helper on phone.

we hv a v good helper who has been with us for 1 yr and 10 mths now. shes v efficient and always finishes whatever is gvn to her and i dont hv to repeat anything. i say it once and its done and she remembers everything! however i hv one small problem. sometimes when i hv to run out for my own errands and i leave the kids in her care she has been gving them things like colouring,painting and shes on our home phone yapping away to her friends. my son is 4 so hes now repeating and tells me shes on the phone and doesnt play with us. my daughter is however 1.5 so she cant say much. i brought it up with her and told her she has lots of free time to talk on the phone but she is not to be on it when i leave my kids in her care. my son is in full day school so hes out pretty much the whole day btw school and activities. and sometimes i leave my daughter with her and i hv come back and chkd the phone and true enough there hv been calls made. and she does this weird thing of making all her calls with a 133 in front so that the receiving end does not see the number....shud i be worried? or just accept this is going to happen with any helper i hire and just deal with it as long an shes doing her job well and not leaving me with a chance to complain??? this 133 is really getting to me. can sumone pls help?

This is beside the point, but I think she is actually wise to use the 133 and block the number - this way her friends will not be calling your number looking for her. Getting back to the problem...she should know that taking care of a child means actually talking and playing with him or her. But to be brutally honest, I think most helpers here only look at childcare as keeping the child from physical harm. Only the very lucky have helpers that are truly interested in nurturing the child's early development. That said, those of you that have them, let them know! I often tell my helper we are so lucky to have her because she seeks out moments in her day to connect with our kids, teach them, include them,show them she cares about their feelings, and give them a chance to do it in return. (Like you, I am the main caregiver) If I were you, I would have a direct conversation with her regarding the phone usage. Explain to her that it's not about restricting her, and that if she needs to talk to someone for 5 min. to figure out plans for the weekend, or whatever, it's fine during those times she is caring for them alone. But the long phone calls talking to friends about whatever are for later when you are home playing with the kids and she's folding laundry. I do have to give her credit for not using the TV. At least she has them doing creative activities. She sounds very intelligent, it should not be too hard to help her understand the concept of engaging a child and why it is important.