Thursday

LICH Playground on Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights, NY

Received Thursday, April 12, 2007
This occurred on the TODDLER playground (for small children) on Tuesday afternoon, 4/10, around 5:30 pm. Your nanny allowed your son, "Sam", who appeared to be 6-7 years old (sorry, I'm not good with these ages) to pee in the playground. The pee (and there was a lot) ran down a 2-ft. wall onto the ground where lots of young toddlers walk, put their hands, etc. I think your daughter,who was younger, maybe 5 y.o., also peed, but I didn't see it. I just saw the girl and the nanny straightening up her pants. I went over to your nanny and asked if she had allowed the boy to pee, and she said, yes, because it was late and he couldn't hold it. I asked her to take him to a restroom next time, and she asked where? I told her there are plenty of restaurants on Atlantic Ave.where she can take him.Your nanny was 5'2-4", Hispanic, dark hair pulled back. I think she may have had agold crown on one of her front teeth. She seemed quiet and nice and was apologetic when I addressed it with her. Your son has dark hair and was wearing a mostly light blue jacket, with an orange stripe and white hood. Your daughter had short brown hair and was wearing a mauve jacket and mauve socks.I doubt if you know that your nanny is allowing your children to pee in the playground. Please advise her where she can take your kids so they can pee in privacy, and the rest of our children can play pee-free. Thank you.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

i am always amazed by these lazy nannies who are willing to get up and walk just two steps to a wall and have their charges piss in public rather than walk 50 steps to the restroom (and lose their spot on the bench). if my nanny did this, she would be fired on spot! this is disgusting.

Anonymous said...

Well, at least the nanny wasn't flailing her arms, screaming and being otherwise confrontational. Seems she "got it" for next time.

Peeing in public is not a good lesson for the kids, but I wouldn't worry that it's a health hazzard. Young playground visitors play in rat and pigeon pee and poop every day. No biggie.

Anonymous said...

Kids play pee free? What about the predators and perverts these nannies bring to the playground when they have half naked children peeing all about the ammenities?

IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL!

Anonymous said...

OP: Congrats to you for stepping up and saying something! That is something most people won't do.

It is disgusting that the children were allowed to just pee right there on the equipment, the least she could have done would have been to take them over behind a tree or something like that. Not all playgrounds have bathrooms and most businesses don't let you use their facilities unless you are a customer, but peeing on the equipment is unacceptable.

Anonymous said...

YUK ,THIS IS GROSS...THANK GOD ITS RAINING IN NYC TODAY....
LAZY, HOPE THE MOTHER READS THIS...AND WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT... I HAVE 3 LITTLE BOYS AND THEY HAVE TO GO....OFTEN AND A LOT...STORES WILL ALWAYS LET THEM USE THE BATHROOM...THANK GOD

Anonymous said...

I let my kids pee on the playground, not anywhere near the equipment or walking areas, but in the woods or behind the trees. sometimes a kid just can't hold it in and you have to take them. nothing wrong about it, doesnt' happen everytime we are at the park, nor do I like it, but sometimes nature takes a course. thank you for speaking up and maybe next time this nanny will do better in taking her children to a bathroom or moving them to a safer distance. not a bad nanny, just an misuse of judgement.

Anonymous said...

I have a suggestion for all of you outdoor potty people. I carry this in the netting of my stroller:

http://amodernrenaissance.com/amr/portable-potty-p-45.html

I don't buy the refills -- I use regular plastic bags from the corner store.

Sure beats heading off to the woods in Prospect Park to step on hypodermic needles.

It's 10 bucks, my sistas. Snatch one up.

Anonymous said...

OP here. Nanny b, you may not live in the city. The playgrounds here are nowhere near any trees or woods, so that is not an option.

9:09, I never said she let them pee on the equipment, it was on a low wall inside the fenced-in playground. If you've never been there, it's hard to describe, but I imagine the parents would know what I mean.

This did not seem like a lazy nanny. She was actually very nice and polite, and did not get defensive when I spoke to her. She was just clueless in terms of where to take this child to the bathroom.

And by the way, this kid seemed old enough to be able to tell his nanny he needed to go before it reached the point where he couldn't hold it anymore. I think the parents need to talk to the child and the nanny so they can handle it better in the future.

Anonymous said...

I guess I should move to that area of NY. Where I live the stores wont let u use the bathroom. I one time brought my daughter into a riteaid. she couldnt hold it no more, they told me the bathroom was broken. this isnt the first time i have gone in there, everytime w/ a different excuse. anyway, what turned out happening was my daughter whos 3 peed on herself and all over the floor. so the employee liked at me like i should clean it. i looked at her and told her i guess shes broken. I know bad mom for saying this. anyway, my husband got the number for the corprate office or something, turns out the bathroom wasnt broken at all. they also said sorry for what happend.

Anonymous said...

Meh. I can't get it up for this one. Frankly, I kind of side with the nanny. If it had been my nanny I probably would have told her to make sure that the child pees somewhere AWAY from the other kids and out of sight, like behind a tree or something. I would have also been uncomfortable if the child was peeing where other kids might put their hands.

Anonymous said...

I smell a cover-up. That nanny knew full well where to find a restroom and is just used to doing it this way. Yes she was nice about it. She'd been caught and decided to play dumb.

Anonymous said...

Are you kidding me?? What a bunch of spoiled, sheltered brats. I mean the responders to this post, not the kids peeing. I am a nanny and both I and my charges parents let him pee outside all the time. What's the big deal? The kid has to pee, there's no restroom in the immediate vicinity, let him go.

Anonymous said...

I am a nanny and I have taught my charges to pee on chokeberry and cranberry bushes by example. A privet bush offers extraordinary coverage while the leaves of the silky dogwood are ever so gentle with clean up.

Ah civilized society.

Anonymous said...

522, you smell of skank. Yuck! And 727, at least you put it eloquently.

Anonymous said...

10:53- just wondering, exactly what does skank smell like? "privet" hmm, very eloquent. :)

Anonymous said...

We've all had a time or two when nature called suddenly and there just weren't any facilities. Let's make this the exception, though.

Anonymous said...

skanks smell like smoke, beer, cheap perfume, sweat and semen. Well, you asked.

Anonymous said...

9:39-- all at once? this is one busy girl, huh?

Anonymous said...

Ocassionally, you will come across the skank that smells like pinesol. Well her knees smell like pinesol.

Anonymous said...

Bwahahahahaha pinesol???

Anonymous said...

So if I let a child pee outside it means I smoke, drink, wear cheap perfume, have b.o. and am either very promiscuous or just never shower? teehee interesting conclusion...

Anonymous said...

unfortunately in NY, it would be okay. Sadly. But in other areas of the country, they would club you! This just is NOT done! Only in New York do you have nannies whipping out children's willies and aiming them all about!

Anonymous said...

I live in MI, and although I don't "whip out" my charges "willy and aim it all about", I do allow him to do it if the need arises and wet pants are the other option. This entire post cracks me up.

Anonymous said...

If you let a child pee outside, 11:56, and you ARE a skank, then, that is probably what you smell of. Pinesol, optional.

Anonymous said...

I don't encourage peeing in public for kids, but I've seen it happen in emergencies. NYC can be a rough place to have a little child who needs a bathroom. I've walked down the street and identified the stink of horse, dog and human pee, in that order. It's disgusting. There are laws to try to prevent the adult humans from using doorways as urinals, but for little kids sometimes you can't help it. At least this nanny could try to keep the stream off the playground and the child in a private corner where creeps can't watch.
Thank goodnes NY is getting a good rinse off this week.

Anonymous said...

just wondering the connection between letting a child pee outside and being a skank. BTW, -skank-, hmmmm, how classy...

Anonymous said...

It's possible that the nanny didn't know that it isn't generally considered socially acceptable in the US to allow children to urinate in the open public. In many Hispanic countries the poor, at least, urinate in the streets as a matter of course. I have seen women squat down in the middle of the street (staying covered by their skirts) and urinate. Men go against a wall. Either they are in a residential area, or the surrounding shops won't let people just walk in and use their bathroom without a purchase, or the shops don't have bathrooms themselves. Maybe she is fairly new to the country and thinks it's OK if a kid does it.

6:38 - I'm not sure if you were being sarcastic when you referred to 7:27's use of the phrase "privet bush" as "eloquent" - forgive me if you weren't making fun of the spelling. "Privet" is a type of shrub that can grow fairly densely. The word "privet" does derive from the word "private" since the privet hedge affords so much privacy. ANYway - irrelevant to the nanny issue.

Anonymous said...

If it makes anyone feel any better, urine is virtually sterile. It's just a matter of the gross-out factor.

Anonymous said...

I'm the poster from 1053. Yes, I used the word skank. Yuck! The nanny stated that she and the parents let her charge pee outside all the time!! That sounds very back-woods to me! Maybe skank was a little out there, but how disgusting.
I guess I did see the episode of Nanny 911, or was it Supernanny, where there was a little boy who would only pee outside. Guess in that situation, and nanny 522, parenting is to blame.
YUCK! TEACH CHILDREN HOW TO PEE INSIDE!

Anonymous said...

1053, that was so disrespectful to the nanny!!!! Is that a name you will teach your child to call someone...SKANK????? How about if your child or your spouse calls you the same.

Jane Doe said...

All caps commenting is not permitted and will be deleted.