People at my work are so judgemental of the parents there! I work in childcare.  None of them except myself and 2 others are even parents, and the 2 that are parents have all their family around for support and just don't understand people who are struggling.  I'm not too sure how to react to their comments, so far I've kept my mouth shut, let them talk, but haven't agreed with them or made any comments on what they've said.

A mum came in today.  She was really upset after the weekend.  She has 7 children. Three with hubby number 1, three with hubby number 2, and one with her new hubby. They range in age from 14 years to nearly 4 months.  Her new hubby also has 2 children from a previous marriage whom they have every second weekend. She arranged it so that her children go with each of their dads on the same weekend and they have his children over on the weekends when her children are all home so they can all be there together one weekend and scattered the next. It works out well for them. Being Mothers' Day weekend, her new hubby has forfeited his weekend with them, and only had them on Saturday. She decided to ask her 2 ex husband's if they will forfeit one of the days or swap just for the weekend.  They both said no. That left her with only her baby for mothers day and she really wanted to have all 7 of her children with her on that day. Instead she said goodbye to them friday morning before school and wasn't seeing them again until after school today.

All the staff were really nice to her and supportive, but as soon as they left they were making comments about how this happens when you sleep around like that.  She didn't "sleep around" for starters, she was married to each of them, and even if she did does that not give her the right to have that one day with all her children?  Any other special day can be shared, and come fathers' day she would have forfeited her weekend with them so they could go with their fathers!  They also seem to have a problem with the fact that she has so many children, but they are all clean, fed, and well cared for by their parents.  She only works for 12 hours a week and it's between school hours so the baby only goes to daycare 4 days a week for 3 hours a day and the other kids don't go to daycare at all, they go to kindy or school.  She spends most of her time with family and I don't like the way they are talking. Maybe it's because I'm a single mum and I know if I have another child that child will have a different father to my first.

Do you Minti Parents think I'm being too sensitive on this?

There are other parents who mention different things to us and the staff are very supportive until the parent leaves then they say nasty things, even in front of the children because the kids are too little to talk and repeat what they've heard yet.

Just wondering how I should go about trying to put across a different point of view and helping them see things the way these other mums see things without causing a disturbance in the workplace? Or maybe drop it if I'm being too sensitive about the matter and just leave things as they are.

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