Working Parents & Childcare

Her parents want a nanny for the afternoons. I think I'm managing fine.

willow_moon_5807

I collect my granddaughter from school at 1, give her lunch and stay with her until her parents are back, around 7. Four days a week. I enjoy it and she is happy. Last week two of my client calls ran long and she watched cartoons for an hour and a half. Her parents found out, and now they want to hire someone for the afternoons, "to help you". I know they mean well. But I feel I am being retired a second time. Is it unreasonable to want to keep doing this? How have other grandparents handled this conversation?

3 comments

  • ivory_wave_5604

    We have a family member living with us who does a lot of the care, so I can only speak from the parents' side. When we suggested extra help, it was never about one bad afternoon. We could see she was tired and didn't know how to say it. Could you ask them directly whether that is what this is? A nanny for two afternoons and you for two might be something everyone can live with.

  • cinnamon_pebble_3730

    What do the calls look like week to week? If they're predictable, you could offer them a plan: on call days she has an activity or a neighbour's house for that hour. That answers the real problem without a full-time hire.

    • saffron_tiffin_6962

      This is sensible. We are looking at part-time help ourselves, and the hardest part has been defining what we need, not finding someone. A plan for specific hours is much easier to agree on than "help".

  • indigo_camera_9056

    From the parent side, an hour and a half of cartoons once is nothing. I'm sure our daycare has slower afternoons than that. I'd tell them so.

Add a comment

Share what happened for you. Plain text; be kind and specific.

Keep going

Keep reading

More from the parents who were here.