Thursday

Heckscher Playground in NYC

Received Thursday, May 17, 2007
This is more of an overheard sighting. The children were playing, content and their needs were being met. I was within earshot of your nanny. Your white nanny had brownish mid length hair and was wearing a black tank top and snug capris. She had a tattoo on her lower back by her waist band. She had brown eyes and was wearing squarish, gold rimmed shades. She was talking to a nanny or nanny friend of hers about the family she works for. I don't know you, but if someone did know you or your children, I think you would be very upset. The nanny was asking the other nanny why she was never curious and never snooped. The nanny with the tattoo said, "oh that's just not natural, everyone snoops." When the second nanny, a heavier set, multi racial (?) female with corkscrew curled hair asked her what she found, the tattoo nanny listed a bunch of things. Private things. Paper work. Intimate photographs. DVDs. Toys. Jewelry. Cash in coat pockets. The non snooping nanny said she would be worried about getting caught snooping around on a nanny camera.
Then tattoo nanny goes on to say how great the kids are she watches but that the parents are tough to handle. The father "just doesn't get kids". The heavier set nanny said something about being lucky about her job working for a single mom who she got along well with. Then tatoo nanny said something like, "being inside some one's home and having access to their private things is a really powerful thing. you might think some of these employers who treat nannies like s--t would realize this". The tattoo nanny had two children running up to her. I don't know if one was the heavier set multi racial nanny's charge or they were both hers. One of the two was a girl who had dark, dark hair and very pale skin. She was about 4 but very thin for a 4 year old and was wearing a flowered shirt. (little flowers all over it). The other child was a boy of about 3 with thick rusty, brown hair, a dark blue polo shirt, blue jeans and white tennis shoes with white stripes. The nanny with the tattoo was wearing dark rinse jeans and sandals or flip flops. This occured approximately 2 PM yesterday, Wednesday. Worth noting is when the children came within the nannies area to get a drink or say something, the conversation was stopped. So the children didn't hear anything bad being said. A lot was said when the children were playing though. I just can't chronicle it all.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

People gossip about the bosses, it happens all the time in all sorts of jobs.

Anonymous said...

Do people snoop in all jobs?
Isn't that the worst combination? A nanny who snoops and gossips? It isn't the same when you have access to someone's intimate things!

Anonymous said...

So was "tattoo" nanny wearing "snug capris" or "dark rinse jeans?"
. . .

Anonymous said...

10:44,
Agreed. People need to get over it. If you don't want your nanny to tell people you're a weirdo, don't act like one.

Anonymous said...

11:37,
AKA Inspector Gadget.
She was wearing snug capris. They fell about midway between her ankle and her knee. They were dark denim.
Do you need a visual?
I didn't have my camera!
And I don't think a nanny gossiping about her boss is the same as someone in the corporate world. Nannies have access to our most intimate moments and possessions. True, it is a reason to treat your nanny well- but I think it is a reflection of her character to talk the way she did about her employers.

Anonymous said...

oh come on, are you serious?

http://tinyurl.com/2fnxum

Anonymous said...

I think there is a big difference between bitching about your employer to one of your friends over a bottle of wine (preferably in the privacy of your own apartment) and bitching while on the job in the presence of children, colleagues, and the rest of the world.

The difference is true for nannies and people in the corporate world. I definitely agree that this nanny was not behaving appropriately.

However, if you employ a nanny and you believe that because of the special relationship you two have, the fact that she works in your home, or any other mitigating factor keeps her from gossiping about you when she's with her friends, I think you are fooling yourself.

Everyone blows off steam from time to time, the way you chose to do it is what determines the kind of person (and employee) you are.

Anonymous said...

I cannot believe that someone would sit and eavesdrop on someone else's (private) conversation, then discuss it here! Is what you are doing any better than what the nanny is doing? This board is filled with a bunch of noisy biddies, get over yourselves!

Anonymous said...

Are you serious? You took up a whole page to describe that? Get a life. Everyone in the world has talked trash about their job. Maybe next time follow her around with a video camera and a microphone. You had to have been staring into this lady to give such a good description. Weird.

Anonymous said...

If the children were safe and their needs were being met as stated by the OP, I don't even know what the point of this post was. Franky, it was boring and very wordy.

Anonymous said...

I am a nanny and would never dream of snooping in my employer's things. Venting about your boss to your friends on your own time (not with the kids) is completely different than going through someone's personal items. I think having a privacy clause in contracts is a must, for a protection against the type of nanny described here.

Anonymous said...

Silly post!

Anonymous said...

people bitch about their jobs and their bosses. often on company time. or have you never complained about your boss on a person call from your desk?

Anonymous said...

Everyone should invest in a nice shredder, and a nice security compartment somewhere in the house/apartment. The snooping nanny sounds like a spiteful blackmailer. I hope her boss sees this site soon.

Unless your boss is being abusive, or they are endangering their kids, it is nice to limit what information you share about your boss. It is nice to keep the following information private:
-plastic surgery
-relationships
-health information
-pregnancy tests
-security information. etc

Just my two cents :)

Anonymous said...

I agree it's only human to complain about your Boss. But you do have to be careful who may be listening ... you don't want it to come back and bite you in the ass. However -- snooping is something totally different. That is a complete invasion of privacy ... just imagine all your most intimate details shut away in your bedside table, etc. Now ... imagine someone rummaging through it - doesn't feel too good, huh?
I once had a friend that put tiny pieces of folded paper between the drawers ... if they weren't there when she came home, she knew about it. Paranoid? maybe ... but it worked!

Anonymous said...

was your friend a "sahm" who ran "secret missions" in her "spare time" ?

Anonymous said...

My husband & I employ a nanny.. we knew before we hired her, or anyone else for that matter, that it is in fact human nature to snoop..many,many,many people simply cannot help themselves. We are surprised at the people who have so much to hide..all our nanny might possibly find is a Kama Sutra book and a few pair of crotchless panties!! Just what is it that you people have to hide. Put your bank statments and passports/ss cards in a locked/fireproof 8x11 safebox and be done with it..If you still have naked pictures of your selves and pictures smoking joints or other questionable things like that laying around .porn..pills..bathroom cupboard full of prescription pills..you have no business having kids let a lone a nanny..grow up and get on..if you have that much to hide you have major issues!!

We love uor nanny and she loves us..but like all family type relationships....you eventually can get on each others nerves..we all vent...she was sitting venting with a friend..she was not airing it on the local tv station!I am sure my nanny vents.... just as we..for the record..all you vain people who have your plastic surgery but don't want anyone to know..we know we are just to polite to say anything!!!! Get over it...such vanity!!

Anonymous said...

so you are saying it was your nanny?

Anonymous said...

Hmm... They call them tramp stamps for a reason!