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Babysitter ruined my daughter's perfect attendance record

steffnstuffsteffnstuff member
in School-Aged Children
Hello all. I've never posted on this board. I'm usually on the pregnancy boards. Anyway, my daughter is in 2nd grade. I'm a real stickler about school attendance. When my dd was in kinder she missed days because the parents we carpooled with often had her and their child miss school for dumb reasons like "it was raining hard." last year she missed 2 days because she had to have tubes put in her ears. Understandable. Anyway, today I go to pick her up and learn that the babysitter didn't take any of the children to school today because she assumed they were on siring break, which actually doesn't start until next week. I know most people think its really not that big of a deal (including my Dh). But I can't help being upset. Yes I'm pregnant and probably just overreacting because of the hormones. Would anyone else be at least little bothered by this? Please tell me I'm not alone. 
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Re: Babysitter ruined my daughter's perfect attendance record

  • notkateanymorenotkateanymore member
    I wouldn't care that she didn't go to school because it ruined her perfect attendance...I would care because I had such crappy communication with my sitter that she didn't know when Spring Break was. Do you not tell her when school holidays are, does she not have a calendar?
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  • steffnstuffsteffnstuff member
    Yes. All of the parents talk to her about when the kids are out of school or get out early, etc. So there was no "crappy communication." Like I said she ASSUMED! ALL of the parents were upset. Granted, she has kids that go to other schools there as well and their breaks may have been different. Regardless, it's still frustrating. You would think if all the kids that go to that school come to daycare ready for school it probably should have been a clue that they actually had school that day!
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  • MagicCityMommaMagicCityMomma member
    I would be more concerned about the fact that she just "assumed" it was spring break instead of checking with you first.  Does your DD carry a back pack to school?  That might have been a clue that there may have been school.  That seems really strange. 
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  • steffnstuffsteffnstuff member
    Yes she had her backpack and everything. I don't get it. She's never done anything like this before. I know sometimes things happen and mistakes get made but it just seemed to me that this is not one a daycare should make. 
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  • MagicCityMommaMagicCityMomma member
    That's pretty flaky.  I'd be on the lookout for a new sitter.
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  • Littlejen22Littlejen22 member
    Either accept it as an innocent mistake or find a new sitter. As for attendance, get over it, make your kid Hilo school to learn but not for an award that says you were the great parent for getting your kid there, this will inevitably wind up with you sending her to school sick bc of her record. 
    Jen - Mom to two December 12 babies Nathaniel 12/12/06 and Addison 12/12/08
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  • neverblushedneverblushed member

    I'm not sure I would get rid of an otherwise solid babysitter over this.  People make mistakes.  If she's generally sharp as a tack and on top of things and this one incident got by her, I'd overlook it.  But if she's generally disorganized in this way, it might bother me.

    Also, I'd want to know how the conversation went between the babysitter and your daughter.  A 2nd grader almost certainly knows when break starts and when it's a school day.  Did your child attempt to tell the sitter?  Did the sitter blow her off? 

    If my 1st grader thought there was school and his sitter said, "Nope -- no school today," and then he found out she was wrong and had caused him to miss school, HE would be confused and upset.  HE would lose confidence in the sitter, and I would be more concerned about this than about him missing a day of school. 

    High School English teacher and mom of 2 kids:

    DD, born 9/06/00 -- 12th grade
    DS, born 8/25/04 -- 7th grade
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  • steffnstuffsteffnstuff member
    It has nothing to do with an award. It's the principle. And I have never sent her to school sick nor would I in the future. All I'm saying is that I was bothered by it. Am I going to cry over it or ask the school to understand? No. I was simply asking if it was something others would be bothered by as well. 

    ETA:
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  • steffnstuffsteffnstuff member
    My dd said she asked why she wasn't being taken to school and that she told her that she did have school when the sitter said she wasn't going due to being on break. I don't know if any of the other kids said anything or not. They may have since some of them are older than my dd. But yes my dd was upset about missing because she loves school. At any rate this was a first time incident like I said before-so not a reason to find a new daycare but of course I did speak with her about it. Thank you all for your comments. 
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  • jlw2505jlw2505 member
    Honestly, I would be more concerned about the sitter that I am using more than anything else.  Does the school not call you or your DH if your child is not in school?  And the whole carpool thing last year so would not have gone over with me at all.  I would look into finding new before and after school care if this type of happened.  And your child is in 2nd grade, the sitter should have asked or called you and not just made that kind of assumption.
    Jenni Mom to DD#1 - 6-16-06 DD#2 - 3-13-08 
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  • notkateanymorenotkateanymore member

    imagesteffnstuff:
    Yes she had her backpack and everything. I don't get it. She's never done anything like this before. I know sometimes things happen and mistakes get made but it just seemed to me that this is not one a daycare should make. 

    Is there something going on with her? 

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  • RobinSparkles214RobinSparkles214 member

    How many other kids does this "sitter" have to take to school? How many different schools do these children attend? It kind of sounds like this lady is a total flake and she must watch a shiit ton of kids and offer you a good rate?

    This would not fly with me. She should know when your DD has school, she should be aware of the school breaks too. I would make it very clear that if something like that happened again, you will be finding a new sitter. You have every right to be pissed.

    Also, the carpool stuff from last year would really have made me mad. I understand that some parents need to rely on sitters/carpools/public transportation to get their children to school, but good lord, make sure you're on the same page as your caregiver/carpool partner. It doesn't make you a "stickler" about it just because you want your child to be at school when she should be there. It makes you a responsible parent.

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  • GingerSBGingerSB

    imagejlw2505:
    Honestly, I would be more concerned about the sitter that I am using more than anything else.  Does the school not call you or your DH if your child is not in school?  And the whole carpool thing last year so would not have gone over with me at all.  I would look into finding new before and after school care if this type of happened.  And your child is in 2nd grade, the sitter should have asked or called you and not just made that kind of assumption.

    I am shocked that your school didn't call you when your child did not show up.  I assumed that was standard practice for all schools. 

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