I’m a childminder but want to quit – people say they feel ‘viscerally ill’ after hearing my experience
A CHILDMINDER shared the incident that set her over the edge, making her want to quit her job.
The woman said she wanted to move to a “childless island” over a situation that people said made them feel “viscerally ill.”
In a post on Mumsnet, the nanny recounted the disgusting situation she found herself in.
“I look after children, they came out of school today and were being whiny from the off,” she explained.
The poster gave some examples of the children’s rowdy behaviour, which included “attempting to cross roads without waiting” and “bumping into elderly people.”
She shared that she had to correct them “a few times” on the walk home.
The Mumsnet user said her patience had already worn thin with the children when they stopped at the local park.
She decided it was best for them to get out some pent up energy and also to keep them in a good mood after giving out to them.
“I thought right let’s go the park by their house and diffuse tensions before home,” she said.
The poster explained that the children enjoyed “general frolicking in the leaves.”
She added that she even “got some smiles and laughs” out of them.
However, shortly before they left the park, something happened that left her ready to quit her job on the spot.
“Right as we were about to go, [one] child throws leaves at me instead of up and what was in the leaves you ask? Dog s**t,” she said.
The childminder explained how the poo was “all over” her, including on her face and in her mouth.
Despite the disgusting situation, she wasn’t able to clean herself up until she got home.
“[I] just had to finish the remainder of my shift covered in s**t and feeling sick at not being able to wash my face and mouth properly,” she said.
She said the situation was made even worse by the child’s unbothered reaction.
What help is available to parents for childcare costs?
CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help.
- 30 hours of free childcare – Parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours of free childcare a week.
To qualify you must work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year. - Tax credits – For children under 20, some families can get help with childcare costs.
- Tax-free childcare – Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.
“[They] just watched me spit and gag while shouting at them to pass me their water bottle,” she said.
The woman shared her plans to “quit my job and move to a childless island.”
Mumsnet users shared their thoughts on the situation in the comments section.
“Ah man, I felt viscerally ill for you reading that, and I love kids,” wrote one reader.
“Absolutely not being unreasonable, kids are unprecedented s**ts some of the time and I applaud anyone who looks after other peoples children as a job,” said another person.
“Those of us with children have sometimes wished we lived in a child-free place.”