Received Tuesday, January 30, 2007
What I saw was totally ridiculous. I saw a nanny of spanish descent, middle aged. She had long black/brown hair and she was wearing all black with a tiny broach on her sweater. It was a small cross on her right breast. Your child was wearing a beige jacket, with khaki corduroy pants, with also a beige nitted hat. Her shoes were dark navy leather boots, NATURIO or something like that was the name of the boots. It was a little girl with blonde hair and a neon pink ipod mini. I got on the train at Chambers Street in Manhattan and they got off at Hoyt Street in Brooklyn. The nanny was asleep/snozzing on herslef the entire way to Brooklyn. Not once did she open her eyes to check the little girl. The little girl was maybe 7-9 years old. I was wondering why would she sleep on a crowded train with her young charge unsupervised. Imagine if someone were to take the poor little girl. It's such a shame when some of us choose to hire CHEAP nannies to care for our children.This occurence was maybe between the time frame of 4:30pm and 5:30pm.
CHEAP nannies? Are you kidding me?
ReplyDeleteFirst off, how do you know how much she gets paid? Are you assuming because she's of Spanish descent that she gets paid less? Interesting assumption.
You think $20 an hour nannies guarantee better care? You're living in a dream world.
I spent 7 months going to the park with my daughter on maternity leave back in 2001. 7 months observing the local nannies every day for hours. I saw white American nannies, white Euro nannies, tons of Black nannies from the Islands, Hispanic nannies -- you name it. Same ones almost daily over the course of 7 months.
I finally approached one (El Salvadorian) and complimented her, telling her that of all the nannies in that park, she stood out, and the others were just pathetic. She obviously cared about her charge, while the others were there either just plain BAD or just "blah."
I hired her for $10 an hour back then, which is all I could afford at the time, and we had a long, healthy relationship. She still comes over for dinner tot his day tro spend time with us.
I know for a fact that some of those park nannies were making $15 and up at the time, and there they were not even doing the basic minimum as far as I was concerned. All they did was talk to each other without any eye on the children, talk on their cell phones, leave the baby in the carriage for hours w/out playing with them, etc.
Many of them also looked like hookers with high heels (lovely to chase kids with, except they wouldn't have to chase them because the kids would be forced to sit on a bench or in a carriage the whole time) and long, germ-infested fake nails in bright colors. Does anyone really want those touching your baby's diaper area?
As for the nanny's behavior in the post, a rotten apple will still be a rotten apple whether getting market rate or double that. I don't care what excuses you'll hear here or on Craig's List. People are either kind to children or they are not.
Same goes for clerks in local shops. The ones who have a bad attitude and don't want to do their jobs won't do good work even if they were offered the role of CEO in a large corporation.
So, moral of the story -- you can't assume that a nanny's bad behavior means they have cheap employers.
ps: before I get accused of stealing someone's nanny away, her family was leaving to live in another country. I verified the story with the family, did a background check -- everything.
8:06 AM, You don't say where you are located, but six years ago $10 an hour was not a bad rate. I would like to address your comments about nanny salaries.
ReplyDeleteI am a nanny in Manhattan, and I currently make $15 an hour for one child. I am legal, CPR certified, a college grad. and I have a lot of experience and wonderful references. I am able to pick and choose my jobs, moms frequently try to poach me. While money isn't the only consideration, I won't accept a job for less than $15, because I know I can easily find family that will be happy to pay that for a nanny who loves her job and puts her heart and soul into providing great care.
You are right, offering a lot of money won't make a good nanny out of a bad one, but the flip side is, why would a nanny who knows she can get a high rate accept a low one? We have rent to pay!
There are some wonderful women working as nannies in low paying jobs, because they are illegal, inexperienced, or don't have the contacts and resources such as a computer to find jobs, and employers are only too happy to exploit them.
The women you describe, dressed like hookers in heels, with long dirty nails, are being hired by parents! I don't know what they are being paid, but please, these bad hires give professional nannies a bad name, and the parents have to take some responsibility for hiring them.
A nanny
If paying more would guaranteed a good nanny, I'd do it. But I've seen many nannies who are paid more than my nanny but do a worse job. Conversely, there are other nannies who do as good a job as my nanny but get paid a lot less. There are good and bad nannies across the wage spectrum.
ReplyDeletei've been burned with being a cheap employer. when i needed a nanny for my son, i was influenced by my friend into hiring a nanny that was willing to take the job for $8/hr. i honeslty felt that that was too little so i offered $10/hr instead. well need less to say the nanny was horrible. her performance as a child care provider wasn't even worth $5/hr. now i have a wonderful nanny which i pay $15/hr and sometimes more because she does a wonderful job with my son and i trust her completely. and just a lillte info for you moms, a little insentive can go a long way. when i given the insentive of more money to my nanny, she tries her best to do her best because she feels the need to show me that she cares and that she working hard for that money. and ladies lets be honest, being a nanny is a tough job and these women need to be rewarded for their efforts..
ReplyDeleteSomething tells me you're a nanny. I won't say what. :0)
ReplyDeleteREPLY TO ANONYMOUS 7:35PM.
ReplyDeleteI CAN TELL YOU RESENT YOUR NANNY BECAUSE YOUR KIDS PROBABLY LOVES HER A LOT OR THEY PROBABLY SHOW HER MORE RESPECT THAN YOU. FYI... I KNOW MY SON, UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE AND THEIR KIDS, AND I KNOW HE IS A LITTLE DEVIL. HE IS A HANDFUL ESPECIALLY AT THE AGE HE IS NOW. I HAVE A TOUGH TIME ON THE WEEKENDS AND I KNOW FOR A FACT MY NANNY HAS A REALLY TOUGH TIME WITH HIM DURING THE WEEK. SO I SING HER PRAISES B/C SHE REALLY HELPS. DON'T BE MAD IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR NANNY..
Please don't post using all caps.
ReplyDeleteIt's obnoxious.
Thank you.
some of you parent are to damn fast , you need to mind your own buisness you dont know some s#t some nannies go through with their employers ,but just because the love the kid they stick around
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm a cheap nanny! hehe Seriously, I work for crap money, but I do it happily because the family I work for isn't rich like many people I have worked for who were downright crazy! The couple I work for are normal, hardworking, and loving parents. I make enough every summer to pay for my tuition, and I know I could make more somewhere else, but I take a pay cut to keep my sanity.
ReplyDelete