Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Opinions Greatly Appreciated

I still have NOT got my van. Perhaps I'm just a bit spoiled but I want it now before someone else snags it but he holds it over my head that since I don't have a job I don't really get a say in anything when it comes to big purchases. His secretary is supposed to meet me in a small town (halfway point) to see if she really wants our truck. If I've went through all this the past week and she decides she doesn't, boy am I going to be mad. We plan on using the equity out of both vehicles for the new van.

My mother called the other day and asked what I was planning on charging my sister this summer for daycare in which I told her probably $30 a day. She snorted and said "well she'll probably just leave the kids where they are then. That's outrageous." OMG I am so pissed off about the situation. That's $1.50 a hour PER KID. 10 hrs a day. Complete bargain btw since that's over $200 off monthly what they are going to charge her. Plus I'm not on the food program anymore so I PAY for the food! That's how much I charged her in the past when I watched them. So I tried redoing my math to $500 a month ($1.25 a hour per kid) If my mom thinks I'm going to waste my whole summer watching extra kids for nothing and forking out food like it's no big deal she's got to be kidding me. Did I mention my sister's 5 yr old weighs more than Alex who's just about 8!?!?!?! I'm figuring to feed her kids plus mine breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack is going to be AT LEAST $100 extra a month. Crap just for a school lunch with milk it's $2.10, breakfast is $1.00 and sure the school probably makes some profit but that's what they charge. So anyways I'm a bit peeved and my mom I am sure has told my sister my plans. I have a busy schedule myself with the kids, I'd planned on the past 3-4 months to watch them since I can fit 2 more kids in the van but maybe I'll just take this summer off too. Maybe it's just the daycare part of me but I cringe thinking of charging any less than what I'm telling her because if people knew I was giving that rate, the whole town would line up at my door. Should I be charging less just because she's family?

Which leads me to something else. After this summer when August school rolls around, my sister has told me because of her not being able to pay the daycare center near her, she's planning on going to work at 7:30 am and in trusting that her 5 yr old dd and 8 yr old dd will walk to school at 8 am. They only live one block from the school and you can see it from her house but no one will be there to get the kids to school. Then, and here's the kicker, after school gets out at 3 pm, they will walk home and stay there by themselves till she gets home at 5:30 pm!! All this because she can't afford the rate a center charges. I really think these 2 are too young to be left alone and her 5 yr old is very defiant. Worse than Dominic really. He's better at complying. She kicks, hits, screams, pouts to get her way on everything and she weighs almost as much as her 8 yr old sister. I don't see Madison getting her to mind her.

Anyways enough of my complaining. You tell me what you think. I have a fun little preschool field trip to the zoo to get ready for!

5 comments:

Angela said...

This is a tough one. I know this example is different but it does deal with family. We once had my BIL stay with us one summer and we didn't charge him anything since he was still in high school. But the additional meals he ate at our house and food for his lunches were costing me quite a bit more than I had originally anticipated. I sucked it up, the summer ended, and he went back home to his dad's. The following summer, he came to stay with us again. At this point, he had graduated high school and wasn't planning on going back to school in the fall. I told Clay that his brother would have to pay us a little something for the extra groceries. As soon as Clay told him that he would have to pay, he moved out and went to live with his mom (who didn't charge him anything, or course).

I guess my point is that you need to be reimbursed at least for the additional food you will buy and I believe you should make a little money by watching these children even though they are your relatives. And it already sounds like you are giving them a sweet deal.

Sara K. Parker said...

First, that is CRAZY that she wants to let her kids be alone in the morning to walk to school and then walk home and be alone for another 2-3 hours in the afternoons! She is N.U.T.S--NUTS!

As for charging family for daycare, I am totally with you. You are offering a HUGE discount. When I taught my sisters' kids piano, I had the same problem. It is still your TIME, regardless of if it's family. If you didn't have her kids, you'd fill the slots with other kids that would pay you the real rate. I did give a discount to my sisters, but it was NOT a huge one. I feel for you. Family stuff can be a real pain sometimes...

Sara

Anonymous said...

This is one of the reasons we DIDN'T want to return to Iowa where my family is. While is LA, we didn't get saddled with anyone else's kids.

I agree that you shouldn't have to pay for all those things without being reimbursed. You could try this - reduce the cost just a tad but then tell her that she'll have to supply any food for the children. She can pack sack lunches and supply boxes of cereal or pop tarts or whatever.

As for the kids walking to school alone - a agree that they are too young. She needs to find a job that will allow her to be home with the kids at those times or she needs to hire someone to take the responsibility.

I hate it when people try to take advantage of others... but when they start expecting you to do their stuff, then you can't even plan a vacation without getting grief.

Bird's Eye View Photography said...

Wow! eight ans 5 is way to young to get themselves to school and home during the day! That actually scares me that she would even consider this!

Wendy said...

Way too young!!! I agree. Being home for two hours? Crazy.

I know this sounds harsh and probably wouldn't work for you but in our business we just have a flat NO FAMILY policy. After getting burned, hounded, guilt tripped we had to do it. Our families were wanting 2k web sites for free. And like someone said it's your time. And time is money.

Plus I think $30/ day is great. And 1.50/kid is unheard of. Even my teen babysitter charges 2.50/kid/hour. So don't feel bad.