24 children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[joanna4]

I happened to see a lady in the diy store yesterday when i was buying some flooring she was getting some for a playroom.She told me her and her sister childmind and between them they have 24 kids does this seem like a lot? I know there are pick ups drop offs over 8s and everything but it seems like masses!

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I work with my sister (xena) on our busy 2 days we have 16! that seems loads to me, can't imagine how we'd manage another 8!

Maybe she has that many but at separate times?

I doubt they're all at the same time.

Wow - I only do 12 (and I'm so glad about that)

I have, in the past, had 16 children come through my doors within one week, obviously not all at the same time. This includes more than three children in each age bracket, (several under fives, several 5-8s and several over 8s) and most of them have obviously been part-time. It doesn't include any extra children being allowed if my emergency back-up assistant (my dd) is here, it was all my own work!!

There were different children being taken to school, and different children being collected from school, and all on different days; and an assortment of under 5s. I currently have 14 children on my books regularly (term-time and school holidays), with several more "occasional".

My diary sometimes looks horrendous, but I'm certainly not over my numbers at any given time and usually manage not to lose any!

Saying that, Theprisoner my network co-ordinator lost one of my children at the zoo over the summer holidays.

Heart stopped, sent assistants off in different directions with mobiles.

Child turned up 3 mins later, phone everyone and we all met up.

Isn't it nice when back up plans work?

• I didn't say that I'd not lost any, but I thought I'd better not say too much in case someone from mumsnet wants me for their childminder ...

Yep, do you think we should have whinging names and advertising names on here (to keep them separate?)

Me? I never whinge!! Unless it's about OFSTED, but that's different. I wonder if anyone working for OFSTED has ever had a childminder (can you imagine how hard that would be).

I think that anyone who knows me in RL could probably figure out who I am by reading my posts, so there's no hope. Perhaps that's why we all have vacancies!! And perhaps I should call myself something a bit more child-friendly?

Do we know if any of the working parents on mumsnet have any of the childminding mumsnetters?

I only whinge about OFSTED (oh and parents too)

Off to bed, sorry for hijack Joanna4