Am a childminder.
I have a special day out arranged for tomorrow with my children and another local childminder and her mindees, I am taking along a mindee of another local childminder as she is taking tomorrow as a holiday and I am not.
I told my mindees parents about this day out last week (it's a fair drive and we need to give ourselves the whole day or else it is not worth going) and all three of my parents told me they do not need me tomorrow as they are all on holiday.
Had a phone call of one parent this morning saying she needed me half day tomorrow (she is contracted for the full day but only needs me till lunch time) I thought she must have forgotten about her day trip so reminded her but she says she did remember but thought I would now have to change my plans as she needed me for the half day.
I have told her I am more than willing to take mindee, he would love where we are going but it would need to be for the full day she got all stroppy then said she would get back to me.
She phoned about a hour later and said she had spoke to other mindees parents and knew I had no children tomorrow and the reason I was being difficult was because I wanted the day out with my own children which she was paying for!
Have had to explain again that it's a joint trip with another childminder and a extra mindee I am watching as a one off but she is digging her heels in insisting she has the right to use me for half a day.
The only compromise I could think off is that she comes and picks her dc up from our day out by herself at lunchtime then brings him home but as it is a hour away she is not happy about doing this.
Am I being totally unreasonable about this? Either way I am going to have to upset the mum or if I did cancel the daytrip (which I really can't see why I should unless everyone else points out something I am missing) I upset other mindee, my dc and the other childminder and her dc/mindees.