You’ve Got To Be Kid-ding

My girlfriend works in a nursery in a not-great part of the city, so I pick her up as much as I can. Annoyingly, she is never finished on time, mainly due to certain parents not picking up their kids. It’s always the same ones who get special treatment from the owner, never have to pay late fees, forget to put sunscreen on their children, and just throw their kids through the door without a word.

I’m waiting (again) for a child to be picked up. Several phone calls go to voicemail. We wait and wait. Eventually, it goes past an hour. How both parents haven’t realised their four-year-old is missing is beyond me.

Eventually, the owner does something and leaves a message saying, “Pick up your children or we call social services and the police.”

Finally, a child appears at the nursery, appearing to be no more than twelve.

Twelve-Year-Old: “I’m here pick up [Smaller Child].”

Girlfriend: “You need to be an adult for us to release a child into your care. Wait, are you at home alone?”

Twelve-Year-Old: “No, Mum’s home.”

Girlfriend: “Well, go and tell her to collect her child, now.”

He shrugged and went home. Eventually, his mum showed up, acting like this was a massive inconvenience that everyone but her had caused. No apology, not a word.

She took her child (who by now was upset) and put him in the car.

The worst part is that the owner did nothing and expected my girlfriend to work for free every time, as “it wasn’t part of her hours”.

It wasn’t long before she quit; most of her coworkers did, too. Apparently, the place is still going, but it’s staffed with friends and family of the owner. They’re barely trained, and it shows in their plummeting Ofsted rating.