Received Friday, July 20, 2007
I saw a little boy maybe around 2 yrs old (give or take) with his nanny on Thursday, July 19th, on Park Place at the muffin shop. He was wearing denim shorts and had strawberry-blond hair. He was in what I think was a blue-ish McLaren stroller. There was a small purple & black bag hanging off of the stroller. It wasn't quite a diaper bag but looked like a smaller version of one-there was a sippy cup on the front of it.
The problem was not that I saw the boy with the nanny but that when I walked by store, the boy was sitting outside in the stroller by himself to the side of the door. I didn't think it was cool that this little guy was sitting out there by himself and when I peered in quickly to the store, I saw a woman ordering at the counter. She was not looking back. I waited there for a few moments as she continued to order and wait for her order and did not turn to check on the boy. When she came out I noticed her wearing a bright green shirt and she had medium tone black skin probably in her 40's maybe early 50? Hard to tell for sure though.
I just thought the parents should be made aware that their nanny would leave their child out in the street while she went into the store. I try so hard not to make judgement but in this world we live in today I just don't think that's a smart or safe decision to make.
Great Sighting OP, good details-
ReplyDeletebut we shoudl all have our cell phones handy for sights like this one.
:(
wow, what a dangerous world. People should realize this by now. I would freak out if I saw my baby left outside a store like that. Why couldn't she bring the baby in with her?? Doesn't make sense
ReplyDeleteperhaps the nanny was English or French? They tend to leave their children unattended, sometimes resulting in dire consequences.
ReplyDeleteWhy dont people ever confront them when they see something like this happen?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post and it was a good sighting... But I think more needs to be done then just posting on a website. Confront the nanny or whomever she was.
dude,
ReplyDeletehave you seen a park slope nanny in the flesh? There is a reason there are no home invasions in park slope.
Thats unfortunate. Maybe its my midwestern naivety coming through but you're in a public place.... Theres not much she can do without getting arrested in the process.
ReplyDeleteMy Park Slope nanny is gorgeous, 11:31. But I do know the type you speak of. JJ Byrne, anyone?
ReplyDeleteFunny line about the lack of home invasions. ROFL!
I would have cluelessly wandered into the small store front and bellowed "does this baby on the sidewalk belong to anyone in here?"
You would have shamed her, at least.
This is very bad behavior. I can't understand why people don't say something. I wouldn't have been able to leave without letting her have it.
ReplyDelete11:23...What makes you think the English or French neglect their charges? I am curious where that comment comes from. Are you French/English?
ReplyDelete12:32
ReplyDeleteI think maybe she's referring to that Danish woman who sued NYC because they brought her up on charges for leaving her baby outside a restaurant. She made a case that in her country it is commonplace to leave a baby outside. She actually won millions.
Crazy...I know...
I saw something quite similar the other day but didn't post it here because this is a US-based site and I am in London, plus I had no idea whether it was a parent or nanny who did it. There was a little girl in a buggy left on the pavement outside a Coffee Republic. I stopped and stood there in shock looking around for someone but the adult responsible for her must have been inside. It's not even a small shop, the buggy could have easily been taken inside. Plus it was blocking the pavement; I actually almost tripped on it. What a strange thing to do. I think even if your buggy is taking up half a shop people will generally be understanding because the alternative (leaving the child outside) just seems stupid. I'm not even around kids much but that kind of seems like a no-brainer.
ReplyDeleteMaybe she was thinking of Madeleine McCann's parents. They're British, as were their flock of friends. They all left their kids alone night after night while they dined on tapas. Now they're paying a very sad price.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the first post where someone has left a child outside a store. Just plain crazy and stupid. We're are not talking about a small town back in the 1800's which is probably when this was last acceptable. I am a nanny and I can't even imagine doing this, not for fear of being fired which I would be but because I am a decent human being and wouldn't leave a baby to fend for themselves on the sidewalk.
ReplyDeleteI think that wherever there are people who read this blog, they should post their sightings. Lots of Londoners read here. Why not?
ReplyDelete1:43...that is INSANE! I never heard that before. I really thought she was stereo-typing based on nationality.
ReplyDeleteWow! Shocking!! With all the wackos we hear about and see on the news everyday, how can anyone NOT be afraid of Baby getting stolen? I'm a nanny and would expect to be fired immediately if those were my actions. So sad.
ReplyDeleteIf only parents knew what their nannies were up to, although sometimes I wonder if they are in the mode "no news is good news" and don't wanna know?
ReplyDeleteOy, Miss Muffin & Her Stuffin is in a semi packed area, right? An appliance store next door? Lots of street parking.
ReplyDeleteWhat was this person thinking?
I feel guilty when I pull to the curb to drop my videos in the slot at Blockbuster and leave my dd in his carseat. (Lapsed time 11 seconds, distance from car, 14 feet)
Miss Muffin has some delicious Muffins. I send my nanny Saturday mornings in good weather with my DD. She would never dream of street parking my child!
ReplyDeleteMore people should have seen this and been outraged!
Why couldnt the nanny take the child out of the stroller, especially if its not a baby, I mean come on she didnt have to lift up the child did she. This is totally unacceptable
ReplyDeleteWhat she did was criminal! Call the police, report it and let them handle it/her. It is neglect and it is illegal. Not only should she be fired but arrested as well.
ReplyDelete1146 Lazy nanny slugs don't do that. That amounts to expending energy.
ReplyDeleteOh please! In every other country in the world, leaving a child outside for a minute or two is fine--We are a village, after all. Park Slope has so many "concerned" people around--ya gotta relax folks!! 85%-90% of all "kidnappings" are from custody disputes/interfamily situations. The random snatching is so rare--and Americans have become so fearful, it's a horrible way to raise our children. If you were there watching my kid when I came out, and expressed your "concern" I would tell you to mind your own business. Alarmist thinking does us more harm than good.
ReplyDeleteI do think the parents do need to be made aware. This is very common in many European countries. But the nanny should know that it is not acceptable here.
ReplyDeleteto Trip, the idiot
ReplyDeleteWe live in a different world than we did when things were more innocent and simpler. Better be safe than sorry, especially when you are putting a child in jeopardy. If you wish to take chances, please go ahead, just make sure your decision affects only you.
..." the specter of kidnapping by strangers should not be parents' primary concern; parents themselves perpetrate more than 98 percent of all kidnappings, according to the Dept. of Justice..."
ReplyDeleteThe world is not that different--we are. Our knowledge of events has caused an alarming trend of oversupervised children, who will never feel the freedom of those more "innocent" times.
10.46...Hey Trip "In every other country in the world, leaving a child outside for a minute or two is fine". Really?? Which are those countries?? Even in countries where 20 or 30 years ago would have been acceptable is not anymore, it is criminal. Traditionally child friendly countries like Italy, or Spain parents/carers carry their children into shops and restaurants, don't leave them outside. Children are never left alone.
ReplyDeleteGet your facts right, misconceptios about "all countries in the world" are ridiculous.
Trip and 12:51:
ReplyDeleteGoogle MADELEINE MCCANN and then you will see where the European mentality regarding childcare gets you. It's hardly something to be proud of.
Trip is the reigning idiot of the blog
ReplyDeleteLeave the stroller outside.
ReplyDeletePick the child up out of the stroller.
Anyone who does less is L A Z Y.
I agree - confront the person who leaves a child unattended. Yell something into the store about "whose child is this sitting out here by themselves?????" Shame them for sure.
ReplyDeleteAs we all know, foreigners are the most guilty of this type of thing. Please don't bring it to our country.
ReplyDeletenow THIS is something that should be posted. i would not want to explain to my parents how their child was taken while i placed an order for muffins! YIKES!
ReplyDelete2:06 YOU SOUND SO IGNORANT! please dont bring it to the boards.
ReplyDeleteWell you cheap mothers hire them...yes thats what I thought if it's not you it's someone you know who has a BIG BLACK ILLEAGAL NANNY!
ReplyDeleteSo just for thought as you leave your ignorant racist anonymous messages stay home with your own children so you won't have the foreigner caring for your precious little one. Just a Thought!