Received Friday, February 23, 2007
Cambridgeside Galleria Mall/Boston/Mass. 10:15 AM 2/23
The child: 1 child, caucasian, curly brown hair, approx, 20-26 months in a two toned green stroller.
The caregiver: 1 adult female, 30-38 y.o., 120-140 lbs, 5'5"-5'7", African American, very, very short hair. So short she looked like a male from behind wearing her large khaki colored jacket with lots of snaps, pockets and zippers.
What I observed: The caregiver looked rattled. The child was crying in the stroller. The cry was not out of control. The caregiver was behaving oddly. She was doing something weird with her jaw and scratching her head/scalp almost non stop. She was literally just standing next to a garbage can in the center and just in a daze. She did respond to the child but not in a natural way. She seemed very delayed and slow moving. My concern was that this person was high on some sort of drug and this child was reliant on this person for her needs. The caregiver was wearing brown hiking boots. I am racking my brain trying to think of how best to describe this situation so you understand why I was so concerned. I did not for a second think of approaching her because her mannerissms just seems so off. She was in a fog,. But then responded in a jerky and uncordinated way. And then she kept standing. Even though it didn't seem like she was waiting for anything.
What this made me think of: This made me curious about drug testing. Do private sector employers have the right to make their nanny submit to be tested?
30 comments:
What kind of area is this? Is this South Boston?
Sounds like she could be waiting around for her crack connection.
Crack withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to:
agitation
depression
intense craving for the drug
extreme fatigue
anxiety
angry outbursts
lack of motivation
nausea/vomiting
shaking
irritability
muscle pain
disturbed sleep
I wouldn't have a problem with my employers asking me to take a drug test. If I was hiring a nanny I would ask her/him to be drug-tested before I even hired her/him.
Why does it matter what are of town it was? Most of the people I know who use cocaine are urban scumbags. You'll know them because they often appear restless, always need to find something to do. They are so often irritable too. And pretty intolerant of anything not going their way. Also their dollar bills are stained with white powder. But yeah, they might make their way to A galleria mall in any city to get the hook up!
"doing something weird with her jaw and scratching her head/scalp almost non stop"..."just in a daze"..." seemed very delayed and slow moving"..."responded in a jerky and uncordinated way"...could be drugs, but also sounds like a seizure disorder of some type. Either way, drugs or uncontrolled seizures, this person doesn't need to be taking care of a child.
I would think anyone who had a nanny who was on drugs could see the symptoms. The best time to test would be before hiring. As a nanny, I would have no objection to taking a test for a prospective employer, however, if they asked me after hiring me, I would be offended.
If my boss asked me to take a drug test, I'd send a friend. It isn't my boss's business if I tweak it on the weekend.
I've worked in several facilities that deal with substance abusers. The particular mannerisms that you describe don't sound typical of someone 'tweaking out.' Relying on this information alone I would not be terribly concerned as a parent, and a moment or even three of head-scratching and spaced-out behavior on a Friday (presumably after a long work week) is not reason enough to declare this woman unable to care for a young child.
what about the itching? Scary stuff.
maybe she was at the mall, realized her head ws itchy then was like "I cant freaking believe this kid gave me lice".
Hi 7:32, if you are offended that an employer might ask for a drug test after you are hired, read the post right after yours at 7:50. Jesus, I hope that person doesn't take any job requiring responsibility.
And OP, was there a cop around? Maybe you could have pointed her out. She definitely doesn't sound right whether due to drugs, lack of drugs or some kind of medical problem, that child wasn't in anyone's care right then.
I am a nanny, I can't believe the op did not call the police or try to help this small child. This site is helpful, and i hope the parents see this, but its not enough.
in fact the nanny could have been suffering from some kind of stroke.
I doubt it, but at any rate op should have called someone to help out. I would have
I think this persons behavior was akin to someone with low blood sugar. The dazed look, scratching, etc. There are other medical conditions that could have attributed to this behavior as well. As a nanny who has cared for diabetic children in the past, I would have approached the woman and asked if she needed help. Who knows, she may have fell and hit head a few seconds before as well.
is this sight affiliated with isawyouguardianadlitum.com ?
I myself am a childcare provider and I would have no problem taking a drug test before or after hire, although if I were asked after I would want to know why.
And to the poster who said "it's not their business if I tweak it on the weekends," as a parent and a preschool teacher, I'd say it certainly is their business if you use illegal drugs, during or outside of work hours. I personally don't want some low-class stoner taking care of my kids. Here's a thought to the poster who sparks on the weekends and doesn't think it's a big deal: grow up.
OP, if you can take the time to come here and report the nanny, why didn't you go to mall security and say "I think you should just go chat with that lady to see if she's in her right mind while with that child?"
I'll never understand the "concern" of some of these posters. If you care about children DO SOMETHING when you witness an incident that appears to be "off."
It's so easy to moan about a bad nanny sighting, but for the love of tiddlywinks, YOU'RE GUILTY THROUGH COMPLICITY.
Exercise some common sense, people.
who is to say OP didn't drive home from Mall wishing she had done something? Stop being so damn judgmental and face the facts, MOST people do not get involved. Say all you want from your armchair, research shows that if you have a man beating a woman or a person beating and mistreating an old person, 90 percent of people WALK on by.
Yeah well, I'm in the other 10%.
I believe in helping others who are either too young or too old or too sick to help themselves. I certainly don't observe helpless people in questionable situations and then come home to write about it to a bunch of people who can do nothing to help.
She says herself "I am racking my brain trying to think of how best to describe this situation so you understand why I was so concerned."
Concerned enough to walk away?
"I did not for a second think of approaching her because her mannerisms just seems so off."
You didn't think for a second, period. YOU didn't have to approach her. You should have CALLED SOMEONE if you were "so concerned."
The OP wasn't "wishing she had done something" as she drove from the mall. Again, her words:
"what this made me think of: this made me curious about drug testing."
What a sorry state of affairs.
Well OP wasn't standing there with a notebook writing about it as it happened. She clearly continued to think about it long after she had left the mall. Perhaps she feels guilty already, why rag?
Kitty Genovese is rolling over in her grave.
10:04, that research must not have been done where I am from.
Does someone have a problem with South Boston?
South Boston is not the problem.
I really would like to know if it was really lice.
Do lice make people move slowly and stare?
I've never had lice. How should I know? That's why I am curious.
I think you have lice then.
Your head itches a mean struck.
And if you stay perfectly still, your hair moves.
Now i may not be the best at reading people's views through what they say....but let me ask you a question....if this had been a white nanny, would you have accused her of "being high on something" ?? Did you ever think that maybe she had been with a crying child for hours on end or had a bad night (not much sleep) or have personal problems going on that made her be in a "fog"? There were a couple days in my 3 yrs of teaching preschool where I had problems going on (boyfriend nearly killed, handicapped in a car accident and in a coma for 10 days) and i would have probably been acting the same way as this childcare provider you described.
-White Girl Sara
"sara"
i am sure if OP saw this behavior in any other person, she would have posted it too.
PC overkill much?
sara, your slip is showing...you are the one who assumes that african americans are the poster children for junkies. ha.
I still don't get the "south boston" crack. Have you been to Castle Island? South Boston is a very lovely area.
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