Dear X and Y

I feel that I need to share with you my thoughts regarding your choice yesterday.

While I applaud yours and your husband's dedication to your jobs as teachers, I wish you had chosen your primary job as a parent yesterday.  Because you chose to bring your sweet baby, who you knew was sick and contagious with bronchitis after taking her to the doctor the day before, to the childcare provider we share, your actions affected other people.

It is unfortunate that you put our babysitter in the difficult position of making the decision she made yesterday.  To keep your daughter because you told her that you both HAD to be at work as it was the end of the 6 weeks.  I was under the impression that as teachers you were salaried employees with sick days available.  I wish she had told you no but I feel that she made the decision to keep her because she has a hard time saying no to people in need.  I feel that you took advantage of her compassionate heart.

As a result, she did the right thing and informed the parents of the other two children she keeps of the circumstances.  I learned of the situation approximately 10 minutes before arriving to drop B off and continue on to my job where I had clients scheduled for the day.  I am a contract employee so I only get paid when I work.  Although I attempted to contact 4 other people to watch B, I was unable to secure another option and was forced to cancel my clients at the last minute.  I did this because my number one priority as a parent is the health and well-being of my child, and I could not in good faith allow him to stay in the home with your sick child all day.

I was forced to make the decision to lose 6 hours of wages because of your choice.  Thankfully, the other mother was able to secure a relative to watch her baby so she could go to work.

I really just wanted you to know the effect your choices and actions had on others.  We should not have had to make the choice to find other childcare or to miss work when our children were healthy and able to attend daycare.

I was happy to learn that you decided to stay home with your child today.

I wish you had made that choice yesterday.

Sincerely,
Stacey

** I am still debating whether or not to send an actual letter similar to this.  I don't think the parents realize what they asked of our babysitter and the resulting choices that had to be made because of their actions.  I know these people and don't want to harbor ill feelings towards them as I know they are kind people.  However, I am afraid that if I don't say something that I won't be able to move on from these feelings.