Friday I went by and saw the family that I work for in the afternoons.We hadn't seen each other for a month. They'd been out of state and I'd been recuperating from the surgery. Before they left, we'd discussed what would happen after the surgery....whether or not I'd go back to work for them, etc. I decided a visit was in order.
Much to my dismay, it appears that the lovely 14 month old girl who blew me kisses as I left her house in June, has come back from vacation in August a screaming, tantrum throwing little horror who wants nothing to do with me.
I won't go into the gory details, but suffice it to say that the child's own mother was embarrassed by her behavior and extremely apologetic. The mom kept saying that the baby is "going through a phase".
Alrighty......
Then the 2 1/2 year old woke up from him nap. He seemed happy enough to see me. He showed me his new "big boy" bed and we talked a little about his vacation, seeing his cousins, etc. I only stayed a few more minutes after that.
(And it was hot in the house. I don't do hot. There cannot BE enough fans on me as well as a/c. Ask anyone who knows me.)
As the mom (holding the still fussy, squirming baby) and the 2 year old and I are standing at the door saying our goodbyes, the 2 year old interrupts me to say: "Be quiet! My daddy is working!" I didn't have a chance to say anything in return because the mom was again apologizing profusely and reprimanding the child for speaking to me in that tone and using that phrase. Then he said it again. Loudly. The poor mom....she looked like she wanted to melt into the floor. (btw: the dad was NOT working. he was in the den watching TV AND we weren't speaking loudly).
So...I was going to go back. To at least give it a try...it's a rather demanding situation with the one child in pull-ups AND one in diapers..... the two 120 pound Labs that stay in the house, the two cats that constantly try to escape. But now....after witnessing how the baby is these days (according to her mother), the little boy being mouthy.... combined with how warm it was in the house.....I'm not going back.
I've got a feeling the mom won't be surprised,
oy! I don't blame you!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm trying not to feel guilty about it. I really like the family, but the situation has become one that I don't want to be a part of anymore. :(
ReplyDeleteoh man, sorry to hear about the complications from your accident, Pissy. Wishing you a better, more peaceful conclusion to the summer!
ReplyDeleteWhitenoise: Hey! Good to hear from you! I lost a lot of my links (yours being one of them) when my PC crashed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the well wishes. :)
A hot house and a father who is watching tv rather than paying attention to the person who may be responsible for his kids when he IS wworking, no wonder why the kids are cranky and mouthy.
ReplyDeletePs...don't u live in Hotlanta? Maybe u should move up north with us yankees...
Oh that is TOO weird... I hate to hear that it's that way now. Sounds like they will have a problem finding someone willing to take on that situation...
ReplyDeleteMary: oh, the father has always turned a blind eye to any bad behavior on the part of the children. The situation is only going to get worse....
ReplyDeleteI DO live in Hotlanta! And you're right~I much prefer y'alls weather! :)
fbi: It was bizarre, let me tell ya! The baby wouldn't even let me hold her. She screamed and cried if I even made a move towards her. It made me sad. She was always such a sweet, happy baby. :(
I don't think they will find someone else. I get the impression the mom knows it would be difficult and so they'll try something else.
The hot house alone would make that job a no for me. I wish you and I lived closer. My house is an ice-box every day. I will not tolerate tepid, much less WARM. Robert would eat you with a spoon. I dread going back to work at the end of the month. There will be two weeks when I have to find temporary childcare. I don't even want to think about it.
ReplyDeleteholy shit!..there isn't enough money in the world...you can do better..
ReplyDeleteUmm, don't you wonder what the hell went on when you weren't there? I mean, come on, I know kids can change very rapidly as they are growing, but what is that Mom doing?
ReplyDeleteAnd, no they can't have our Pissy. That's out of the question.
I wouldn't either!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Holly on this one ;-) But frankly-- the 2 Labs and the cats would have been the deal breaker for me from the very beginning.
ReplyDeleteStay cool.
xo jj
Oh my word...sounds like this may be for the best. It also sounds like they need a visit from Super Nanny! Haha!
ReplyDeleteMouthy: I wish we lived closer too! I'd love to help you out with your little Robert. He's such a doll. We'd have so much fun! and your house is cool=bonus!!!! ;-)
ReplyDeletejacque sue: that's what I'm thinking! :)
Holly: I have (and have had since day 1 with that family) a good idea of what's going on when I'm not there: absolutely NO STRUCTURE. At ALL! I discussed this with the mom from the very beginning. We discussed implementing a schedule. They wouldn't follow it when I wasn't there. *sigh* there's only so much a person can do....
Chris: :)
Joanna: When I first began working for them they kept the cats put away in one of the bedrooms and the dogs outdoors or with them in their offices (they both work from home). During my 6 months there they slowly let the various pets have free rein of the house again. :(
Mommy Cracked: It is for the best. Trust me: they wouldn't listen to Super Nanny. They're REALLY nice people, but they wouldn't be willing to do what she'd want them to do! :)