“I have run in-home daycares in every state I’ve lived in. One set of parents had a 4-year-old and a 6-month-old. They were friends of my sister, so I agreed to care for their kids. BIG MISTAKE! It seems the 4-year-old was violent. So much so that at night, the parents locked their bedroom door shut against him coming in to their room. He’d taken an electric knife to the couch, and neither one stopped him. After the baby was born, he would pull the crib over, dumping the baby out, and neither one stopped him. He rode unseated in the car, so they wouldn’t have to listen to him scream about being in a belted seat. He would get into the fridge and choose what he wanted to eat instead of what he was given. That point alone caused a serious issue, as he thought he could do it to me. I wouldn’t let him, and when he’d start screaming, I would put him in a cold shower fully clothed. It would shock him out of the tantrum, and soon he’d stopped the bad behavior there.
One day, they arrived with a container of orange juice and some glycerin suppositories. It seemed the boy had force fed the baby both baby powder and baby oil. The baby was totally constipated. They claimed the doctor told them to feed a 6-month-old nothing but orange juice and stick the suppositories in to soften the poop. I called my own doctor for confirmation, and I was told to come to the ER immediately with the baby. Child Social Services was waiting, and BOY did I report! That evening when they arrived to pick them up, CSS was waiting. I told the parents to never return, and even cancelled their bill just to get rid of them. They were arrested that moment for child endangerment. I thought my sister would be angry with me, but she was actually relieved! She felt she couldn’t turn them in since they were friends, but she knew I wouldn’t let the problems lie for long. The parents never got their kids back. The boy had to be institutionalized shortly after, and the baby was adopted out. These, after all the other years I did childcare, still take first place as world’s worst parents!”
