Received Sunday, September 17, 2006
The upscale neighborhoods of LA are filled with nannies who go to the park nearly all day with very young babies and toddlers and chat with each other or on their cell phones in Spanish the entire time, with their backs to the children. It is obvious to me that they spend their time being paid to socialize.
I don't speak Spanish, and the people I talk to at the park are the children. I am the one scooping up the baby who is about to be hit by the swing, or about to fall off the side of the slide. I am the one comforting the child who has gotten hurt, and asking them where is your mommy or nanny? Once we find the "nanny" who is usually an undocumented worker who lowers the pay scale for legitimate, educated, legal nannies, she usually says "it's ok popi, have some juice" (cookie, chips, etc).
I don't understand why so many affluent parents in LA hire sub-par people to take care of their most precious little chidren.
I know there are good "illegal" nannies, but the majority I have seen don't appear to have any kind of child development knowledge, don't play with the children or even teach them to share, or have the ability to teach the children proper English.
I have been a nanny in Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Santa Monica, and Manhattan Beach.
I see this. I would never say it even outloud, but this is so true. The parents don't deny themselves anything but when it comes to the person who is sometimes RAISING their child, they scrimp and hire "subpar" people. There are so many nannies out there who are educated, active and engaging with their charge! They can drive, swim, even teach your child how to play a musical instrument or read- but guess what? By comparison they do cost more. So keep on lowering your standards but know that down the street and around the corner, there are families who value the professionals who come in to their homes to take care of their children and they know a thing or two about you and your priorities. Tsk tsk. But, the best of all? In 30 years, when your child needs to find someone to take care of you and change your dirty Depends, I hope they take the same "whatever" approach that you took when it came to their care during the formative years in their lives!
ReplyDeleteI have friends who could afford the same level of care I struggle to afford, but they don't. Two things that bother me about this. First, the mother whether a sahm or wohm feels threatened by a smart and savy nanny. Second, the parents justify their lowbrow nanny by feigning ignorance. There are agencies that specialize in top notch childcare. But to penalize the nanny by refusing to pay a salary commensurate with experience, they use sexploitation websites like craig's list to find their childcare. And who are you really hurting? Your own children. Just so you can feel better. Carry on!
ReplyDeleteI think you are wrong about the availability of the sort of nanny you speak of. They are not easy to find. I have been looking for a bright, articulate, educated & active American nanny for over six months.
ReplyDeleteI am a nanny on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and I see the same thing here.
ReplyDeleteMany affluent, well educated parents are willing to pay more for a cleaning woman than an educated nanny.
I think this goes more to show the incapabilities of the parents than the nannies! The best thing for a child is to have a parent care for them while they are young. If you don't knock down wallks to find the best care for your kids, please don't have kids. Your children end up so dysfunctional. (because of you) not the nannies!
ReplyDeletei agree-stay at home with your babies-they need you. dont let greedy corporate america tell you a woman can have it all-career, kids, money, 3 cars, vacations, $400 shoes, etc, because its the kids who suffer. you cant do it all-youre too tired when you get home from work, arent you, and then the kids go off to bed. besides, if you can afford a nanny you can afford to stay home. you may have to cut back here and there, but its so worth it in the long run. i worked in graphic design for years, i gave it all up to be a SAHM, and i love it.
ReplyDeletethere is always time to make money. your kids are only little for so long-dont miss it.
sometimes women have no choice but to work, because the father takes off and doesn't provide enough support (this can happen in any social levels by the way). just a reminder. so it's not always true that someone who can afford a nanny can stay home.
ReplyDeleteThere are VERY few nannies that are educated in child care that want to work as a nanny AND pay taxes like the rest of us hard-working people do. There is no nanny training or certification that parents have to rely on. Nannies do get paid well, especially in LA. I don't know a single nanny that has taxes taken out. They're making $12-$14 an hour CASH. Plus time off paid. Figure out how much that would be in gross income if the nanny did have taxes taken out. Yep, it's alot. It's a sad fact that many parents hire a nanny they think is going to be great only to have that nanny reveal their true personality later. It's kinda like a dating relationship. At the beginning you show your best side but as time goes on your tru self emerges.
ReplyDeleteWhat an idiotic, ANTI nanny comment. If ever there was one! For one thing, the rate you quoted is not high at all. So wake up. Second, it is the repsonsibility of the employer to hire legal employees and pay them on the books. The fact that so many do not and therefore pay so low and off the books, makes it hard for professional nannies! As for educated nannies not wanting to work, you are soooo wrong. That is precisely why they do want to work as nannies. Because in upscale communities in NY, CT & CA; they can make a professional salary. They can have health benefits. Of course , not from people like you. What is your deal???? Idiot.
ReplyDeleteYou hand with a bunch of low life, American tax frauding thugs if you don't know a single nanny who has taxes taken out. Interesting how you blame the nanny!
ReplyDeleteI feel kinda sick with all of the comments I just read. I'm mexican, and I've worked as a nanny for almost a year: the family and I grew closer, we write each other often and they always asking me to come back. But the thing is that I quit because they didn't pay me what I worth. The truth is, that they wanted all! I mean all: housekeeping, babysitting, non-paid extra hours, and all for just 1000 dlls per month and four days off. Working 12 hours a day. Do you think is fair?? Do you think that its something that should be happenning?? I'm luckily enough to say that I didn't need the money to survive, because I stayed there in order to practice my english so I could enroll college back in Mexico to study to be an English teacher, but still, I feel bad and angry everytime I remember that, in that certain aspect, they mistreat me, they didn't appreciated the fact that they had a good nanny, who was an English/Spanish speaker, that cleaned the house and loved their kids. Sometimes people just abuse of other peoples good will. They play with doble faces, complaining of illegal aliens who raise the taxes, and still they don't want to pay for a good, certified, American nanny, who, as somebody just said, will take care of their child with love and respect. It's just much easier to hire latin people, and underpay them. But what they don't see is that they underestimating their kids' worth: as jane doe can see in nanny's talking on the phone and chatting with each other and not paying attention to the child. Sad.
ReplyDeleteI really think that it's horrible how people are willing to blame working mothers. Not all children who have working mothers are messed up. My mother worked and travelled a lot, and when I was little I was left with a nanny, and then later on I was left with my older brother and baby-sitters for evening when my parents were away. My grandmother took care of me during the summer, and I spent hours in after-school care and when I was a little older at the public library. My mother is a very accomplished person, and she loves me more than anything. She always found time to take care of me in addition to doing her work- she was my Girl Scout leader, and volunteered at my school. But she needed help taking care of me after school and on the weekends when she had to work. It is illegitimate to say that my mother and father didn't love me when I was a child because they left me in others' care. What scientific evidence do you have that that screws up the child? I graduated from an Ivy League School, have never been in trouble with the law or otherwise, have always gotten straight A's, and have a wonderful relationship with both of my parents whom I love very much. Even if they couldn't be there all the time when I was younger, they did their best, and still provided for me and for my brother.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it such a problem to have a nanny who speaks a language other than English. Maybe then your children can learn to look outside of their sheltered communities. People everywhere else in the world speak more than one language, why should Americans be any different? Nannies who teach the children a foreign language should be praised, just think how that'll help them get into college! As for ignoring them, thats a no-no, but seriously, think about the language thing!
ReplyDeleteThere is a HUGE problem if you have a nanny who does not speak English. It is one thing if English is not her primary language. That would be lovely. But these ninnies who leave their children alone with virtula toilet cleaners posing as nannies- who don't know enough english to respond to the child or in an emergency- that is tragic. These parents make a case for daycare. Your child goes to daycare and he learns and plays and is spoken to and engaged. There is ZERO benefit to hiring a nanny who does not speak english, unless you are a cheap parent who doesn't give a rat's arse about your child!
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying you should hire someone who is unskilled, but someone who speaks another language may very well be skilled. If they speak that other language soley to the child, then they can actually learn it. And as for an emergency, an intelligent adult should be able to handle that no matter what they speak, not to mention that "repsonding" to a toddler or infant is more about tone and body language than the words themselves. The kids will learn, and be better off for it.
ReplyDeleteYou are an absolute IDIOT. A mother leaves to go to work. Okay, has to be done. But she leaves the child with this person who doesn't speak English? Are you nuts? Yes, learning another language would be great. In fact many professional nannies speak more than one language. What is it you are advocating? It sounds to me like abuse! My nanny jokes with my child, reads to my child, plays games with my child (on the computer and board games) to help with my child's development. WTF can a non english speaker ad to a child's day? How lonely! You will NEVER NEVER convince me you are right but I am guessing you are tyring to justify why you do this same thing to your child. What else could be the cause for such a stupid comment?
ReplyDeleteYou leave a child with a nanny who doesn't speak English, and guess what? Your child learns another language...most of the world outside of North America grows up learning to speak more than one language BTW. Have you ever thought about learning to speak your nanny's language? Kind of a win win situation, if you know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteA child being left home alone with a nanny who doesn't speak english learns to speak their language, true-but why? So that they can communicate their needs to her and receive the comfort and attention they need. Sticking a child home alone with a nanny who does not speak English is torture. WHO would have playdates with the child? YOu are ridiculous. I feel so sorry for your child. If learning an alternate English is such a goal for your children, guess what? There are many wonderful nannies who speak alternate languages. English does not have to be their first language, but it damn well sure better be one of them! You are trying so hard to sell your pathetic story that I guess your friends and family and neighbors all judge you for your harsh actions. By your reasoning, if you drop a child from a plane from the ocean, hell, he'll learn to swim.
ReplyDeleteWhy in the hell would anyone hire a nanny who doesn't speak English? I tried hiring a housekeeper who spoke broken English and she caused me enough headache, why would I do that to my children? And leave them alone only to depend on this person who doesn't speak any English? Sounds cold and lonely. It would take a certain kind of person (one who lacked maternal instincts alltogether) to pull that off. If language is such an issue for you, send your child to language school. Don't use that to justify hiring foreign and likely illegal immigrants to care for what should be precious to you. Emphasis on should.
ReplyDeleteLet's see...a nanny making $12/hour, presumably working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week makes $23,040.00 before taxes. A whopping $23,000!! Take taxes out and see what's left for housing, food, utilities, etc. because not ALL nannies live with the family. I know nannies that live out of the house and have to arrive at 7 a.m. every day for work.
ReplyDeleteI am a teacher. My 2nd job is a tutoring service and I'm WELL paid because I'm educated with 3 university degrees. Do you know how many slug stay at home moms want my services (i have an excellent reputation) then demand that I LOWER my price? All the while driving a Mercedes SUV and a Lexus SUV. Not to forget their big McMansion.
I'm an American. I speak several languages, I play several musical instruments and I'm rather good with technology.
The point of this post? To show the world how cheap you all are. It doesn't matter if the person you hire is an illegal immigrant or not, the point is you're all cheap, even with American born citizens you try to hire for your kids. Maybe if you paid the child care and tutors a decent wage, you'd find quality people to employ. You spend more money per hour to repair your car then you do on your child care and education.
Amen to that.
ReplyDeletei'm with the teacher!.
ReplyDeleteand by the way, yes, a kid who doesn't speak the same language as his nanny either grows very lonely or learns it. i personally used to speak in english with the kids coz' they didn't get spanish. and i imagined that since they didn't leave close to the border it was useless.
Dear Maria Franca...oh you are precious!!! Please honey, do go back to school ...but I would steer clear of anything to do with teaching English!! Yikes!!!! This is the "subpar" education that the original poster was talking about!
ReplyDelete355 said: "There are VERY few nannies that are educated in child care that want to work as a nanny AND pay taxes like the rest of us hard-working people do. There is no nanny training or certification that parents have to rely on. Nannies do get paid well, especially in LA. I don't know a single nanny that has taxes taken out. They're making $12-$14 an hour CASH. Plus time off paid. Figure out how much that would be in gross income if the nanny did have taxes taken out. Yep, it's alot."
ReplyDeleteI have a B.S. in Educational Studies, years of experience in various childcare centers, and make $12.50 an hour BEFORE taxes. My time off is NOT paid except for about six state holidays a year. If I weren't married, I couldn't afford my rent/utilities/gas for my car. And I love my kids to pieces. Give me a break.
438 said: "Let's see...a nanny making $12/hour, presumably working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week makes $23,040.00 before taxes. A whopping $23,000!! Take taxes out and see what's left for housing, food, utilities, etc. because not ALL nannies live with the family. I know nannies that live out of the house and have to arrive at 7 a.m. every day for work."
Amen to that! I am a live-out nanny who arrives at work at 7:15 every morning after a half-hour commute. As I said above, I make $12.50 an hour BEFORE taxes. This is not much money at all, but I love my kiddos.
As a mother who has employed three good nannies and one great nanny, I just have to say that if I had to do it over again, I would have paid a King's ransom to keep the "great" one. Not that I am not lucky everyday!
ReplyDeleteIt's very simple. Some wealthy families are unwilling to pay a HIGH-QUALITY nanny a competitive salary. This is because they do not value the dedication and hard work involved in HIGH-QUALITY childcare. These are the families who hire cheap, undocumented, LOW-QUALITY nannies. Shame on all of them.
ReplyDeleteSome wealthy families are willing to pay a HIGH-QUALITY nanny what she's worth.
Talk to a British nanny sometime and you will discover that nannies, governesses, mother's helpers, gardeners, housekeepers and other household staff employed by the well-to-do in the UK are treated like GOLD.
Perhaps people will wake up in America one day, and realize that they should be putting the well-being of their children first...and hiring only LEGAL, COMPETENT and EDUCATED nannies!
California Nanny weighs in.................
ReplyDeleteReceived Sunday, September 17, 2006
The upscale neighborhoods of LA are filled with nannies who go to the park nearly all day with very young babies and toddlers and chat with each other or on their cell phones in Spanish the entire time, with their backs to the children. It is obvious to me that they spend their time being paid to socialize.
I don't speak Spanish, and the people I talk to at the park are the children. I am the one scooping up the baby who is about to be hit by the swing, or about to fall off the side of the slide. I am the one comforting the child who has gotten hurt, and asking them where is your mommy or nanny? Once we find the "nanny" who is usually an undocumented worker who lowers the pay scale for legitimate, educated, legal nannies, she usually says "it's ok popi, have some juice" (cookie, chips, etc).
I don't understand why so many affluent parents in LA hire sub-par people to take care of their most precious little chidren.
I know there are good "illegal" nannies, but the majority I have seen don't appear to have any kind of child development knowledge, don't play with the children or even teach them to share, or have the ability to teach the children proper English.
I have been a nanny in Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Santa Monica, and Manhattan Beach.
sometimes women have no choice but to work, because the father takes off and doesn't provide enough support (this can happen in any social levels by the way). just a reminder. so it's not always true that someone who can afford a nanny can stay home.
There are VERY few nannies that are educated in child care that want to work as a nanny AND pay taxes like the rest of us hard-working people do. There is no nanny training or certification that parents have to rely on. Nannies do get paid well, especially in LA. I don't know a single nanny that has taxes taken out. They're making $12-$14 an hour CASH. Plus time off paid. Figure out how much that would be in gross income if the nanny did have taxes taken out. Yep, it's alot. It's a sad fact that many parents hire a nanny they think is going to be great only to have that nanny reveal their true personality later. It's kinda like a dating relationship. At the beginning you show your best side but as time goes on your tru self emerges.
What an idiotic, ANTI nanny comment. If ever there was one! For one thing, the rate you quoted is not high at all. So wake up. Second, it is the repsonsibility of the employer to hire legal employees and pay them on the books. The fact that so many do not and therefore pay so low and off the books, makes it hard for professional nannies! As for educated nannies not wanting to work, you are soooo wrong. That is precisely why they do want to work as nannies. Because in upscale communities in NY, CT & CA; they can make a professional salary. They can have health benefits. Of course , not from people like you. What is your deal???? Idiot.
our deal is that these nannies much like yourself, are NOT doing their dam job, and PLAYING with the kids, in other words being a TRUE nanny/teacher this is cause REAL nannies teach as well as clothes and stuff like that.
and educated nannies not wanting to work that all depends, most can find up-scale child care jobs, but TRUE nannies like myself cant find jobs cause of my gender and fear of it, but i dont, i tell them upfront if your looking for a nanny who will do what he/she says they will do on their resume especially someone who will get down to their level, get dirty(ie mud, messy etc.) paint, etc. and IS educated etc. and shows proof of it and their refrences back it up. hire me. if you want some one who will do nothing but socialise hire some illegal. just cause you want a girl.
Let's see...a nanny making $12/hour, presumably working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week makes $23,040.00 before taxes. A whopping $23,000!! Take taxes out and see what's left for housing, food, utilities, etc. because not ALL nannies live with the family. I know nannies that live out of the house and have to arrive at 7 a.m. every day for work.
I am a teacher. My 2nd job is a tutoring service and I'm WELL paid because I'm educated with 3 university degrees. Do you know how many slug stay at home moms want my services (i have an excellent reputation) then demand that I LOWER my price? All the while driving a Mercedes SUV and a Lexus SUV. Not to forget their big McMansion.
I'm an American. I speak several languages, I play several musical instruments and I'm rather good with technology.
The point of this post? To show the world how cheap you all are. It doesn't matter if the person you hire is an illegal immigrant or not, the point is you're all cheap, even with American born citizens you try to hire for your kids. Maybe if you paid the child care and tutors a decent wage, you'd find quality people to employ. You spend more money per hour to repair your car then you do on your child care and education.
hey moron yes it does, if your illegal gtfo of my home and come back legally like normal people do stop mooching off us!
Wow, an old thread revisited. Just to weigh in on the non-English speaking nanny debate: A nanny NEEDS to know enough English to understand and follow instructions from parents. That seems like a pretty basic concept?! I interviewed one nanny whose response to the question "what do you think is the best way to comfort a hysterical crying baby?" (Referring to a 3 month old.) Her response? "Yes". (smiling). OK, next!
ReplyDeleteAnd "learning" a foreign language will help the child get into college? Um, yeah. Like "learning" "quieres agua?" and "cuidado momi!" when she is 16 months old will help her get into college? Not.
4:25, YIKES! Were you trying to say something? It sounds like maybe you were trying to make some point about how nannies should be educated and that you consider yourself to be so? Your utter lack of sentence structure and knowledge of spelling in the English language, combined with c and p'ing half the thread into your own post makes your "response" unintelligible.
ReplyDeletehey i hear ya try coldwater canyon park I was VERY close to telling the group of nannies HEy your kids are calling stop giving proof to sterotypes and do your dam job and PLAY have fun! seriouslY!!
ReplyDeleteI just wondder what kind of face thes e people put on to reel these nannies in, id LOVE to work with these kids that they have! i mean seriously! they would come to me and my charges to come play or ask for help
i love it how people say you can only be nurtring blah blah blah if your a guy! its statistiucallyu true but it all depends