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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think childminder should still open in the snow

125 replies

OliviaLondon · 01/03/2018 17:28

Am I being unreasonable to think this is shit? Childminder announced she was closing early today due to bad weather conditions - there’s a few cm of snow outside. She has told me she is only open for one child whose mum has to go to work. I work from home so have been informed that I can’t send my child in but the day is still paid for as usual. She doesn’t rely on other staff; there’s no risk travelling to get to / from her house as roads are safe / gritted. Why can’t she open? She says there’s no point opening as the other kids she has are all in the PM and as local schools are shut she doesn’t have these school kids tomo.

OP posts:

Ellapaella · 01/03/2018 18:45

If she can 'open' for one she can can open for all! Presumably you take the child to her so what exactly is it she is worried about? Seems bizarre!

juneau · 01/03/2018 18:49

If she's open for one DC then she can't turn down other DC whose parents are paying for her to look after their DC. That's not 'circumstances beyond her control', that's her swinging the lead. Cheeky cow! So you pay her £70 for her NOT to take your DC, when you're dropping the baby off and picking up FROM HER HOME??? Sorry, but I would be looking for another CM. She's totally unreliable and a piss-taker.

AuntLydia · 01/03/2018 18:50

I don't know greatduck. I don't understand the mindset at all. Some get very het up about parents sending their kids in when they're off work. I wouldn't be surprised if those same people convince themselves the parents aren't really working if they're at home. I don't care personally. My snow policy is if you can get them here I'll have them.

vandrew4 · 01/03/2018 18:54

I have one parent who works 3 days a week but sends her lo to me 4 days a week. Personally, I couldn't care less if she was spending the extra day working, doing housework or lying on the settee cramming ferrero rocher into her mouth.
She gets a day to herself , i get paid work, and lo gets to play with his friends here. as long as she can afford it, everyone's a winner

AuntLydia · 01/03/2018 18:56

Absolutely my philosophy vandrew.

musicposy · 01/03/2018 18:57

Very out of order. I cancelled my piano teaching because it's much harder to get to our house than most of the area as we are a bit off the beaten track down a hill and I thought pupils might not realise how bad it was as many of them live in the local town. I was also worried about pupils or parents falling over on our very slippery drive and step and me being liable, and about me potentially being stuck looking after them if parents left and couldn't get back. I can see that might be a worry for your childminder.

But I've said I will refund them all. There's no way I could still charge them when I've been the one saying not to come!

fuckoffdailysnail · 01/03/2018 18:57

I didn't even think to ask if my childminder was open I just dropped the DCs off as usual! I'd definitely find a new child minder if I were you

GottadoitGottadoit · 01/03/2018 19:02

Is she a bit thick?

Fundays12 · 01/03/2018 19:08

The CM is open for business so can’t really charge you if she is refusing to have your child. Thank god my CM isn’t like that we get a fair bit of snow most winters and just go to work as does she. Her neighbor had to push my car up her hill two weeks ago as it was to deep for my big qashqai to go up (it’s good in the snow normally)

Oldraver · 01/03/2018 19:09

Do some CM have bees in their bonnets about parents who work from home? Do they think it's not real work or what?

Oh the irony if they did..

Tanith · 01/03/2018 20:38

Arenyou sure you’ve not misunderstood, Lydia? After all, we work from home! So it’d be a bit daft to complain about other people doing it.

The Op’s situation sounds bizarre - did the CM give a reason for treating her clients so differently?
We do have one local childminder who will cancel at the drop of a hat, but I can’t see her lasting much longer as she’s annoyed so many of her clients and they’ve gone elsewhere: most CMs don’t behave like that.

Our policy is to charge half fee. It’s not the parents’ fault they can’t get to us, but it’s not mine, either. Half and half seemed the fairest way for us. I think a lot of people do charge full fee, though, and they’re within their rights to do so.

AuntLydia · 01/03/2018 20:51

Pretty difficult to misunderstand a post saying 'can't believe one of my parents is working from home and still brought their child in' followed by a load of angry face emojis! One or two idiots sympathising about how 'awful' it is 'hun'. I guess some people are completely lacking in self awareness! Most childminders don't think like that I'm sure but I find that minority tedious.

TheCrossKeys · 01/03/2018 20:59

Could it be the other parent dropped their DC off and headed to work, childminder then saw weather warnings, etc and decided to close so let you know she can't take your DC but other parent can't get home yet so she's no choice but to keep their DC?

This is why you need to talk to her and find out the why/what of the situation.

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 01/03/2018 21:07

There’s one on there are the moment lydia having a hissy because a parent is (very) late collecting due to the snow.

Yes it’s annoying, yes it’s disruptive and impacts on our families but the parent is stuck in heavy traffic due to the snow. What the hell is she supposed to do? Some cms are so unsympathetic, I don’t understand it.

TiffanyAtBreakfast · 01/03/2018 21:08

What's your plan of action OP? Lots of good suggestions here.

Tanith · 02/03/2018 10:51

I think I’ve seen either a similar or the same discussion now: I’m not on FB often.

Sorry, just couldn’t get my head around the discrepancy about working from home when we do it ourselves!
Having seen some of the comments, I understand a bit better now.

The thread I saw doesn’t seem to be a general condemnation about working from home, but more a discussion about the safety aspects in the current weather situation. Yes, it’s got heated in places!

One point is that the parents consider it too dangerous to drive to work, but not too dangerous to drive to the childminder with their child.
Another is around the school runs: the parent expecting the childminder to risk the other children by doing the school run instead of picking up themselves - I’m assuming that’s prompted by the death of the 7 year old in Cornwall.

Plenty of other childminders pointing out it’s our job and we’re being paid to do it

I suppose it depends on where we are and how bad conditions are. Perhaps that’s the situation with the Op and her childminder is open, but won’t venture out.

It did seem strange for childminders to complain about parents working from home when so many of our parents do it!

Dungeondragon15 · 02/03/2018 11:15

She can't argue that she needs to close if she doesn't need to leave the house and she has heating etc. The fact that she is able to look after one child makes it even more ridiculous. Is she a bit thick. I would look for another childminder as it doesn't say much for her intelligence or professionalism.

MistressDeeCee · 02/03/2018 11:21

She should be taking that day as a holiday then, and not charging you. Shit business model I must say

Scrumymum · 02/03/2018 14:20

What's the latest OP?

I would love to be a fly on the wall when she explains how "circumstances beyond her control" forced her to...ummmm....stay at home...ummm....where she works.

As nice as she normally is, she is really taking the piss to charge you. Personally if this happened to me I would be looking for a new CM....

Notagainmun · 02/03/2018 14:52

Either she is open or not. If she is open for another child and refuses your child then she is in breach of contract, surely. Don't pay for a service she had refused to provide.

I am a childminder and we have heavy snow. Two children have been kept home and one had arrived. I am open so parent's have to pay even it they don't use me. I have a parent who thinks I am wrong for charging as she can't get to me.

Scrumymum · 02/03/2018 15:17

@Notagainmun But you can bet your bottom dollar that she is still being paid by her work even though she can't get to there/they've closed. Perhaps you should tell her it's wrong to accept payment for not working, and then say "sound familiar"?!

Tanith · 02/03/2018 15:47

Either she is open or not. If she is open for another child and refuses your child then she is in breach of contract, surely. Don't pay for a service she had refused to provide.

It depends on the contract signed and the circumstances. Please don’t give advice that may put Op in breach of her contract.

TheCrossKeys · 02/03/2018 16:08

Either she is open or not. If she is open for another child and refuses your child then she is in breach of contract, surely. Don't pay for a service she had refused to provide.

What Tanith said is correct, it is possible to be closed to some children and not others.

If my DC school/nursery/after-school activites closed and I had then at home during a time period when they'd usually be at school/clubs then I would have to close to some mindees and not others in order to maintain ratios.

OP, you need to check your contract and discuss your issues with the CM.

Scrumymum · 02/03/2018 16:25

OP has already said CM doesn't have her own children so this isn't a ratios thing. Agree, she needs to discuss with CM to clarify which part of the contract she is enforcing.

Don't not pay - that would not put you in a good position at all.

PrincessScarlett · 02/03/2018 16:33

If she has chosen to accept one child but not yours she is essentially excluding your child. I don't buy the closing for reasons beyond her control. She is not closed and even if she was to close because of the snow it would only be reasons beyond her control if she, for example, had no heating or she couldn't open her door due to enormous snow drift.

Sounds like she agreed to look after family or friends kids or just couldn't be arsed - very unprofessional.

I'd personally start looking for another childminder. And I say this as a childminder. Really annoys me when childminders such as yours gives the rest of us a bad name.

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