Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Original poster

To think that some parents at DTS 's nursery are being unreasonable?

183 replies

spokette · 10/12/2007 11:40

Some parents at the nursery that my DTS attend are complaining about the nursery being closed on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. They were informed about this in November.

This morning whilst I was signing the boys in, a mother with her 10 month old daughter complained that the nursery should provide the service for those who wanted it. One of the nursery staff quite rightly pointed out that they too have their own families and needed the time to prepare/shop etc.

I was gobsmacked. The nursery will be closed for the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The staff work really hard and deserve a break.

I understand that some parents have to work but they have known about this for a while and it is up to them to make alternative arrangements. What are they going to do once their children start school? Insist that the schools stay open until Christmas Day?

AIBU or am I missing something?

OP posts:

allIWannaBeForChristmas · 10/12/2007 13:20

noooo! if I haven't got it by the weekend then I ain't getting it - I once went into m&s on Christmas eve and people were queuing outside the door to get in . Certainly would never dream of dragging ds round the shops on Christmas eve.

Original poster

spokette · 10/12/2007 13:21

Vitomum, prospective parents are told about the days when the nursery will be definitely closed. If that conflicts with their personal plans, they should find another nursery - nobody is forcing them to use its services.

OP posts:

islandofsodor · 10/12/2007 13:23

So my bil and sil should both give up their jobs and live on benefits then as they can not spend Xmas Eve (their dd's birthday) with her?

ruddynorah · 10/12/2007 13:24

agree with mp. however, our nursery, thankfully only charge for 51 weeks in the year, they close christmas week so we don't pay for it. same with bank holidays, the close, so you can take another day in lieu.

i work in retail, so it is actually very inconvenient that they close when i'm busiest at work. luckily dh has taken annual leave to cover it, but then we did have a full year's notice that they would be closed. couldn't have arranged it with just a month's notice like the OP describes.

Original poster

spokette · 10/12/2007 13:25

As for the comments about paying fees for the day when they are closed, well, they still have to pay their staff, rates, bills etc.

When I take the boys out to go on holiday, it never occurs to me to ask them for a rebate.

OP posts:

Nemostwonderfultimeoftheyear · 10/12/2007 13:26

YANBU the nursery dds have just started in shut from 21st dec to 7th jan..same hols as ds has from school nursery

vitomum · 10/12/2007 13:26

spokette, in your OP you said they were told about the xmas eve closing in November, so not necessarily when they chose the nursery?

d'you know i never realised that choosing to take my a/l on a day other than xmas eve made me such a bad parent

bahKewcHumbug · 10/12/2007 13:27

I'm afraid I think you are being a little unreasonable. Giving one months notice of closing on what, for most businesses, is a normal working day at the end of the holiday year is not enough. It wouldn't have taken much planning (ie just look at the calendar!) to realise that Xmas eve is a mOnday and perhaps not worth opening. Or even that they should have a policy of closing for Xmas eve so everyone knows where they stand.

I don;t necessarily think the nursery is being unreasonable as Wannabe says each business is entirely within their rights to dictate their hours. Am a bit that the staff need time to prepare themselves. Can just see my managing directors face when I tell him we should close Xmas Eve because I need time to cook/wrap presents!

Sorry Wannabe - I agree with so much you say but the argument that "If the parents can't spare half a day out of their lives to look after their own children then it begs the question - why have children in the first place?" is just ridiculous. I have 4 weeks of annual leave - I spend it all with DS whether one day of it is on Xmas eve or earlier in the year is (to him) irrelevant. I can't magic up more annual leave if my child care provider gave me a months notice that they were closed one particular day. I don't have a partner to split it with.

In fact my CM is also closed Xmas eve but gave me far more notice than a month or so which I needed as I really can't take that day off.

bahKewcHumbug · 10/12/2007 13:30

they can close whenever they like and you have to pay for it! How many days are they allowed to close and still charge you before it isn't acceptable (don't use a nursery so didn;t know this was common)

I'm slightly shocked and depressed at the vitriol poured on parents who may not have the annual leave left to take Xmas eve off.

bahKewcHumbug · 10/12/2007 13:31

oh and (as one of the scorned parents who are working Xmas eve) I would much rather spend it with my lovely DS than in work.

Original poster

spokette · 10/12/2007 13:31

Vitomum, prospective parents are told that nursery is closed Christmas Eve (pm), Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve (pm) and New Years Day before they decide to put their child in the nursery.

This is then reiterated in November as the manager knows that some parents will have forgotten this.

OP posts:

JodieG1 · 10/12/2007 13:32

I too am sad that a 10 week old baby is in nursery

vitomum · 10/12/2007 13:33

Agree, bahKew. could there be some judging going on on this thread

bahKewcHumbug · 10/12/2007 13:35

If it is a long standing plan then the nursery is quite within their rights.

Comments about working on Xmas eve still stand.

vitomum · 10/12/2007 13:36

ok spokette. But i still don't see why that should stop parents expressing the view that it would be more convenient for the nursery to open some of those days. Any business worth its salt should be keen to receive customer feedback. of course they don't have to act on it if the demand isn't there, but they should still listen.

bahKewcHumbug · 10/12/2007 13:38

Vitomum, I think "full-time working, baby-dumping mum" was a teensy bit judgemental.

ColdPenguin · 10/12/2007 13:38

Would like to think that anybody running a nursery would have a higher concern for family values than their profit margins - just for one day of the year.

vitomum · 10/12/2007 13:40

maybe the nurseries could get the poor unfortunates in on xmas eve to clean out the chimneys - it could be a new festive tradition

TinyTimLivesinVictorianSqualor · 10/12/2007 13:41

No-one here knows the position of the parenst whose child is ten weeks old and at nursery. Maybe his mother is absolutely distraught she is working and putting him in nursery??

There could be any number of reasons she is back at work, and it's not exactly child abuse putting a child in a nursery is it???

Original poster

spokette · 10/12/2007 13:41

Vitomum, I agree about listening to customers but manager has to listen to her staff too.

OP posts:

ColdPenguin · 10/12/2007 13:41

'full-time working, baby-dumping mum' is not judgemental.

If you work full-time and you dump your baby every morning, you are a 'full-time working, baby-dumping mum'.

It is a factual statement. How one choses to feel about the stating out loud of this fact is up to oneself.

themulledsnowmanneredjanitor · 10/12/2007 13:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

morningpaper · 10/12/2007 13:43

You dump rubbish, saying that working parents (I assume that fathers are also dumping their babies?) are dumping their children implies that working parents think nothing of their children

I'm not quite sure how putting your child into childcare on christmas eve goes against "Family values"

Would letting Granny take it for the day go against family values? What about a childminder? Or a nanny? Which ones are the most evil - please explain

TinyTimLivesinVictorianSqualor · 10/12/2007 13:44

I think the problem with 'dumping' is the connotations that lend to that word.
The different picture it paints to 'full-time working mum having to tear herself away from her new baby' one denotes a cold-earted woman who doesn't give two hoots 'dumping' her baby, the other is a mother who love her child but has to work.
That is definitely being judgemental.

islandofsodor · 10/12/2007 13:44

Working mums (or Dad's) do not dump their children.

We place them in the care of competent, loving childcarers for the duration of the time that we work and spend the rest of our time with them.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Swipe left for the next trending thread