The relationship between childminder, parents and child is often a close one as you are working in partnership together to provide the best possible childcare. It is crucial that you remember that parents are the most important people in their child’s life, and you must understand and respect their wishes.

You may become very good friends with the parents of the children you care for and remain in contact with them long after their children have grown up and left your childcare setting. This is one of the most rewarding aspects of childminding. However, it is still important to remember that you are running a business and whilst you can be good friends with your customers your relationship with them must also be on a business and financial level.

When Things Go Wrong

No matter how hard you work, how many hours you devote to other people’s children and how many training courses you undertake there is no foolproof way of ensuring that you will never receive a complaint. This is quite simply because, as the saying goes, ‘You can not please all of the people all of the time.’ You will, over time, learn how to juggle your work with running your home and looking after your own family.

I will not pretend that it is easy when there are many demands on your time. Sometimes you will feel that there are not enough hours in the day. There will be times when your best laid plans fall by the wayside and you feel as if you are meeting yourself coming backwards but this can, and does, happen in all workplaces.

The important thing to remember is that you are a professional person doing a professional job and you must act the part at all times. Even when you feel that whatever you say or do is not good enough, and there will be times when this is the case, you must bite your tongue, remain polite and refrain from passing judgement.

Dealing With Conflict

It is important to remember that working parents may feel an element of guilt at having to leave their children and, when they are stressed and tired after a long day, it is sometimes all too easy to say something hurtful or insensitive. Try not to dwell on this or read too much into it.

However, that is not to say that you must sit back and be insulted. Being a professional does not mean being a doormat. It is possible for you to get your message across without an argument. Just as a parent has the right to say something if they are not happy with a particular element of the childcare service you are providing, you too have the right to let them know if you feel that they are continually taking advantage of your good nature.

Late Collections

If, for example, a parent turns up late one evening to collect their child and tells you that there was an accident on the motorway, there is every chance that this is the case and the delay in getting to you was therefore unavoidable. However, if the same parent continually turns up late, with no valid reasons, and you have to rearrange your own family commitments accordingly, it is not advisable to keep quiet. By not confronting the parent you will become resentful, your family life will suffer, and you will not be able to carry out your childminding duties properly.

Tell the parent why you need them to collect their child on time; perhaps your own daughter has to be at her piano lesson, or you have a training course to attend, and the parent collecting their child late regularly is having an adverse effect on your own life. Remember that as a self-employed person, you choose the days and times that you want to work. You will have set your daily working hours according to your own family commitments and there may be valid reasons why you must stick to these times as much as possible. Of course you do need to be flexible.