CHILDMINDERS CLUB - What would you do?

[FeelingOld]

I have a 2 year old mindee (been coming 4 months), 3 days per week but different days cos her mum works shifts (therefore basically takes up a full time place), but she is lovely and it means occasionally i get a day off
She came Mon, Tues and Weds last week, but mum is a bit scatty and didn't have her rota available (AGAIN) to let me know about this week and said she would ring and let me know, but she didn't so I sent her a text message to jog her memory on sunday and again on Monday, but she never got back to me. Tried to phone her at home on Monday (twice), no reply, Tuesday (twice), no reply and again today but no reply again and they do not have an answer machine so have sent her a text message asking her if she still wants mindees place, if so could she please contact me and if she doesn't want me to have mindee anymore this is fine but could she please still contact me.(My dh says I should go into the shop where she works and speak to her, but I don't want to do this, it could be very embarassing).
What do I do if she doesn't get in touch?
My other dilemna is that one of my other 'mums' has asked me if I have any places cos her sister needs a minder 20-24 hours per week for her baby, but at the moment I do not have any places (3 of my mums work shifts so some days I am full but others not, but never the same days every week IYSWIM). I do not want to turn work away but what do I do if my other mindees mum doesn't soon get in touch and am I being pushy in keep trying to contact her? Surely she knows she needs to contact me?
Any thoughts anyone? What would you do?
Thanks.

[HappyMumof2]

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[HappyMumof2]

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[FeelingOld]

We have a notice period of 4 weeks on both sides, but I'm not bothered if she can't give me 4 weeks notice, I just want to know.

[FeelingOld]

Sorry posted before finished.
Thanks for your reply, I just wanted another opinion as to whether I was hassling her or not. My dh is of the opinion that she is in breach of her contract and I should tell her I'm not prepared to look after mindee anymore, but I really like the little girl and her mum is lovely usually but very dippy and is never organised and never knows what days she is working and often turns up late or lets you know 10 minutes after she is due that mindee is ill and not coming, but always pays on time and for time off etc.
I just want to know the score basically.

[HappyMumof2]

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[FeelingOld]

I do have a work number for her but do not know when she will be there and I wouldn't really want to call her there unless there was an emergency, just feel it's not right.
I still haven't heard anything from her and am now beginning to wonder if I am being mean in case something has happened.

[FeelingOld]

A friend of mine who is also a childminder says if it were her she would give her until friday and if I have not heard anything she would put a letter through her door saying that if she hasn't let me know anything by Sunday evening then I can not hold her place any longer.
She thinks that she will have been given plenty of opportunity to have contacted me by then and if she does not I should not have to give her 4 weeks notice as on contracts cos she is already in breach of her contract. What do you all think?

[agalch]

Hi feelingold
I would see the possible new mum now,would send one last text and xplain that she has till fri(no longer)to let you know. I am in a similar situation to you,had to wait a whole week(turned down work) and then parent gave notice.Hasn't turned up this week,hasn't foned to say if/when she's bringing her this week/next week(she works funny hifts) so i'm going out 2moro and if she turns up too bad!!! I'm fed up being taken for a ride

[FeelingOld]

I know, you go out of your way to be flexible to their needs and then this happens. If she doesn't want to use me anymore then I am fine with it, I am just annoyed that she hasn't had the decency to just pick up the phone and let me know what's going on.

[agalch]

Hi Feelingold

I still havn't heard from my parent so i just went out for the day so i dont know if she turned up or not. My motto from now on is if they don't phone i'm not waiting in!!! The fact that she's given notice makes no difference to me,if she's not coming back then fine but i have loads of things to do and places to be,it would be common courtesy to ring and say they're not coming back. God i feel better after that moan,sorry.

[FeelingOld]

Got home from school run today and message on answerphone said she thought she had sent me text messages back, but must have sent them to someone else by mistake as obviously she hadn't sent them to me cos of what I had put in the last message she received, and she said she would phone me this evening.
Anyway she phoned and said she doesn't know what happened but when I didn't reply to her texts (which I never got) she thought she had upset me in someway and sent mindee to her mums this week. I told her no prob, its just a big misunderstanding and mindee is coming tomorrow and she will let me know then which days she is working next week.
So hopefully problem solved and I now feel guilty that she thought she had offended me.

Hope you get your situation sorted soon.

[agalch]

Do you believe her? Sorry i just must be so cynical now!! Glad alls well with you now Feelingold and hopefully i might hear from my parent this year lol