Sorry Mrs Judgeypants - look away! Its confessions of a childminder

[fivesacrowd]

I've been a cm for a couple of years and have had some fantastic advice from this forum (thanks esp to Mr Anchovy and NannyNick), but I was looking at some posts the other day about tv watching and thinking that in my early days I was so stressed out every day and I'm sure it wasn't helped by the "mrs judgepants" posters on here.
So, in the spirit of christmas I confess -
I sometimes let mindees watch a bit of TV, not that much and usually related to something else we're doing (although I'm not sure I'll get away with many more pirate activities so that they can all watch Jake)
I sometimes leave children asleep in the buggy outside - wrapped up against the weather in my secure garden and I'm always within sight
Sometimes I don't have my day planned and have to wing it.
Sometimes snack isn't hugely healthy - usually because we've made fairy cakes (hides head in shame at the time we made hedgehog cakes and all six mindees were covered in chocolate butter icing)
Despite all this, my mindees love me, the parents all rate me as brilliant and the Care Insp gave me an excellent - so there mrs judgepants!
Go on cm - get those confessions off your chest, you'll feel so much better for it.

I take my mindees to visit my dad in an old peoples home occasionally. They love it ... joining in with karaoke, flower arranging, etc and the old people love having them there.

I've had a child for 2 months now & not done a single observation or assessment . I've not put cupboard locks on yet or a bolt on my back gate(mindee not moving yet others are school age). I don't have individual hand towels & sometimes don't wash my hand towel every day, the cot sheet stays on a whole week before I wash it and we definitely lick the bowl & spoons when making cakes.

I chose my childminder precisely because I knew being with her would be exactly like being at home with me. She only has my two after school but if I needed a childminder for a younger child I would be exactly the same.

I want someone who will care well for my children in a home environment, I don't give a shit whether they have exemplary paperwork or not.

This is a lovely thread. I get a bit down when I read about people being unhappy with their childminders because 'they don't pay the CM good money to take them shopping/watch TV/do the school run /have dogs/visit friends/ etc because surely when you choose a CM you want someone to provide a home-like setting (ie your child fits into home life) as opposed to an institution (a setting specifically for child-based activities). The other day someone posted that it's a CM's job to entertain your child. That was really depressing.
Well done the CMs on this thread, you're doing a grand job!

Apart from the fairy cakes, I think you might be my CM. And my family love you.

Well my son stays with the mum of one of his friends after school - and neither of us care about forms/paperwork etc. He's like their 3rd child and I feel very happy about the arrangements!

You all sound brilliant and these are just the reasons I chose this type of setting for my child. We have the tv on at home so I'm positively delighted to find Pointless on when I get there (dd generally ignores all tv except track cycling for some reason), she loves leaf and puddle jumping and needs to learn that life isn't all about charging round so if my cm has an appt then I'd fully expect dd to be taken along.

Keep up the good work

Thanks Leecroakly, that's exactly why I started this thread. I provide a nurturing, safe, securing and stimulating environment. I'm not a children's entertainer and I treat all my mindees as if they were my own kids so if that involves the odd trip to the shops and a bit of housework mixed in with lots of trips to the park, arts and crafts and activities then I don't think that's a bad thing.

Speaking as someone who uses a CM, I need to just say I think you all do an amazing job. I have been with the same CM for 8 years and it precisely because she acts like a human being rather than a childcare robot that we love her. She's crap with paperwork, the dc's watch lots of tv, they eat normal food with the odd dose of crap and, when they weren't at school, she took them to town, to see her dad etc. She provides a complete home from home where my dc's feel happy and secure. The most important thing that she does for my dc's is not their nutrition, their education or their entertainment.... she loves them... unconditionally and we love her.

CM's get a raw deal on here sometimes and people should remember that we choose them over nursery because we want the home from home environment.

Thanks elliepac. Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you too .