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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think this is a shitty way to treat creche staff

62 replies

Clothrabbit · 17/12/2018 14:28

A colleague was talking about going for a nice lunch with friends and some early sales shopping after work on Christmas Eve (we finish up at 12). Someone said "Oh, does the crèche open for the full day? Ours is closed from lunch time" and she just replied that they close at 2 but she'll just pay the late fee because 'they can't throw the kids out on the street, can they"?

AIBU to think this is a really mean way to treat staff who will want to get home on Christmas Eve as soon as possible and not hanging around waiting for someone who is off work from 12 but just wants to enjoy herself? Apparently she's planning to get to the crèche 'by about 3.30."?

OP posts:

Ohyesiam · 17/12/2018 15:15

I m not sure I’ve ever used the word disgraceful before, but this warrants it.
What a shortsighted self serving woman she must be.

Ohyesiam · 17/12/2018 15:16

In fact I’m half thinking that she was just shooting her mouth off. Nobody would really go through with that would they????

AdamNichol · 17/12/2018 15:18

There was a Behavioural Insights project into late collection fees for nurseries, etc. From an economic perspective, you'd expect a fine to induce people to collect on time more often; but the opposite happened. When the intrinsic motivation to get there on time was muddied by an actual fee, people were more inclined to collect late. I guess they figured the nursery is getting something for the additional time.

lalalalyra · 17/12/2018 15:20

They'll contact the emergency contact she's given long before that. Then SS.

If a parent pulled a stunt like that at the afterschool care I run they'd lose their place, and I'd probably make sure the other childcare providers I know knew exactly why. Vile way to treat staff, and even worse how to treat her children.

HelenaDove · 17/12/2018 15:20

Wow Selfish selfish woman.

coffeekittens · 17/12/2018 15:22

Disgraceful way to treat staff, the manager will try and contact the parents once they are late asking them to collect, the police and social services will be called if they can’t get in touch. Also nursery/crèche staff have families and lives of their own, it’s likely that they’ll be staying behind on Christmas Eve to shut down/deep clean ready for rhe new year and finish paperwork off once the children have left as it is.

redandyellowandpinkandgreen99 · 17/12/2018 15:22

What a horrible cow.

And no, she is not joking!

Don't let the woman leave her child(ren!)

Be full.

HolesinTheSoles · 17/12/2018 15:24

Bloody hell. I'd be fuming if I worked there. I'd expect them to call and if they can't get through call social services (I know social services won't actually do anything on this time scale but hopefully it would frighten the parent).

DoJo · 17/12/2018 15:24

My preschool has to call social services after 15 minutes as they use a shared space which has to be vacated half an hour after session ends leaving the staff with nowhere to take children who have not been collected. Because two of them would have to stay for safeguarding reasons, the three of them would have to wait outside on the side of the road until someone comes to take the child, which is just miserable in this weather as it gets dark. What a cow - I hope she reconsiders or gets absolutely crucified by the creche staff and lose the place. In your shoes, I would be tempted to warn them so that they can heavily hint to her that she needs to pick up on time.

ApolloandDaphne · 17/12/2018 15:24

What a horrible thing to do to the staff and to her children. I hope she loses her place at the creche of she does this.

IdblowJonSnow · 17/12/2018 15:34

Is this a joke?! If not that's bloody awful. Selfish cow. I would be tempted to tip them off!

Jux · 17/12/2018 15:35

That is horrid.

DioVelazquez · 17/12/2018 15:45

This is one of those AIBUs where you just wonder... Did you really think anyone would disagree with you, OP? Did you really need to ask??

DioVelazquez · 17/12/2018 15:45

This is one of those AIBUs where you just wonder... Did you really think anyone would disagree with you, OP? Did you really need to ask??

Original poster

Clothrabbit · 17/12/2018 15:45

Update: Apparently another colleague with children in a crèche brought up the social services/police thing and frightened selfish mother to death. She kept querying and asking "are you sure they can do that" so I suspect she'll be changing her Christmas Eve plans.

By the way the same woman kicked up about being rostered to work on Boxing Day last year because "I have a young family".

OP posts:

DioVelazquez · 17/12/2018 15:45

This is one of those AIBUs where you just wonder... Did you really think anyone would disagree with you, OP? Did you really need to ask??

Original poster

Clothrabbit · 17/12/2018 15:45

OP posts:

Original poster

Clothrabbit · 17/12/2018 15:45

Just been on a coffee break and colleague was there. I brought the conversation around to Christmas Eve and when she repeated her plan I looked horrified and said 'but won't they call social services? I think most crèches do that if parents are quite late and can't be contacted'. She looked disbelieving at first but someone else agreed and actually knew of someone it had happened to. She then looked horrified, so I think her plans might change.

So thanks guys.

OP posts:

TheChippendenSpook · 17/12/2018 15:50

I once worked in a nursery that once a week had a late closing time of 7pm. One Christmas eve, the 7pm closing time fell on that day and it was me that was working it. (with a manager also in the building).

One child's mum turned up at 7.30.

DioVelazquez · 17/12/2018 15:52

TheChippendenSpook

Was the story supposed to end there? Feels like there should have been more?

Birdsgottafly · 17/12/2018 15:53

It was diabolical.

But when my DD worked in Childcare, her and her single/no children/under 25, work mates, would volunteer to be the ones to stay late. Christmas Eve wasn't a big deal to them.

Thesearmsofmine · 17/12/2018 15:54

When I worked in a nursery the policy was to contact social services if a child wasn’t collected and couldn’t be contacted.

nothinglikeadame · 17/12/2018 15:59

I would tell her that if she tries this, you will report her to the crèche.

Sometimes you just have to do the right thing. Obviously she hasn't got any morals if she puts her boozy lunch and shopping before her kids, the employees of the crèche, and their families who will be waiting for them.

If she falls out with you or kicks off and then blanks you going forward, I have to say you haven't really lost someone important from your life.

Drum2018 · 17/12/2018 16:00

If you know which crèche she uses ring them and tell them about the plan - no need to give your name or even say which parent it is. It will give them time in the next day or two to warn all parents to collect their kids on time.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 17/12/2018 16:02

This is one of those AIBUs where you just wonder... Did you really think anyone would disagree with you, OP? Did you really need to ask??

Most of the very finest AIBUs are those where nobody could or would dream of disagreeing with the OP.

Maybe MNHQ should rename the topic 'AIBU/Woo-hoo-hoo - Feast Your Ears on This (CF alert)!"

The absolute pinnacle of AIBUs, and the only ones that just beat the above-mentioned variety, are those where OP asks "AIBU?", genuinely convinced that they couldn't possibly be, then the entirety of MN come along as one to say "Yes, you most certainly ARE BVVVVVVVVVU" and the OP keeps coming back to protest "No I am NOT - you're all wrong, every single one of you!"

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