Working with kids can be incredibly challenging but also very rewarding. But your job as a daycare worker doesn’t just come down to education, games, and naptime. Sometimes, you have to deal with bizarre issues that pop up out of nowhere.
In a very honest thread on AskReddit, daycare workers revealed the biggest family secrets that children have ever told them. They range from the lighthearted and witty to the serious and concerning. Though, not every secret spilled by kids turns out to be true. Scroll down to read these childcare employees’ tales from work.
#1
With a group of 3 year olds we were coloring paper ties for Father’s Day and talking about what their dads liked to do. As the kids were calling out their dads’ hobbies, one little girl had an epiphany. She gasped and shouted in excitement, “I have a dad!”
She had recently been adopted by her foster parents.
Image credits: SpencerLass
#2
I had a 3 year old rat his dad out for domestic violence. He said his dad broke glass when he threw it at his mommy. There were other red flags with this child so this story was alarming. When I approached the mom she confessed it all and we were able to help her get the help she needed.
Image credits: stew_face
#3
When my son was 3 I bought my wife ‘Titanic’ on video – yes, it was a long time ago – for her birthday. He asked if he could watch it after nursery school. We said that it wasn’t really a film for children, it was a film for grown ups, like mummy and daddy. When I picked him up later his nursery teacher was stifling her laughter as he had been telling everyone all day that it was his mummy’s birthday that day and that daddy had bought mummy a special video that only mummies and daddies could watch….
Image credits: RicoDredd
#4
I had a 3 year old come to class with little red circles on his arms, legs, and back after spending the week with his dad. He told me that daddy burns him with his hot smelly sticks when he was mad…dad was burning the kid with cigarettes, definitely got CPS involved.
Image credits: SomeEpicUserNameIDK
#5
I teach two year olds, and we were asking the kids what their parents’ names were, just to see if they knew. I asked a little boy, “What’s mommy’s name?” He says, “Michelle.” Then I asked “What’s daddy’s name?” And he looks confused, as if he’s trying to figure out the answer, but can’t. So I ask, “What does Mommy call Daddy?” Assuming he would say John, instead he looked up at me and says, “Big Papa.” I couldn’t help but bust out laughing.
Image credits: obsolete16
#6
Finally, something I can answer! First off, kids say a LOT more than parents would probably like to know.
Ive had kids who were playing barbies and one of the” mom” barbies started yelling at the “child” barbies [stuff] like “I wish you were never born! I hate you! I wish i had never carried you” etc. Kids who talk about their parents fights, what they said, where they went and how many doors they slammed. Nothing is off limits at (a good) daycare, because children can’t go through these things alone, and often the parents don’t want to talk about it or they’re the ones causing the problem. It’s heartbreaking really.
Image credits: hekkamekka
#7
Not super shocking, but one of my 4-year-olds’ parents recently divorced. Mom married a new guy and just had a baby with him, and Dad is dating a new lady that the little girl doesn’t like very much. It’s amazing the things kids pick up on, and will tell anyone who listens. She has told me that Daddy and Mommy aren’t together anymore, because “Daddy used to give Mommy bruises and push her.” It’s incredibly sad to hear this sweet little girl say these things, because I can tell she doesn’t fully understand everything.
Image credits: susieeQT
#8
So I worked in a day nursery for about 4 or so years, and I will never forget the day they a 3 year old outted her mum and dad for having a swing in their bedroom by drawing a pretty graphic picture of the swing and her “mummy” laying back in it and daddy kneeling down in front of her. We reported it to management because of policies and procedures but my lord……I had to leave the room and laugh before I imploded.
The same child maybe 3 or 4 days later pipes up during a conversation about religion (it was around Christmas time so we were covering what religions have what festival/gods etc) she announces that her mummy loves god very much and prays to him a lot at night. Without even thinking we asked how does she pray…she responded with making moans and saying “oh my god, oh god oh god oh god, yes I am so close” and that she thought it was sweet she felt so close to god.
I miss this kid.
Image credits: MissFuzzums
#9
My preschool teacher carefully approached my mom after school one day to talk about adult education. My mother, confused, didn’t know what she was referring to. The teacher persisted that there were many programs available for my father to learn how to read. My dad is a well educated finance manager, but above all, a lazy one.
Apparently the day before we were assigned to ask our fathers to read a story to us. My dad, nicknamed “Roger the Dodger”, sincerely told his first born son he couldn’t read. When I was asked at school what story my dad read me I declared my father was illiterate. Unfortunately this plan obviously backfired for my dear father.
Image credits: Benglassco
#10
I once had a little girl tell me she saw “daddy licking mommy like a doggy.” That was hilarious and awkward.
There were a handful of really sad cases where children would disclose neglect or “mistreatment”. One girl in particular had a meltdown one day when she had an accident in her underwear. Turned out that her mom would slap her around just gently enough to not leave a mark and lock her in a closet when she “misbehaved,” which included accidents. Needless to say we reported the mother to CPS and did a rush job washing the girls clothing so she could go home in the same clothes she wore to school, without her mom knowing about the accident.
Lots of kids spilling the beans on new pregnancies or divorces, arguments between parents, or infidelity. Kids see and hear a lot and they tend to have incredibly good memory for that kind of stuff.
Image credits: Korsola
#11
Had a very troubled little girl who was already taken away from her parents and living with the dubious grandparents. She came in one day with a sizeable wound on her head, nearly hidden under a hair band. I was doing one to one work with her in the garden when I notice it and ask what happened. She tells me off-hand that granny got angry and threw a toy car. Followed protocol, reported it, and then it was out of my hands. I wish it was the only thing that I needed to report with her, poor kid.
Image credits: CouldBeWorseCouldBeA
#12
I’ve worked as a sports coach for kids aged 5-11ish for years.
One summer I was working at holiday club/camp we ran during the school holidays, walking around the field refereeing a game of football (soccer), and this girl and her mate come running up to me (they weren’t interested in playing football, or any sport for that matter really, just wanted a chat)..
Little girl: “my daddy wears earrings” (while looking at my pierced ears)
“Oh does he?”
Little girl: “yeah and sometimes he wears mummy’s dresses too”
“Oh right”
Little girl: “and her shoes!”
“Does he?”
Little girl: “yeah! My daddy’s a pretty girl!”
then skipped off to follow the football around a little more.
Image credits: NorthernMunkey8
#13
I was a nanny and one time the 3 year old asked me, out of the blue, “why do daddy and mommy always go ‘uuuhhhhh’ (clearly sexual noises) after bedtime?” I just burst out laughing and said that maybe they are working out.
Image credits: StormMoriarty
#14
When I was a preschool teacher, we got a new student who would describe her home life to us often. One time she told a story that basically translated to her mom clogging the toilet and her dad struggling to unclog it.
She would tell us so much about her home life, we even warned her mom be careful because she would repeat EVERYTHING she sees.
Image credits: SmootherThanAStorm
#15
Not a daycare worker but I’ve done a lot of babysitting.
When I was 15 I watched a 7 year old whose mother worked with mine. Mom was a secretary and the little girl’s mom was an APRN. I liked the kid, she was a smart girl, and I liked her mom.
Anyway one day the girl tells me that her mom’s name isn’t her real name. That she made it up “for work” and it was like having a new mommy. I had no idea what that meant so I tried to ask more questions but didn’t get very far as I don’t think the little girl really had any idea what was actually going on. She did tell me her mom’s “real” name though, so I asked my mom about it. She didn’t know either. She was curious so she asked a couple people at work.
Turns out the woman I was babysitting for had somehow faked EVERYTHING — her name, identification, degree, work history. She was not an APRN. She had no degree. Her real name was not the name she had given. It was crazy. Nobody has any idea how she did it, how she managed to fake her way through that job with no training. The office they worked at was a fairly large and well respected office in CT. She was obviously fired and I no longer had my babysitting job.
Image credits: Chupacabraonfire
#16
I used to do ABA therapy with little kids who have ASD. With one kid, we were doing some pretend play. We were playing restaurant, and I was the waiter while the kid was the customer. I asked her what she wanted to order, and she ordered the pasta. I asked her if she wanted to have a drink with that, maybe some water or a juice? She said “oh I’m the mummy so I’ll have the white wine, please!”
Terribly cute and got a little blush out of the girl’s mum when I told her later on.
Image credits: dahaoab
#17
Teaching community helpers and showed the kids handcuffs. Little girl from a really strict muslim family says “mommy put those on Daddy last night and then Daddy took off his pants”.
Image credits: lcook116
#18
Bit late to the party, but I once had a boy tell me about how “mommy keeps kissing godfather in the mouth when daddy isn’t home”. I got really awkward when she came to pick him up.
Image credits: SSVNormandySR1
#19
I once had CPS called on my parents because I told my daycare worker “there was nothing to eat and I was starving”. True story was my mom hadn’t had time to get groceries and asked my dad to go before I left for daycare saying something like “could you pick up the groceries, I don’t want her to starve for another day tomorrow”. I actually had breakfast that morning but not the usual and refused to eat it all.
I never saw my mom so embarrassed ever again.
Image credits: lulastark
#20
The daycare people knew we were trying for baby number two because an ovulation test sticker got stuck on (soon to be) older brothers shoe.
Image credits: DONT_PM_ME_B
#21
I’m only a babysitter, but this conversation happened a few weeks ago with a 4 year old:
Child: “Are you pregnant?”
Me: “Nope, I’m not pregnant.”
C: “Are you still a girl?”
M: “Yes, I’m still a girl.”
C: “But how?”
M: “How what?”
C: “How are you a girl if you aren’t pregnant? Mommy’s a girl and she’s ALWAYS pregnant! Daddy’s never pregnant and he’s a boy. So aren’t you a boy?”
And that’s how I found out I would soon be watching 4 kids instead of just 3. I also suggested that the parents have a talk about the differences between boys and girls.
Image credits: alldemboats
#22
Always remember when my little sister was in reception (about 3/4 yrs old), It was her first parents evening and the teacher said to my dad ‘ah lovely to meet you, We’ve learnt a lot about You.’ She then showed my mum and dad a picture my sister had drew of him with the writing ‘My dad and his big tail.’ Dad was mortified, and we never let my sister live it down.
Image credits: Liverberg
#23
My brother went to school the day after my parents told my siblings they were pregnant with me and asked the school to pray that our mom wasn’t actually pregnant.
Image credits: PoppinPuddinPops
#24
I asked this question to my son’s preschool teacher one day. She said one day it was story time and all the kids were sitting in a circle on the reading rug. She was reading them a book about animals and the sounds each one makes. An owl comes up and none of them know it, so she says “It’s an owl and it makes the sound Whooo! Whoooo!”
A kid decided to share “Oh! My mom makes that noise when Mom and Dad are having private time in their room!”.
Image credits: SheWhoComesFirst
#25
Not daycare, but interning at a school. I was in one class a lot and there was that one boy who took to me right away. He seemed a bit lonely and socially awkward and sought out adults rather than other kids.
The second day he told me his mom left him and his dad about a year ago because she “didn’t want him anymore”and he had just lost his grandma last month and now he was sad all the time.
Another time he and another kid were lingering around after school out and I jokingly asked them if they could not get enough of school.
He said no, he’d rather always be in school because at home he was always alone and that he hated the weekends. Also all his dad did was work and complain. If he could he would want to sleep in school. I really didn’t know what to say to that.
The kid was super bright and on top of his class but so sad. I talked to the teachers about him and they confirmed he had a pretty sad and [messed up] up home life.
Image credits: srikos
#26
“The baby went away.”
Her mother had just had a miscarriage and hearing those words out of this cutie’s mouth was like…oh…ouch…my heart.
Image credits: kilotangoalpha
#27
It was a two year old, but I knew that mommy was having a baby before daddy did.
It wasn’t daddy’s baby.
Image credits: anon
#28
I worked a year at a day-care center. TECHNICALLY I was an unpaid volunteer, but I got paid under the table. Anyway. I had a kid explain that he had two daddies and two mommies. I’m… naturally confused. But he was explaining that sometimes he’d have one dad and his mom, then the other dad and his mom, then the other mom and his dad, then his ‘real’ mom and his real dad.
Came out later that it wasn’t the crazy love-rhrombus I was expecting, they were just swingers.
Image credits: Captain_Shrug
#29
Late to the party, but I had a 5 year old girl tell me how she went to the mall with her mom over the weekend. They had gone to MAC or Sephora and “mommy took a lipstick and put it in my pocket and we walked out”. It seems like she uses her daughter as a shoplifting mule.
Another young girl talked about how mommy was always mad at daddy for not having a job and going to his friend’s house all the time.
Image credits: _manatee
#30
I’m putting together a book for my kiddo for when she graduates high school called “Texts from Daycare.” I have taken screenshots of all the texts I would get throughout the five years she was there.
Once I was giving her a bath – I think she was about three – and she wanted to use my body wash, and I must not have rinsed the washcloth well enough when I cleaned her privates. It burned and I felt so bad. I texted daycare (her daycare provider is a friend of mine whom I’ve known since kindergarten) that night to let her know what happened because I *knew* she’d say “Mommy burnt my hoo-ha.” The texts I got the next day could only be described as “epic.” She said something like “Mommy used her soap on my hoo-ha and it burned and I cried. But I told mommy I know she didn’t mean it but don’t ever use that burn soap again. I watched tv and I stopped crying but then I cried again because I had hot pee and mommy felt really bad so I said no more burn soap.”
If I weren’t so close with my daycare provider that could’ve ended very badly, possibly with a visit from DCF.
Image credits: Happy_Fun_Balll
#31
I had a very eloquent four year old tell me that her mom didn’t like white people, only black ones. She was black. I am white.
Image credits: why___me
#32
They tell me everything! If you lie to your daycare worker your child will spill the beans.
I have lots of 3 year olds struggling with potty training. Every single parent will tell me they’re working with the child at home. Your kid will tell me if that’s true or if you’re just putting them in diaper as soon as you get home.
Biggest thing I’ve been told. One little girl mentioned how her grandma tries to breastfeed her. Her grandma picked her up everyday from daycare and had her just about all afternoon with her, alone. We called parents and cps. An investigation was done and grandma admitted to holding her like she was nursing but claimed they were just cuddling.
From my conversation with the little one it sounded like it was definitely going on. She was really really detailed for an almost 3 year old. Grandma walked away unscathed and still picked little girl up from daycare regularly.
Image credits: anon
#33
Pretty mild, but a surprising and cute slip up! I was working in a four year old classroom. We’re drawing pictures, having a great time, and a little girl is showing off her art. There’s a stick figure for mommy, daddy, little sister, herself…. and one more. They’re a family of four. I inquire about the fifth stick figure, and the artist casually says “oh that’s the baby in mommy’s belly”. Dad came to pick up that afternoon, and we delicately asked if his wife was expecting (not everyone like to share that info, especially early on). His response? “We forgot to tell (daughter) she couldn’t tell anyone yet!”. Busted via preschool art.
Image credits: lizlemocoolj
#34
I work with kids a bit older than that (K-2, so 5-8-ish), but sometimes you hear things.
A 7-year-old once told me he was afraid to go in his parents bedroom because ‘Foxy lives there’. This kid was huge into the whole ‘5 nights at freddie’s’ so I figured it was his imagination going wild. I talked to mom about it, and no. The kid’s dad was a furry and had a fox fursuit in the closet and the kid had found it one day when he went into the closet looking for a place to hide during hide and seek.
Image credits: partofbreakfast
#35
My husband teaches a church class on Sundays for 6 and 7 year olds. I don’t remember what the lesson was on, but he started it by asking if any of the kids knew was geography was. One little kid instantly raised his hand and said “Oh I know what that is! My uncle went to jail for geography!”
Obviously, it wasn’t really geography that was the issue.
- You might also like: 34 Clever Kids Who Outsmarted Their Parents, As Shared In This Online Group
Image credits: anon
from Bored Panda https://ift.tt/hkyMdCT
via IFTTT source site : boredpanda
