Cleaner had her DC there with her today

[changinglanesagain]

I've had my cleaned for about 3 months. She's really good. I really like her work

Anyway, I gave her a key last week and today I popped home for lunch unexpectedly. She had her DD there with her...

Apparently it's a teacher training day for them and so her DD had to come too. I asked why she couldn't reschedule to do another date or even better, come this evening?

She said she couldn't come this evening due to her DS coming home, he's disabled, and she'd just much rather not let me down for my allocated day so thought she'd just being DD along

I said okay... and that was that

AIBU to think she should've asked my permission first?

So not to drip feed, she was sat at my dining table doing colouring and had a few toys out

Can’t understand why this has bothered you. It’s difficult to arrange childcare on inset days. I am always pleased to help my cleaner in these circumstances. I don’t need to be told first. I’m just grateful they turn up & consequently my house is clean.

What if she couldn't come another day?

This! And what if she couldn’t afford to take an unpaid day? Have some compassion!!!

She should have definitely asked your permission first! She obviously expected you not to find out, I’d be furious.

Also, if someone did a few hours work but is leaving embarassed refusing to be paid, it tells us A LOT about the employer.
I guess OP is now gonna be looking for a different cleaner.

She should have asked first, I think it’s wrong to just bring a child into a customers house without permission.

What if she couldn't come another day?

Or couldn't really afford for the OP to say no to child being there and lose her pay?

You seem like hard work. Poor cleaner.

I don't think so as she asked the cleaner why didn't you reschedule..

I have just set up as a part time cleaner. I am also a nurse. I have been told by all my clients that good reliable cleaners are like gold dust. I have been treated like a queen all week, which I am not used to! It's been lovely.
There may be the occasion I need to bring dd with me, I would however check with the homeowner first.
But if I was you I would let it go, no harm done, she showed up and got the job done. It sounds like she is juggling a lot.

What if she couldn't come another day?

Then the house doesn't get cleaned by the cleaner that week...

She should have definitely asked your permission first! She obviously expected you not to find out, I’d be furious.

Really, knowing the background that cleaner had a career that she gave up to look after her disabled child? Might you not figure out that it's probably that easy to reschedule or that she can't afford to lose the pay? Instead you'd be furious that she brought her well behaved child and allowed her to colour in, while she for on with her job?

Some of you are just heartless.

I don’t have kids and I’m ridiculously anal about my belongings. I have a nice dining table that I’d be twitchy about a young child colouring on without supervision. I like having kids visit, but I’d like to be asked first so I would know to put something on the table to protect it.

I clean my own house though, so not a problem I’m likely to have.

Agreed - she should have asked, or mentioned it and offered alternative times or cancelled. It is your house. The child might be well behaved but kids pick things up and knock things over or get drinks and put wet bottomed cups on furniture or press too hard and damage the table top or loads of things.... Just because the child is not one that bounces off the walls does not mean it is ok to bring him or her to someone's house. There might have been things there were age-unsuitable for a child to see or unsafe to touch - sharp things, chemicals for DIY, art or gardening). If you don't know a kid is coming in you don't put those things away.

YANBU OP

Erm, where did I say I work in a ‘guest room’? (Unfortunately I have never been lucky enough to have a ‘guest room’, which you seem to assume everyone has?) I have no guest room, no spare room and no office. I work in my kitchen/dining area.

No of course the children shouldn't have been there and she knew it was cheeky which is exactly why she didn't ask.How fun it might be to take my children to work. Yup I think I might start doing that . Boss wont mind and if he does well hes a massive snob.

YANBU... wtf is wrong with people here.

The crux of this is everyone know you dont invite someone into someone elses house without permission, that just the very basic of manners.

Also while the kid sounds like she was behaving a kid colouring can make a lot of mess, my mams very expensive mahogany table STILL has ink marks on it from when we where kids 20+ years ago and the ink went through the paper.

Also our old house had a crayon my DS forgot about on a hot day near the window that melted and perminantly melded into the wood, NOTHING would get it out and being a bloody crayon we couldnt even paint over the fucking thing it was like the bloody tell tale heart alway reappearing no matter what we tried.

I would FAR rather someone cancel than they invite strangers (any stranger, hell infact anyone even my own family) into my house while I'm out without permission, that my private home not a club den for people to hang out or wait in.

Genuinely, why?

what about a child colouring in your kitchen whilst her mum works would make you furious?

where’s the harm @Islandescape ?

The child was doing no harm, what's the problem?

No ink marks or melted crayons are mentioned, that's an awful lot of whataboutery!

Cleaners are not employed. They offer a service. You choose to buy their services. You are not their employer ffs.

But none of those things happened here?

I find it fascinating that folk get so angry over ‘strangers’ (a 5 year old child!) in their home, being good, harming nothing.

wonder how you’d react to an actual problem

@Livelovebehappy umm that's where the cleaner was working.....

The OP is lucky enough to have a guest room, not have a disabled child and not had to give up her career as a specialised nurse and deal with childcare juggling!

But you're siding with her?

She should have asked, but for God's sake it's nothing to lose one's shit over.🤦‍♀️

It wouldn't bother me.