Received Thursday, September 28, 2006
I read the article in the New York times which referenced this site and nutrition. Coincidentally, last night (Wednesday) I had taken two of my daughter's friends to Friendly's on Bel Air Road in Baltimore. I oberved a strange incident with a person I believe to be the nanny. The little girl she took care of called her Kate. The woman Kate was in her twenties and blonde with a loose ponytail. She wore a grey hooded sweatshirt with cargo pants. The little girl might have been named "Bella" or "Ella". But I am not certain. Anyway the nanny had a burger or something with fries. The child had chicken with fries. The nanny took every chicken strip and cut away all of the breading. This is not unusual in itself. The little girl was like "can you just leave the coating on one" The nanny who was not mean about it was like, "no, you know what mommy says". Then the nanny counted out six french fries for the little girl. The little girl was negotiating with her over trading in one of the six french friend for one big one she had her eye on. (She was not allowed). The nanny made certain the little girl finished her water before they left. They paid the bill and left. Obviously this nanny is just doing what her employer asked her to do but GASP. She was four or maybe five years old! I thought I would share this observation with you given what I read in the New York Times. I don't think this obsession with food is healthy. I am certain that a four year old bartering for one bigger french fry is not going to end well!
16 comments:
If this is what mommy says what is your problem.
Nannies are paid to do what the mom says right.
Is she a bad nanny for doing that. Maybe she is on a strict diet you dodnt know that and I think you are wrong for making this out to be a bad nanny situation, obviously she is just doing as told by mom
Listen nutty nut- oh first reponser, I guess you didn't read the New York Times article and therefore don't get the reference.
This is obviously NOT a bad nanny sighting. Please avoid commenting when you are so woefully and pathetically uniformed!
omg, what is this even doing on this site? lord.
I read the NYT article, too, and I agree with the poster that monitoring french fries is rediculous. If the parents don't want their kid to eat fries, then the nanny shouldn't take them to a restaurant that serves them, or let her order an entree where fries accompany the main course. Yes, the nanny was just doing what the parents wanted, but it was also rude of her to order fries for herself and let the poor kid watch her stuff her face full of them. Any idiot who's ever taken a psychology class knows that kids don't understand this situation, much less "nutrition." All that little girl could see was the fact that her nanny--and everyone else in the restaurant--was eating fries, and for some reason, she couldn't have any.
And if you ask me, this kid's parents are nuts.
pathetically uniformed!
I think you meant "uninformed." Or is this site only for nannies in uniforms?
Not only did the nanny seem to be following the wishes of the parents, but she did so politely. How many of us, as parents, are as polite when our children ask for what they have been told they can't have, and probably repeatedly?
I say (as far as this scenario is concerned), good nanny.
Yes, Good nanny story. And good story in general. I imagine that a night out at Friendly's was a treat for this child. And the parents sat her down and explained to her how many fries she would be allowed. WTF are people thinking?
After reading the NYT piece, I find it unfortunate and idiotic that these pscyho nutrition-obsessed parents aren't nearly as concerned about their children getting EXERCISE.
Amen to that. I was raised a couple of generations ago, in a time when we ate pretty much anything, topped it off with iced cream or pudding, and washed it down with soda or iced tea. But then we went out and played hard for a few hours.
There were no "play dates" back then; we just went out and played baseball, football, stickball, basketball, ringolivio, or whatever other energy-burning games our little minds could devize. And we continued at it until it got dark, at which times our mothers' voices began ringing through the night air, calling their children home. (Contrary to popular belief, there weren't perverts and abductors lurking behind every lamppost in those days -- and I doubt there are today.)
My Italian-American parents started giving me a little wine with dinner when I was six. I didn't become an alcoholic as a result. If anything, I think it made me a responsible drinker. I still drink a glass of wine with dinner every day; but almost never more than that one drink a day.
When I behaved well, I was praised. When I behaved badly, I was scolded. When I behaved really badly, I was spanked. It didn't traumatize me. On the contrary, it made me understand that there were consequences for misbehavior -- a lesson that's a lot easier learned by way of a spanking when you're 8 than a jail term when you're 18.
I really think that young parents need to lighten up. Whatever small gain they may be achieving by micro-managing every aspect of their children's lives -- right down to the number of French fries they eat at lunch -- will almost certainly come at the cost of a lot of therapy to deal with the neuroses they are instilling in the process.
hey poster, what are you, some fat load who enjoys feeding her children trans fat? someone should be posting on this blog about you!
OK, I agree that we are overdoing it nowadays with all the parenting rules. But - giving wine to a 6 year old?!?
>>My Italian-American parents started giving me a little wine with dinner when I was six. I didn't become an alcoholic as a result. If anything, I think it made me a responsible drinker.
No, you didn't become a responsible drinker BECAUSE you started drinking wine at the age of 6, but DESPITE that fact.
I, too, come from a culture where it's not shocking to give little kids (boys, usually) a sip of alcohol on their b-day or another special occasion, and it's acceptable to spank them when they misbehave. However, I have always liked to learn about other cultures, to see how others live and what others think, especially experts - and now, that I am an adult (living in a different culture from the one I grew up in), and a mother, I would never give my kids alcohol and I am against spanking (I am not saying it's easy - kids do drive you crazy sometimes, but raising kids without physical punishment is totally possible; spanking has an instant result, but one that is not long-lasting as a behavior-changing tool; however, it can be damaging to kids' psyche, mostly because parents do it when they - parents - are stressed, not when the kid has really done something so wrong that it warrants a physical kind of punishment).
Anyway - I hope you do not give your kids alcohol and I hope you don't spank them... but, from your post it seems that you do.
Well, I hope what I said makes sense; I do feel strongly about these things, so I had to say something... thanks for 'listening'.
A dancer since childhood, I still remember my nanny taking items off my plate at salad bars. She was a wonderful woman, and it was obvious that she did not agree which the practice (the idea was a combination of my mother and my dance instructor) but she did as her job demanded. The problem here isn't so much mistreatment by the caregiver but the system that makes otherwise capable, intellegent people subject children under their care to the asinine wishes of parents
I am a appalled at the possibility that some posters here might be allowed within 100 yards of innocent children. Namely the poster who needs to call someone a "fat load" who enjoys feeding her kids trans fats because she feels so threatened by a conflicting opinion.
Gess what hon, someone HAS posted on this blog about YOU. Feel better now?
I was not aware of that, 1:06 PM.
Unfortunately, the blog can no longer allow anonymous comments. Please click on the name/url button instead of the anonymous button and use your name, a moniker or a set of initials.
Thank you.
I'm 15 and stumbled upon your site looking for someone to suggest a healthy meal at Freidnlys, and I agree with nearly all of the comments here as well as your post.
Let me share a quick story ;-). I'm a male, age 15 (as previously stated) 5'10" and around 187 pounds now. I recently lost 50 pounds without the help of my parents or anyone else (if anything my parents went against what I was doing... exercising, eating healthy). And although I probably would have went wild and ate anything in site if my parents/nanny micromanaged things such as that nanny did, it is good to get an idea of health young.
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