I mind a small boy and his big sister, both are under three, I've had them for a year and their mum is known to our family and we've become fairly good friends. We don't see each other much outside me having her children, but we always mean to. She's always highly praised me, and I've loved having her children.
She said something last week which is eating at me, and I'm worried about what to do. Ever since they started, her children have come with a few very small bruises on them - as babies and toddlers do! She always said it was her wooden floors and them running or learning to walk. I never made any note of them, as they're really random, and just look like your average toddler bruises. Like my own children, a year on they still have the odd bruise here and there, usually on knees or leg, maybe one on the arm - and she puts it down to them fighting a lot at home, apparently they wrestle and hit each other. Then last week she mentioned she just doesn't understand why they have so many on them - I said I hadn't noticed to be honest, as I don't see them without clothes on! Occasionally without trousers (after an accident or nappy change perhaps) but I've never seen one that's worried me at all. She then said the boy had one under his arm, which she said looked 'thumb shaped'. We continued chatting and she left, and it was only that night the implication hit me. thumb shaped????
She didn't mention it again, and has always seemed more than happy to leave them with me, and stay for a while after chatting about work and life. Then one day this week the older girl started crying telling me about a bruise on her leg from mummy smacking her leg. It wasn't a smack mark in the slightest, it was a small round bruise, and she is prone to telling tales at the moment (two minutes later it changed to her brother biting her, then later she said she fell over) but I told her mum anyways (pointing out I wasn't accusing her.)
The next day the mum joked, saying by the end of the night the girl said I had done it, but the next day it was the rabbit.
This is starting to really worry me. Particularly the remark about it being thumb-shaped. I don't think the mum is hurting them in the least, and the bruises are really minor - I mean really minor - but I can't help but think it's possible the finger might end up being pointed at me? I can't stress enough now much I don't smack them or anything like that! The only discipline I use is time out. I have ocassionally smacked my childrens hands - only for huge offences such as biting. I know the mum smacks their bums at home, but she says only for serious offences too.
What can I do? I know I could start writing bruises in the book again, but not only would I be entering 5 or so tiny marks every day, I'd literally have to strip them naked to find them. Plus I'm worried the mum might question why I've started now.
Is there anything I can do?