Maybe I Really Needed That Nap!

Yesterday.
Doorbell rings as I'm contemplating laying down on the couch for a little 'cat nap'. By the way, who came up with that phrase, "catnap". Seriously. If you've ever OWNED a cat, you know as well as I do that they don't NAP. They sleep. Everywhere. All the time. In annoying places. And, like Chris when Mimi yells at 2:30 in the morning " I'n DONE!!!" and needs someone to wake up to wipe her bum , there is no awakening the sleeping dead cat to get them to move out of the doorway. Like a furry, clawed draft-stopper.

Okay, back to topic of cat nap. Er. Mom nap. Let's be real. A Mom doesn't nap with both eyes closed. I always tried to get into things when Mom was "sleeping". And, magically, with her eyes still closed and her foot bouncing off the side of the cushion, you'd get the "Don't even think about it". And then she'd keep sleeping. *my mom bounces her foot to sleep. It's an endearing quality that makes me think my father probably couldn't fall asleep without that rhythmic bounce on the other side of the bed.

ANYWHOODLE,
the doorbell rings.
The Elders are there. They come in to warm up with some hot chocolate and stay for quite a while. They're awesome. It's then I am glad I ran in the AM, as they would have arrived to find me sweaty and half-dressed. Not exactly the look I need them to remember about coming to the Barber's home. ew.

Later, supper time.
Doorbell rings again.
Weird- we weren't expecting anyone.

Dayhome mom is standing there. They had an interview with me a few weeks back, and asked if they could start full-time for their child starting December 1st. And I agreed. December 1st came and went, and I didn't see hide nor hair of that child. no phone call. nothing. I didn't have their number yet, so I continued taking interviews and got a full dayhome without their child.

So, she's standing there, smiling. I'm standing there, surprised. Only 9 days later. ?????

She tells me she lost my number. Okay, that I can give her the benefit of doubt for.
She tells me her hubby got laid off. I gave her my sympathies, and she reassured me that it was no big deal as he found another one the next day. So, now I'm thinking, somehow I'm sure that matters to why they didn't contact me.
She asks me if I'll still take their child immediately.

For the first time in my entire dayhome life, I said no. I got a bad feeling about them. Kinda like the Crazy-dayhome mom from a few months back who walked away suddenly without paying me a whole months' worth.

I told her that I knew she knew where I lived, and she could have come over to tell me about it a LONG time ago. She could have looked me up in the phonebook. I told her (nicely) I needed more stability and respect than that from parents of the children I watch. And I told her that I was now full. Thankfully, I was able to fall back on that reason without ONLY sounding like a jerk.

But, my wrath was unfinished.
I went to pick up LL from Brownies. They have a sign-in/sign-out sheet where parents have to sign out their daughter before she's allowed to leave.

I'm waiting behind a few other parents, in line, waiting for the sheet to get to me. LL walks right out of the gym, to the front door, and nearly OUT the door. Doesn't see me at all. No leaders know she's out. No leaders are even at the door!!!!!

So, when I finally get to the front of the line, I sign her out, probably a full 2 minutes after LL walked out. I ask the lady (IN THE GYM) who's holding the sheet, "why do we have to sign them in and out?". She says for 'safety'. Oooooh, wrong answer, hun!! I lost it. I was near tears, as I explained to them how LL had been able to walk RIGHT OUT THE DOOR of the gym AND out to the outside doors, and no leaders were aware of her missing. Later, driving home, I thought it would have been better for me to sign her out and ask them where she was, just to freak them out. maybe then they'd be where I was! TOTALLY freaked. I talked to LL about leaving the gym without a parent, but seriously! THEN, I noticed that last week, she wasn't even signed out!!! I was in a meeting, and Chris had no car keys (they were accidentally with me), so he called my neighbour and sent her to get LL. She was a 'stranger' to the leaders, but they let her take LL home without signing her out, and without even stopping my neighbour!!!! They didn't call home, they didn't question it. nothing! Didn't even get a name! I was surprised, because a few weeks ago, a boy in Bear's Beaver colony WALKED home by himself one night. NOW they stand at the door, and parents are not allowed to leave without signing them out AND holding their hand. No boy goes out that door alone, unsigned. I hope the Brownie Leaders take that initiative, as I was pretty upset yesterday.

Yes, I am slightly still in 'my mood'. So that didn't help. Don't mess. -- I'm cranky!! ;(