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This has been one LOOOONG week - lots of stress with one of the families I babysit for, and all the darn candy and holiday treats around. I am definitely an emotional eater, and I get this thing where I feel I deserve to eat if I've been "done wrong", like I felt at the end of this week. Add to that the contents of 18 Easter baskets staring me in the face and the enormous Good Friday dinner my Dad suprised me with (he didn't know I've moved to the Beach), and I've got a baaaad feeling about my weigh-in tomorrow. I've really, really tried to be good and have only had a couple of "bad" things, but have not gotten the exercise I should and know I exceeded portion size by, say, a ton.
Off topic, please reassure me that I am not the jerk for being upset that one of my families repeatedly leaves a nauseous child and then thinks I'm being mean when I separate him from the other kids after he vomits on the table during a meal. No kidding. It's happened several times, both at the table and around the house. There are 5 other kids in the house that are being exposed to this. His mom swears he's not sick and was angry that I treat as if he is if he's thrown up. I've never made them take him home; I wish I'd done it from the very first time. She says he throws up at home "all the time" and I should accept that. Please weigh in with your opinions (be honest, I can take it!)
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 Comments
Well, I think it natural to be upset but really important that that kid doesn't feel you're upset with him. Unless he's a baby it is reasonable to let him know that you need to make sure the other children don't catch hie germs and that you need to give him special attention to make him feel better. Are you separating him like in a timeout? I don't htink punishment in this situation is fair, if that's the case. Who knows what he's being fed or how he's being looked after at home, but his mom shouldn't be so blase about his throwing up. That is really traumatic for a kid, especially in public. No kid should be vomiting regularly without being seen by a doctor. It even could be an attention-seeking mechanism he's developed. Anyway, my heart goes out to the kid and hope he gets the help he needs. I also think you need the support of the parents when you bring something like this to their attention because as the caregiver, you often know as much about the kid as they do. I know this is frustrating to you but it's your job to maintain your composure in front of the kids and vent only to the parents. I no longer have little ones at home but I know many times I lost my cool in front of them and it only makes things worse. I think you'll feel better if you tell the mom that as long as the boy is nauseous he is not going to be able to attend your daycare because it's not healthy for anyone involved. Then maybe she'll attend to his problem. Keep your chin up. You're doing an incredibly difficult job and it can get soooooo overwhelming, but you sound like a genuinely caring person so you'll get through this. Remember to breathe! You're a great mom!
08 Apr 07 by member: jaqisbaq
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Thanks for the suggestions, Jacquie. I don't punish him or anything, but I don't let him run around or play in the Jumpolene, for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, these are his favorite things to do! He's 4, and I've tried to figure out the cause of this; attention getting is high on my list of suspects. In that case, at least it's not contagious, although it does dim the rest of the kids' enthusiasm for their meals when it happens at the table. Anyway, thanks so much for the feedback and support!
08 Apr 07 by member: mamaX4
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