George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego, Oregon

Received Saturday, March 24, 2007
3/23/07 - I've been a nanny for 12 years. When I first moved to Portland, OR I did temp jobs for a couple months until I found a permanent job. After eight months I decided that the family wasn't a good fit, at which point I left and went back to doing temp nanny work. I've been doing temp nanny work for five months now.

Friday morning I went to my Friday temp job with a 3 year old boy and 5 year old girl. After taking the 5 year old to preschool, the 3 year old and I went to George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego, OR. Although there was a large play structure, my 3 yr old charge only wanted to play in the sand box. For a little while we were the only people in the play area. Eventually a mom and her little boy arrived and played together on the play structure together. Shortly after their arrival, a large white truck pulled up and parked. I was in the middle of making a sand castle with my temp charge so didn't witness the first child emerge from the vehicle. When I looked up at them, the Hispanic caregiver had deposited a 3 year old boy on the side of the road that the playground was located. He stood there very close to the road while she went back to the vehicle to get a little blonde girl who looked to be just under 2 years old. While the caregiver was retrieving the other child, I heard the mother who was on the play structure say she would watch the little boy to make sure he was safe. I don't recall having heard the caregiver respond at all, but I suppose she might have and I just didn't hear.

The little girl went onto the play structure with her brother and the caregiver stayed near the park bench she had parked their picnic cooler/bag. I heard the mom say to her son he should ask the little girl's name. I heard the name "X" and mom said she thought that maybe that was a nick name and short for something else. Meanwhile, I was covered head to toe in sand and our sand castle with moat and bridge was coming along nicely. I looked up over at the Hispanic caregiver and she was speaking in Spanish on her pink cell phone and hadn't made any effort to leave the spot she had been in the whole time. Tick, tick, tick...she is STILL on her cell phone. The little girl is wandering around the play structure unaided and unsupervised as is her brother. There are a million ways she could get seriously injured and this caregiver just didn't seem to care. Every once in a while she would glance around to see where the children were and continued on with her conversation on her cell phone. I sat there and thought, "Omg, I'm having an 'I saw your nanny' moment."

The little boy eventually came over to the sand box and joined myself and my charge in play. When he got close I recognized him and asked him what his name was just to be sure he was the same little boy I thought he was. He said his name was "X*" and my heart sunk and I became even more enraged at the behavior of his caregiver. Nearly a year ago I had cared for X*, his sister XY* and their other two siblings at their house a few times. I was sad when I wasn't able to care for them anymore when I got my permanent job. They are really great children and I couldn't believe the parents would have hired a woman that would be so negligent to look after their children.

I watched X*'s caregiver a little while longer to see what she would do if anything. She was still wrapped up in her cell phone conversation. I looked over to see where X* was. She was being looked after by the mom on the play structure and was sitting on the mom's lap....a complete stranger. It was at this point I just lost it. I went over to the caregiver and asked her if she was X*'s and XY*'s nanny. She said, "yes."

Me: "I've cared for these children before and I know their parents. You need to be to be watching them."

Her: (whilst still on her cell phone) "I am watching them"

Me: "No, you're not. You are too busy talking on your cell phone. You need to get off your phone and take care of them. You need to be INTERACTING with them. XY* is much too young to be up on the play structure by herself. She could get seriously injured."

Her: (tells the person on the phone she has to go) "I got a phone call and have only been talking a few minutes."

Me: "That's not true. I have been watching you and you have been on your phone the whole time. You haven't been on the play structure once and someone else shouldn't be watching the children you were hired to watch. I'm going to let their parents know what I have witnessed here today and I am sure they won't be very happy at all."

Her: (she said something about speaking to the mom herself but can't remember her exact words. She starts to go toward the play structure...FINALLY!) "Thanks for being so nice" (obvious sarcasm because I was livid during the confrontation.)

I collected my charge, said good bye to X* and called my agency to get the family's phone number. I scribbled the number on the back of my hand and was told by my charge that I shouldn't write on my hands. lol I called the mom's cell phone number and let her know exactly what I witnessed and that I confronted her caregiver. The mom was surprised to hear this and said she had specifically told the caregiver she had to help XY* play on the play structure. She said this woman had been recommended by a friend and was only taking care of the children on Fridays. She thanked me for telling her about the incident and asked me if I was available Fridays. I'm not at the moment, but I would rearrange my schedule to accommodate her if it turns out she is serious.

I have no idea what the mom will do with the information I gave her. I sincerely hope she doesn't use that woman's services again. The well being of her children is at serious risk if she does.

Signed: a nanny who cares