Received Sunday, October 15, 2006
Alternately laughing my a*s off and recalling in horror over the exploits of an otherwise friendly, normal appearing Jamaican or Caribbean, middle aged nanny seen in the park on Saturday at approximately 2:00 PM. The nanny was was talking to Lily who was about 4. There was a cat that strolled by twice. Each time "Lily" noticed that cat. The nanny and Lily were taking a break and having juice and snacks that the nanny unpacked from a large striped backpack. I had just seen the nanny with the child on the playrground equipment and at that time the nanny was not just watching the child, she was trailing the child cautiously every step of the way. As they sat for their snack, they were near my boyfriend and I (watching his daughter play on the dolphins). Lily starts to talk about her cat at home. The nanny expresses dislike for the cat. Lily asks the nanny 'why you cant like our kitty'. Innocent enough? The nanny responds with a tirade about how cats are bad for children and to children and goes on to tell of cats who climb in the cribs of sleeping infants and suffocate them. Not just a casual remark, a length tirade that ended with the nanny suggesting that Lily's mom should make the smart decision and get ride of the cat before she has the baby. My boyfriend actually butted in the conversation to kind of tell the nanny to ease up but this just caused the nanny to take it up a notch. My boyfriend said something like "oh that's really unlikely" to which the nanny said something like "you don't know the horrors I have seen". My boyfriend for the record is anti cat but just felt bad for this little girl who was going to no doubt have nightmares about their family pet snuffing out the life of her yet to be born baby brother or sister. What gets in to these nannies? The nanny was so good with her as she was playing, you would think she would use that same caution before planting such nightmares in the child's head!
12 comments:
Just FYI, that's not an old wives tale. Cats are attracted to the warmth of little sleeping babies and do climb into their crib and sleep on or near the baby. As an adult, I have woken to my cat sleeping on my chest. If this occurs with a baby, the baby does not have the strength to support the weight of a cat and does in fact suffocate. That nanny had probably witnessed something like this happening and while very agressive about telling a child about it, she is right.
That is child abuse to sit around telling four year olds events like these. Yes, it could happen. Why does a sick person have to recount the story to a four year old and why did someone have to defend her? I really hope you find out who the parents are and tell them what you witnessed!
You mean that old wives tale about how cats suck the breath out of sleeping babies? Please.
i also agree that cats are attracted to a sleeping baby not only for the warmth but also the smell of the babies breath dont have to overboard just need to make a few changes when bringing baby home
What a waste of space this post was!
Curiously, how do you figure it is a waste of space? I think to pound such a disturbing message in to a child's head demonstrates a lack of intelligence on the nanny's part. That isn't accurate and even if it were, why would she tell the child that?
What got in your boyfreinds head to butt in a situation he knew nothing about?? He ASKED for an argument.
Theres a reason they make crib and bassinet covers-in AMERICA. Cats DO this. Most superstitions are based on some kind of fact.
WHO CARES that the nanny's take was based ever so loosely on some cat fact. That is no way to talk to a child not is it an appropriate subject for a child. Please stay 50 feet away from all children. Please.
seriously, it's NOT child abuse to tell a kid a scary story. perhaps a lack of judgement, but not abuse. calm down.
I'm not so sure this site is very useful between all latent racism (your nany is fat and biracial, the daughter is blonde and adorable) and completely idiotic posts about cats and CHILD ABUSE.
To the poster above me, both your ignorance and your liberal roots are showing.
Singed, BLACK mother of a bi racial daughter being cared for by a Brazilian nanny.
Just for the record, stupid does not equal liberal.
I know plenty of conservatives who scream about racism when it's irrelevent. And I'm a bleeding-heart liberal, but I see nothing racist about using race as a means of identifying someone. So let's leave liberal vs. conservative out of this.
A smart liberal! Hoo Hah. And point taken!
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