January 2022 by Melissa Sheldon
Too long and upsetting to put it all down here.But I will share the highlights. On a personal note, our family has had some ups and downs, so there’s definitely been inconsistencies with our child care needs. And the Director, Shawna, basically let me have it today. She went off. We had an exchange at drop off today that did not sit well with me, so I called her when I got home and let her know I was disappointed in our conversation and that I thought her response to me needing to put in a 30 day notice because I had to quit a job that was way too stressful for me, was completely cold on her part. She was clearly annoyed and short with me. I guess me sharing my perspective and disappointment in that exchange made her feel that it warranted her to go off on me. How dare I confront her at all after “how she’s bent over backwards for my family”. How we need to agree to disagree and part ways. In speaking with Tara (the owner), Tara flat out told me “well, Shawna has had some frustrations with your inconsistency”. No, we were not the most consistent with our needs, and my personal battles (which made this entire exchange feel borderline discriminatory) were the driver behind that. But it’s something personal and it’s been a difficult time for me, and somehow, the staff here felt it was completely necessary to make me feel bad about that. They made it clear that we were a problem family for them, so they’re basically better off without us and will fill our spot with a family that’s more to their standards when it comes to needs. Maybe we weren’t their most consistent family, but we’re a family. And my children spent a good amount of time with these people. The fact that they were so quick to write us off makes me feel like they didn’t give a damn about my children. My children are my world. And if you lack compassion, then you have no business caring for children in my opinion. They do not care about you. They do not care about your struggles. They care about themselves and their business. That is the truth. I’ve never come into contact with a business where the owner and director feel it’s okay to chew out a parent, as long as they feel it was warranted. It was not warranted. I was kind. I always let them know how pleased I was in how our son was settling there, but I was made to be a horrible person. Shawna flat out lied by saying that I was rude to her in every interaction that we had, and that I told her “We pay you, so we can basically treat you however we want”. I’m pretty livid, because lying simply does not sit well with me. The fact of the matter is, our needs were inconsistent, she was over working with our family, and felt that warranted a verbal attack on me. If I ever open up a business, especially one that serves children and their families, my philosophy will be “I am sorry you are struggling. We are rooting for you, and we are always here for you when you need us.” Period. But treating people like garbage because you consider them to be an inconvenience, is just flat-out selfish and mean. Understand that people have struggles outside of what you see, and it’s not fair to pass judgment on people. I was coached by Tara on delivery (in communications) today ?. Which made me laugh, because this whole fiasco started with me having a concern with Shawna’s delivery this morning. I can only hope she spends at much time coaching her employees. As leaders, you set the example for the rest of your staff and for the children in your care. As a leader in representing a business, I don’t believe it’s ever okay to go off on someone partaking in your business. That’s just customer service 101. It’s not okay. Your example is telling other teachers there that it’s okay to go off on a parent, as long as you feel it’s warranted. False. Or that you only need to be kind and gracious to those that you like. False. Be kind. Period. It’s not that difficult. And don’t be so quick to judge someone you really don’t know.
