I believe that God likes to delete the doors in my house to watch me pee my pants.

[BuggedMei]

Cookies for the title reference! Go go!

I work daycare. Love the kids, adore the kids even. I've started calling some of the parents "Momzilla" "Dadraptor" and "Grandpantasaurus" because of the way they scream. I was busy typing up an advice post when I remembered this one momzilla...

They've started leaving me alone (when in ratio) at the end of the day because I know most of the parents now and the routines. Most conversations go "Hi, little xxx had a good/bad day today! They *ate, slept, potty status*" Some parents are very interested (Did they like the new food I sent? Should I bring more diapers?) while others yank the kid out of the room before I can say hello.

One mother comes in, is usually VERY friendly. Hi, how are you, have any plans for the weekend? She comes in with ashes on her head. My great-grandmother is very religious so I know it must be Ash Wednesday.

Me: Hiya Mrs Momzilla. So-and-so had a great day today, they ate their whole lunch and snack, and slept for a whole two hours.
Momzilla: Oh thats great! Are you getting your ashes after work?
Me: Nah, lots of homework tonight. Heres so-and-sos bag and art pro-
Momzilla: WHAT?! You aren't catholic are you?!
Me: o.o; Uh.. no.. So um.. heres here project and I'll see you guys tomorrow?
Momzilla: So what are you! Jewish?
I'm just shell shocked as she gets louder and louder at me. I don't practice any religion, not that its any of her business. Unless Pastafarian counts.
Momzilla: Wait.. oh my god.. *she grabs her daughter* You're Muslim?!
MeQUICK MEI, LIE!!) I'm just a non practicing catholic (pleaseshutuppleaseshutup) I'll prolly have to take my nana to get her ashes today anyway. So let me get-
Momzilla: Theres no such thing! Oh god, your an atheist! What have you been telling the kids!?!?!?!
Me: Telling wha? o.O; I don't tell them anything.. my beliefs are for me...
Momzilla starts ripping her daughters possessions off the wall/from her cubby/out of my hands loudly mumbling about how dare they let an atheist work with children.
Momzilla: You're corrupting all these children!! You should find god in your life!!
and out the door she stomps.

I collapse into the nearest chair still in shock. I had two kids left with me, both of them came over to me and started asking if I was ok and what an atheist was. As I was stuttering over my words, our lead secretary came in. I'll call her S.

S: Uh.. MrsMomzilla just stormed out saying we should fire the atheist watching her kid..
Me: I'm not an atheist ; ; I just don't practice any religion ; ;
I'm sniffling at this point trying not to cry. One of the kids, K, grabs my hand.
K: Miss Bugged... I sing for you so you feel better, like mommy. *She starts singing Eye of the Tiger, shes 2. Very cute. I feel better*
Me: S, please tell me I'm not fired..
S: We'll just move you to another classroom for a while.

So, I work in infants or pre-k now.

[Magpie]

*blink*

Does this woman not understand the difference between a church-based daycare and a regular one? Like the parents at the public school winter concert complaining that the Christmas concert was all messed up, and honestly, don't these people know better. (We have publicly funded Catholic schools here, and they do take other denominations, but this school was not one of them.)

[JoitheArtist]

Is the reference to The Sims? Because I had friends who liked to lure their Sims into the swimming pool and then delete the ladder...

Yeah, I have sick-minded friends!

As to that idiot woman: did she forget about the entire Protestant tradition, too? It's hardly like Catholicism is the only variation of Christianity! What a maroon...

You should have told her you were a strict Lutheran, that your favorite moment in history was Martin Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the door of the Catholic church...and then asked where her church was.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

A few observations:

1. None of her business.

2. All Christian denominations do not do Ash Wednesday.

3. Mine does, and I didnt go to church and do the ashes. My entire family was recovering from being sick and I was exhausted and not wanting to drive across town. Again. Because the preceeding night, I'd cooked pancakes and sausage for the entire church. I needed one day to stay home and rest. I get the feeling God understands.

4. Interesting how it was so important to her that all her kid's caregivers be Catholic that she make a scene, but it wasn't so important to her that she would find out about that sort of thing before leaving her kid with people she knows nothing about.

Probably, you should have just told her you don't discuss religion at work and left it at that.

[NateTheChops]

I had one person ask me what I was giving up for Lent. I told them I give up so much to begin with that for Lent I'm going to just do whatever the hell I want.

What's ironic is that my aunt was getting really peeved with what the Christian run preschool was teaching their three and four year olds. Things like how only married people should have sex to prevent the spread of AIDS, etc.

Thank goodness for kids though. They will try to make you feel better when you're upset.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Yeah, I hate that question. Because its personal and not anyone's business.

[BuggedMei]

I usually say "I don't talk about my beliefs" when asked religion questions. This woman caught me so off guard I stammered...

Much love for K though, she totally kept me from breaking out into full blown tears. I miss being in that classroom.

[Polenicus]

The I'm-better-than-you-tarians. The sucky customers of religion.

They come in all races, creeds, colors and religious beliefs, and every single one of them has completely missed the point of their own faith.

[Merriweather]

What's ironic is that my aunt was getting really peeved with what the Christian run preschool was teaching their three and four year olds. Things like how only married people should have sex to prevent the spread of AIDS, etc.

.

Geez, I'd take my kids out of ANY preschool, no matter what they were teaching, if they thought it appropriate to teach sex-ed to 3 and 4 year olds!
At that age, they're barely to the point of needing to explain to them about a pregnant woman, let alone much beyond that, for heaven's sake.

[bhskittykatt]

WTF? I'm Catholic, and I know that Ash Wednesday is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation. So even if you were Catholic, she still shouldn't be freaking out that you weren't going!

[ShinyKitsune]

Geez, I'd take my kids out of ANY preschool, no matter what they were teaching, if they thought it appropriate to teach sex-ed to 3 and 4 year olds!
At that age, they're barely to the point of needing to explain to them about a pregnant woman, let alone much beyond that, for heaven's sake.

Curious: Why do they think it's OK to teach sex-ed to 3-4 year olds, but have an extreme meltdown if they even think that kids old enough to know what sex is just might get taught about safe sex?

[Hanzoku]

If you were fired for your religious beliefs, you'd have a wonderful lawsuit against your employer. As for the customer, she's just crazy. x_X

[Megg]

That woman is nuts. This, however, made me :

I don't practice any religion, not that its any of her business. Unless Pastafarian counts.

I would have said "Pastafarian" and probably gotten fired, but it would have been worth it!

[Salted Grump]

Last time someone asked me about my religious status, I simply shrugged and didn't elaborate.

As for working in Childcare.... I've done it before, I might do it again, but... nah. I don't have the 'little-kid-tolerance-o-metre' at a decent level anymore, so I'd probably be 'asked' to either do administrative work, or be asked to leave the organization.

(Plus, I swear, some parents are more kiddy than their kids are.

[Talon]

What an anuscake.
Irony is, that tripe tirade probably swayed those kids away from religion... not that momzilla would appreciate the irony