There’s no way my local Y would have declined to provide a pencil. I’d be frustrated too.

I've seen those gym "childcare" centers and I'm not surprised they don't have pencils. I would be surprised if they didn't have crayons and paper.

Those gym childcare centers are specifically supposed to be used by parents working out. I'm pretty sure their membership would say that. You can't just drop off your kids and do a date night or whatever.

Yes, it's weird that the YMCA couldn't scrounge up a pencil; it's also weird that the mom is using the YMCA for childcare for her younger kid so she can have one on one time with the older kid. That's not what gym childcare is for...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People expect more from the YMCA as they are a non-profit. I do think pencils are basic and they should have some on hand. It looks like this mom has a special needs kid and uses the childcare to work with this child while the other one is out of the way.

How can you expect the YMCA to have free pencils when school teachers have to ask for them from parents? Parent came unprepared and chewed out the minimum wage YMCA worker for not having a pencil? Entitled. Maybe the last unprepared parent took the last pencil. Geez. It's free childcare, not a school.

It's not "free childcare". They pay for a membership, pp and no one said she chewed anyone out. If they told her the kids can draw and do homework, then it's not absurd to expect basic supplies. Newsflash most people need to be middle class to afford the y membership. Dew

Yeah, they can draw and do homework with their own supplies. Do you honestly expect colored pencils as well? Maybe markers and crayons? Yeah, right. Like literally no place will give you a writing utensil anymore, even places that require you to fill out forms, like banks, which have tons of money.

This isn't a bank. They pay for a membership. A toddler isn't bringing crayons every day.

Welp, now you know that a membership doesn’t cover pencils. Proceed accordingly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People expect more from the YMCA as they are a non-profit. I do think pencils are basic and they should have some on hand. It looks like this mom has a special needs kid and uses the childcare to work with this child while the other one is out of the way.

How can you expect the YMCA to have free pencils when school teachers have to ask for them from parents? Parent came unprepared and chewed out the minimum wage YMCA worker for not having a pencil? Entitled. Maybe the last unprepared parent took the last pencil. Geez. It's free childcare, not a school.

It's not "free childcare". They pay for a membership, pp and no one said she chewed anyone out. If they told her the kids can draw and do homework, then it's not absurd to expect basic supplies. Newsflash most people need to be middle class to afford the y membership. Dew

Yeah, they can draw and do homework with their own supplies. Do you honestly expect colored pencils as well? Maybe markers and crayons? Yeah, right. Like literally no place will give you a writing utensil anymore, even places that require you to fill out forms, like banks, which have tons of money.

This isn't a bank. They pay for a membership. A toddler isn't bringing crayons every day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People expect more from the YMCA as they are a non-profit. I do think pencils are basic and they should have some on hand. It looks like this mom has a special needs kid and uses the childcare to work with this child while the other one is out of the way.

How can you expect the YMCA to have free pencils when school teachers have to ask for them from parents? Parent came unprepared and chewed out the minimum wage YMCA worker for not having a pencil? Entitled. Maybe the last unprepared parent took the last pencil. Geez. It's free childcare, not a school.

It's not "free childcare". They pay for a membership, pp and no one said she chewed anyone out. If they told her the kids can draw and do homework, then it's not absurd to expect basic supplies. Newsflash most people need to be middle class to afford the y membership. Dew

Yeah, they can draw and do homework with their own supplies. Do you honestly expect colored pencils as well? Maybe markers and crayons? Yeah, right. Like literally no place will give you a writing utensil anymore, even places that require you to fill out forms, like banks, which have tons of money.

Such a strange interaction all around. It seems like a reasonable request that a place where kids are entertaining themselves with loose supervision would have writing elements. If they don’t have them out, it seems like a reasonable thing to ask for. Possible answers to the request could be “sorry we only have pens, does that work?” “Sorry we don’t allow pencils or pens in the childcare area for safety reasons or because kids damage the toys and room” “sorry I can’t leave my post to get one, but the front desk should have some”.

I don’t think this has anything to do with summer school or other people’s shame or annoyance about summer school. That’s such a weird twist to insert into the scenario.

I think the mom was frazzled. She had a plan for the day and somehow forgot to bring a pencil. Both the mom and YMCA person probably communicated poorly. Mom was exasperated- probably over the big picture of her day and whatever rush lead her to forget the pencil - and she was just taking it out on the poor YMCA employee.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People expect more from the YMCA as they are a non-profit. I do think pencils are basic and they should have some on hand. It looks like this mom has a special needs kid and uses the childcare to work with this child while the other one is out of the way.

How can you expect the YMCA to have free pencils when school teachers have to ask for them from parents? Parent came unprepared and chewed out the minimum wage YMCA worker for not having a pencil? Entitled. Maybe the last unprepared parent took the last pencil. Geez. It's free childcare, not a school.

It's not "free childcare". They pay for a membership, pp and no one said she chewed anyone out. If they told her the kids can draw and do homework, then it's not absurd to expect basic supplies. Newsflash most people need to be middle class to afford the y membership. Dew

Anonymous wrote:People expect more from the YMCA as they are a non-profit. I do think pencils are basic and they should have some on hand. It looks like this mom has a special needs kid and uses the childcare to work with this child while the other one is out of the way.

How can you expect the YMCA to have free pencils when school teachers have to ask for them from parents? Parent came unprepared and chewed out the minimum wage YMCA worker for not having a pencil? Entitled. Maybe the last unprepared parent took the last pencil. Geez. It's free childcare, not a school.

It never ceases to amaze me how quick DCUM is to jump on moms for daring to not have as much privilege as the McLean McMansion set. Sounds like a mom is doing her best with the resources she has—and given the mission of the Y, using them appropriately.

With liberals like you all who needs conservatives!

Not enough information.
I work in a child care center and we do not use pencils-what ages does the center care for?
Regardless, I'd probably say not entitled necessarily; more like overwhelmed, frustrated, etc.

Anonymous wrote:So the younger child is attending gym daycare and mom wants a pencil to help do older child’s homework with him outside of the gym daycare instead of working out? Mom probably asks for this darn pencil every day from them and never works out, only does “summer school” work with the oldest while the younger is getting babysitting services.

If she did this every day, I don't think she would have reacted this way. So what if she's not working out. It's no ones business. It sounds like she has other things she needs to do. Some parents work on laptops while kids are in the childcare and the ymca knows this. It's why they provide wifi and desks. They are paying for the membership. It doesn't make them entitled to use it. Maybe her kid loves it, but she doesn't want to work out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who did mom ask? A teenage babysitting attendent or someone at the front desk?
Was mom going to sit in the babysitting area and do work with one kid while the other kid played?
Was mom going to sit in the general seating area/waiting area and do homework with her one kid while the other kid was in the babysitting area?
Mom had all of the worksheets and homework in maybe a backpack but no pencil?

I think that the YMCA could have been more accommodating, but mom could have been more prepared. It's not believable to me that mom could not source a pencil from anywhere in the YMCA and I wonder if mom got frustrated that she did not get anywhere with her first inquiry.

She asked the childcare attendant, who was an adult and also mentioned she had already asked the front desk. Parents aren't allowed to sit in the babysitting area. They were sitting in the general lobby area doing his school work and his pencil broke.

Entitled AF for sitting in the general seating area to do homework while using babysitting services meant to provide support while you are using other facilities. Probably terrible for the kid to have to try and concentrate in such a weird environment.

That doesn't make them entitled. They have a general study area for that very reason. You are very strange. Shes trying to juggle two kids.

So the younger child is attending gym daycare and mom wants a pencil to help do older child’s homework with him outside of the gym daycare instead of working out? Mom probably asks for this darn pencil every day from them and never works out, only does “summer school” work with the oldest while the younger is getting babysitting services.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who did mom ask? A teenage babysitting attendent or someone at the front desk?
Was mom going to sit in the babysitting area and do work with one kid while the other kid played?
Was mom going to sit in the general seating area/waiting area and do homework with her one kid while the other kid was in the babysitting area?
Mom had all of the worksheets and homework in maybe a backpack but no pencil?

I think that the YMCA could have been more accommodating, but mom could have been more prepared. It's not believable to me that mom could not source a pencil from anywhere in the YMCA and I wonder if mom got frustrated that she did not get anywhere with her first inquiry.

She asked the childcare attendant, who was an adult and also mentioned she had already asked the front desk. Parents aren't allowed to sit in the babysitting area. They were sitting in the general lobby area doing his school work and his pencil broke.

Entitled AF for sitting in the general seating area to do homework while using babysitting services meant to provide support while you are using other facilities. Probably terrible for the kid to have to try and concentrate in such a weird environment.

Anonymous wrote:
An American childcare organization does not have pencils on hand?

This isn't the third world, people.

The mother sounds very overwhelmed and overreacted, obviously, but it's ridiculous the YMCA could not accommodate her very basic request.

Do they have soap in the bathrooms? Kind of the same level of need here.

This