acting up when parents arrive?

[popperdoodles]

i look after 2 siblings aged 9 and 6 after school and with me they are reasonably well behaved, the odd squabble but easily dealt with. The moment the collecting parent knocks on the door they change instantly. One of them will run and hide they will start physicaly fighting, refuse to put coat and shoes on just both go really silly won't do as they are told. Refuse to stop the activity they are doing etc. So far i have stood back and let the parent deal with it because at the end of the day they are the parents children so when parent is present I feel it is not my place to disapline. But it is getting really embaressing to watch the parent struggle to control them. I'm sure the parent feels more embaressed than me but I don't know what i should do? Should I leave them to it and just gently back the parent up which is what I'm doing at the moment or should I step in and take over? Anyone ever had any similar problems?

Do the parents come at a specific time ie always at5.15 I would make sure that the children are all ready to go at that time ie at 5 pm give them a 5 minute warning then at 5.05 get them to put their coats and shoes on and let them look at books for the last 5 minutes. Cuts out the behaviour over putting coats on etc

oh yes all the time

brib them

if they go at the same time each week its easier as i have coats/shoes on ready to go and if they go nicely without fuss they get 20mins on PC or 20mins on trampoline (whatever floats their boat) but if there is any messing they are banned from their fav thing the night after

at 6 and 9 they will understand this well

meant to say 20mins on fav activity the night after

my dd also use to act u8p the minute I knocked on the cm's door. My cm would let me deal with it, fair enough as she was my dd but I would really have appreciated a bit of help. e.g. shoes on, coat on that sort of thing. Perhaps speak to parents and ask what would be best. They will prob be pleased to have the conversation . I know I would have been. It is v. normal behaviour but at end of days work, it is very tiring to deal with it. I use to dread pick up's sometimes - once we had left cm, she was ok , it was just that five min going home bit that was dreadful

I did think about getting coats and shoes o all ready but was a bit worried it would look like I couldn't wait to get rid of them? maybe I will make sure they ahve their shoes on and coats and bags are by the door. I do give a warning 10 mins before they are due to leave to give hem time to finish what they are doing but doesn't always work paticularly as parents can be 5 or 10 mins early or late. Glad to hear it is a common issue.

I always have the kids in their coats and shoes on when mum/dad is due. They are all very young and need help, so it'd take too long were we to wait for mum and dad to arrive and only then do it.

And yes, the kids OFTEN play up... suddenly throw all the toys out the toybox (and they have all been tidied away...), start irritating eachother, acting silly etc. If I see the kids are in this kind of mood I make the handover as quick as possible. But the parents and I do enjoy chatting about the day and I love telling them about what their child has done that day, funny things they might have said etc.

I try and leave it up to mum/dad to see how they react when their kids are misbehaving, and let them sort it out, but to be honest I have often stepped in to help out. Mums and dads are also tired (as am I) and it's the last thing we want - kids acting up.

I treat the kids the same whether mum/dad is there or not, so having to tell them to 'please calm down and put their shoes' on in a slightly firmer/less playful voice is par for the course I think. And mums and dads have always been fine with my help in situs like this.