Am I missing something here - what are the children whom you are meant to be minding doing while you are on the Internet??

[fivecandles]

Because I would be livid if I was paying you to mind my child and you were Mumsnetting.

I don't expect my CM to hang over my dd and watch her while she's asleep
in fact I'd be quite perturbed if she did
I don't do it, why should she?

But by all means write to the Daily Mail...am sure they'd find it fascinating

(do you know I believe my CM might go to the loo occasionally? shocking i know...)

Humphrey- you are on the computer with your children in the room shouldn't you be irritating stimulating them?

Ah, full moon, course.

x-posts with jimjams

the Toilet Katy - you expect to be able to go to the toilet while minding my children - absolutely not!!!!

As childminders we often work alone. that means we can't take breaks even though the law states we are entitled to them. Teachers don't work under these conditions so tis not the same. obviously if someone is online for hours when they are minding then that is wrong but I don't beleive for a minute there are many like that one here. Most of us pop on for a quick 5 mins here and there when the children are sleeping or otherwise occupied while we have a much needed cup of tea. The children aren't being neglected or left unsupervised and are perfectly safe and happy.

Oh I have a mad lunatic upstairs who is awake until gone midnight each night at the moment. He is watching it now. I know the moon.

Think it's a biggy or something this month as he seems worse than usual.

Might explain it.

Mine are usually locked in the cupboard under the stairs, while I sit have a gin and fag.

ah now there's a whole new thread for parents of these poor neglected kiddiwinks...

'I think you'll find that using the Internet for personal reasons whilst at work is a sackable offense and rightly so.'

Actually I think you'll find that it is up to the individual employer. It's not a sackable offence where I work.

If you're going to get all hysterical (horrified? for goodness' sake), then at least get your facts straight.

If this is all you've got to worry about, you should be very pleased about your life

I chose a childminder for my son precisely because I wanted him looked after in a home environment by someone who would do with him what I would do.

I'm quite happy if his childminder uses the internet while he's with her, particularly if he is playing with her children while she does it. I'm more than happy for her to be cleaning or doing some other form of housework, because he does that with her and learns while he goes, although I realise that isn't a popular opinion!

In short, I want him to be happy in what he and his childminder see as his second home. I don't want him to be continuously interacted with. In fact, I just want him to have fun with her children and not be badgered into structured activities. He'll have all that at school.

All I want is someone to keep him safe, warm and loved like I would do. And if that means giving him the space to explore and experiment while she mumsnets, that's cool with me.

JImjams - my ds is bizarrely calm atm - most unusual for him at any time let alone during a full moon

My DS just follows people to the loo, and will shout "wee wee! Poo POO!" really loudly. Then when the loo flushes he shouts "bye bye wee, bye poo!" in case someone somewhere didn't clock that they went to the loo.

He probably does the same to his CM. Or she could be locking him in a pen all day while she shoots up MNs. As he is now sleeping through the night since he left nursery for her, I don't care.

Hang on

How many actual childminders have posted on this thread (apart from me)

Look, I'm just saying that I personally would not be happy about this situation. It didn't occur to me that childminders would be Mumsnetting or otherwise surfing the net while I was paying them to mind my kids any more than it would occur to me to expect this of my kids' teachers. I think it's shocking and it has completely put me off using childminders especially given the response that my concerns have met with. I'm sure that a lot of parents would feel the same way as me and indeed a lot of childminders. Certainyl my MIL is a childminder and she would find it shocking. When she is minding children she does just that and nothing else.

jimjams, I am affronted.
I'll have you know that my eldest son is eating vienetta and watching harry hill practising his calligraphy under my gentle and encouraging tutelage, and my youngest son has buggered off to play on his DS decided to have an early night.

me me me katy

My children are asleep and I am on MN. Sorry but what exactly is your issue with this???

I tie the children to the railings outside the house while I am on the internet. That way passers by can make sure they are OK and knock on the door if there is a problem.

If they are asleep I would normally head to the pub for 20 minutes or so. I'm paid to supervise / mind them - when they are asleep they don't need supervising or minding - so that's my time.

Hat's nanny

I havnt read the whole of this thread but when I used to baby sit my next door neighbours (about 2 or 3 years ago when I was 17) I used to take my laptop with my and do work, access the internet and chat on msn. The kids were happy playing or watching a dvd. If they wanted me to play with them that was cool but sometimes thwy just wanted to chill out and do something quiet. I dont think I was being irresponsible by using the net whilst watching the kids. They were in the same room as me and were safe. I really dont see what the problem is.

If they were on here constantly and ignoring the kids then it would be a different issue but theyre not.

'If this is all you've got to worry about, you should be very pleased about your life'

There's nothing more that parents worry about than that their kids are safe and cared for when they're not there.

There's no bigger and more important worry in my view.

Sorry, if you think that makes me 'insane'.