Have you got a back up plan?

Joli - this is such a good piece of advise for working moms who arrange for lift services or others to collect kids.

It really is imperative to set up a system where if someone is not fetching your child they need to SPEAK to you personally to notify you, not sms - as there is no confirmation that you would receive the message.

Also the domestic, nanny or granny needs to know that if the child has not arrived home within 30 minutes of the agreed time/schedule that they need to be home by, they must phone the lift person and if that fails phone you immediately.

Kids also need to be taught that they must never leave the school grounds - under any circumstances, if they are not collected they need to go to the class and notify a teacher.

Joli - so scary what can happen here when messages are not passed on, really scary stuff!!

Thought I would bring this up and maybe can help someone. My friend's son is in the same school than my daughter so she picks them up from school everyday and drops my daughter at home. My daughter is in Grade 1. I've been telling Kayla this whole year - if someone does not pitch to pick you up, you must go to aftercare and wait there. I kept telling her this - at least once a week. Well yesterday when I got home, Kayla was not at home. Dorcas never phoned to tell me as she thought that Kayla was playing netball so obviously I went into a panic state and my friend's phone was off!! So I drove to the school and there was Kayla, all happily on the aftercare teacher's lap . My friend apparently sent me an sms the night before which I never got to tell me that she won't be able to pick Kayla up.

Another friend of mine found her daughter at school after 5 hiding under the jungle gym as the aftercare (from outside the school like a nursery school) forgot to pick the girl up! The poor girl (she is in Grade 0) didn't know where els to go. She is now at the school's aftercare.

Girls, you need to discuss with your children what to do in situations like these. If granny or hubby or whoever is late or if something happens, they should know where to go. Just thought I would share.