You Are NOT My Boss!

Nothing irks me more than reading posts by parents who claim to be my "boss". I was recently reading a post on a message board where another provider was trying to point out the difference between employee and service provider/self employed. Parents assume that because they sign the cheque they hand over to me every Monday that they own me. They also assume that they make the rules. Albeit, most of them wouldn't have the gonads to tell me this to my face. They're smarter people than that. But, on occasion these parents do get involved in forum discussions and their true sentiment is revealed. I only wish they would speak their peace to me personally. Nothing would give me more satisfaction than to watch them fall off my front porch after the door hit them in the ass.

So, I guess if simply handing over a signed cheque makes you a boss then I am in quite the control situation. I had better call up the CEO of Bell Canada, Manulife Insurance and TD Canada Trust and demand some things. After all, I sign their cheques too. I wish I had made this revelation earlier. No doubt that since I am the boss I could certainly demand that TD lower my mortgage interest rate. What the hell was I thinking all this time?

I honestly don't understand where parents get this idea. I would bet my very last dollar that they would never tell their dentist that they are their boss. Or their medical doctor. I mean, in reality don't they pay the medical doctor through their taxes? And we all know that those MD's are getting paid well. One would think that if you were paying the cable company each week you should be able to tell them when they were allowed to service you. No longer would you have to wait within the 'window' as informed by the customer service agent you also pay for.

It might come as a surprise to most daycare parents that they are not my boss. In fact, they would probably look at me like I have two heads if I told them that me, myself and I are my boss. Their title ends at client. They are someone for whom I provide a service. Nothing more, nothing less. I open the door everyday as promised, care for their children and in return they pay me. It's not complicated.

I guess that if it made them feel better they could call themselves 'boss' and me 'employee'. And, to be truthful I would welcome this array of titles if they earned the opportunity to do so. If a daycare parent wishes to view me as their employee I say "bring it on". Just don't forget that as your employee I will expect you to contribute to both my employment insurance benefits, my Canada Pension Plan benefits and of course, I will expect that you either give me two weeks off with pay or dole out four percent of my gross income each and every year. Sorry, but you just can't have all the glory and bragging rights of the title 'boss' without putting your money where your mouth is.

I'm guessing that I will never be an employee in the truest sense of the word. Of course, there will still be those parents who think it okay to view me as nothing more than the Tim Horton's drive thru employee they probably interact with everyday. As long as they keep it to themselves all will be okay. Because even on my good days I can be a bad ass. So, let's just make a pact with these parents. Don't call yourself my "boss" and I won't ask you where you've been all week while your child was stuck with your lowly employee when you show up in shorts and a T-shirt for pick up the fifth day in a row.

Yeah, tit-for-tat doesn't feel very good, does it?

For concerns, advice or suggestions I welcome your email at judytrickett@yahoo.ca