready by 8.45 to start work at 8.50

pointydog · 27/04/2010 17:57

all my cms hav ebeen dressed when I arrived - lol. I'd've thought them lazy slatterns if they weren't

foureleven · 27/04/2010 17:49

Although... I have been known to wear my slippers and have a hot water bottle in the office so who am I to judge

foureleven · 27/04/2010 17:47

at 8.50..?! goodness most of us have our children ready, dropped at childminder washed and dressed and with a packed lunch and are sat at our desks for 8.30am, lazy cow.

And that is my twopennies worth.

fudgesmummy · 27/04/2010 17:45

My first children arrive at 6-15 and I would never dream of not being showered and dressed ready for them. I get up at 5-50 so there is no danger of being caught out.She is being very very unprofessional.

lollipopmother · 27/04/2010 17:44

Oh dear, that sounds quite ridiculous! I've answered the door once in my PJs because I overslept but only the once. I have mindees starting at 7am and I'm definitely always dressed, DD (19m) is nearly always in her PJs though.

Missus84 · 27/04/2010 16:32

I'd be very concerned that she's leaving babies and toddler unsupervised downstairs while she showers and gets dressed! If she's so relaxed about that what else is she relaxed about? 8.50am really isn't that early.

HSMM · 27/04/2010 15:32

I've answered the door in my PJs once in 10 years and that was when children were coming for an extra day and there was some misunderstanding about the time they would be dropped off. I shower in my own time, not while I am 'at work'.

thesecondcoming · 27/04/2010 15:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Rossco · 27/04/2010 14:45

The dressing gown is a baby blue chenille work of art that goes from neck to floor. Usually accompanied by a pair of slipper boots.

She doesn't do school runs and on certain days has a child start at 8.30 but is still not dressed.

Some days she will apologise for 'sleeping in' but I see the dressing gown most days.

My DS has been with her for 6 months and while she is a nice person, professionalism isn't top of her list. When we started with her she warned me that I would have to swap one of my days as she had a baby starting with her a couple of months later (DS goes to a nursery for the extra day the CM can't have him). As I was warned this would happen I could warn the nursery well in advance and the change went smoothly.

Then a couple of months ago she announced she could only have DS 2 days as she had another new start in May. I lost it a bit and told her that was no use to me as the nursery had no spaces on the other days. She got permission to keep my DS on but by then I had lost my trust in her not to throw that at me again and had decided to leave.

OP posts:
StarExpat · 27/04/2010 14:35

I hope that was because of a time change, atworknotworking

atworknotworking · 27/04/2010 14:31

No wonder she has no mindees left, 8.50am is almost the middle of the morning.

I would politely tell her that you feel unable to provide a reference as you would not reccommend her services.

Also of concern is who is looking after the mindees while she is in the shower, what if their was an emergency, she would have to deal with it starkers. You mentioned her DH looks after them sometimes this is totally unaceptable, you pay her not her DH and I doubt he is registered as you say he has a job. I would have told her firmly before now to get her arse out of bed in the morning.

I've opened the door with a towel on my head but fully clothed, mum was a full hour early, 5.45am, she apologised, but even then I was

Soapsy · 27/04/2010 14:26

How can she be adequately supervising the children if she is about to get into the shower or in her room getting dressed etc?

If it were an occasional thing because she was taking a child in very early it would be different. That said, if I were doing it, and therefore deemed to be working, I'd be up and ready early.

I wouldn't give her a reference and I would explain why.

StarExpat · 27/04/2010 14:16

Is a dressing gown a bathrobe? I know someone who wears her bathrobe as a sweater in the morning over her normal clothes. I know it's a bit and weird but, is this possibly what she's doing?
Either way, unprofessional. I wouldn't show up to work like that.

Ripeberry · 27/04/2010 14:06

I'm always up and showered and dressed at least 1hr before 1st mindee arrives. Mainly because I need to feed the chickens, cat and fish and then get some breakfast down me, get my kids up, washed, breakfasted and dressed.
Then I'm ready to concentrate on the mindees.

Maybe the OP's CM is taking the 'working from home' a bit too far. Sounds like she does not have a school run either.

Booh · 27/04/2010 13:21

No very shocking TBH

I have answered the door in my trackies in the past if I have had an early arrival (or departure) as I have had a lot of air crew children, and sometimes they have been dropped off at 5.30am!

aconfusedmum · 27/04/2010 12:56

I have only ever done this once, I got my days mixed up and rather letting the 1 mindee keep knocking and ringing the bell and waking everyone else up i ran to the door.

This is the only time I've done it, but if she is doing it regularly that is unprofessional.

minderjinx · 27/04/2010 12:30

I get up very early and clean, prep veg etc, then the very last thing I do before children are due is shower and dress. Parents have turned up ten minutes early from time to time, and had me answer the door clothed but with dripping wet hair. They probably think I fall out of bed and into the shower at ten to eight. I definitely wouldn't answer the door in my bathrobe though - they would just have to wait. As for getting ready in working hours, definitely a no-no.

Turniphead1 · 27/04/2010 12:00

That's appalling. If you could be bothered I would have a word with her - and say that kind of lack of professionalism may account for people leaving. Quite why she can't manage to be dressed for that time is beyond me, and as you say there are issues over who minds the children whilst she showers etc.

Original poster
Rossco · 27/04/2010 11:47

I could write "X is so relaxed with the children and parents that she thinks nothing of greeting us in her pyjamas and slippers each morning" .

OP posts:
OhFuck · 27/04/2010 11:47

I'm not very good at confrontation but I think in your case I'd decline to give a reference. Better that than write down something that could bite you on the arse.

Original poster
Rossco · 27/04/2010 11:45

Using should be uses d'oh!

OP posts:
BoysAreLikeDogs · 27/04/2010 11:45

gosh no don't bother with a reference

I am sorry that you have had a bad experience

Original poster
Rossco · 27/04/2010 11:44

I think the children play while she gets organised which is a concern in itself as the room she using for minding is downstairs next to kitchen and bathroom but her living room and bedrooms are upstairs so she has to go up leaving the children alone downstairs.

If her DH is home he watches them but more often than not he is already at work.

She has been unprofessional in other ways too which is why we are leaving. She asked me today for a reference.

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