Thursday

Mid Manhattan Library in NYC

Received Thursday, December 20, 2007
Physical description of caregiver: Overbearing, Polish or Russian accent, very full figured nanny wearing a tight red spandexy top with rhinestone devil design on it, about 35 yrs. old, blonde hair pulled into very sparse pony tail.
Physical description of involved child/children: Two little boys dressed like foreigners in pleated trousers and blue pinstriped shirts and sweater jackets. I definitely detected a high English accent. The shoes the boys wore were cobbled, not store bought. I say this as I wonder if they were just visiting.
Address or venue of observed incident: At the mid Manhattan Library on 5th.
Date and time of incident: Just after 9AM, Wednes. Dec. 19
Detailed description of what you witnessed: The nanny was very angry and impatient with the little boys who were very close in age. Well heeled children, both under 3 years old who needed supervision. The nanny attempted to park them to the side, one in a stroller and disregard the other when she was accosted by an older woman who may or may not have been a library employee. The woman who approached the nanny was to speak to her about a beeping phone or it could have been pager. But the nanny became beligerent and argumentative. The incident escalated and the woman in a Polish or Russian accent insulted the woman calling her something like, "ugly munger". I stood watching horrified. The oldest little boy looked sad and fearful. The younger child was nearly asleep and unaffected.
Description of vehicle, bag, stroller that may aid in identifying involved caregiver: The stroller looked very basic with a thick black bar and royal blue seat and canopy. I wonder if it was a rental from a nearby hotel.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

First, I must say ... very good post, OP.
You seemed to be very observant, so unfortunately they may be only visiting. In which case there's not much chance of the Parents seeing this post.
Hopefully someone else in the Hotel will report her bad behavior to them.

Anonymous said...

If they are indeed out of towners and ENglish mommy stuffed her children with a nanny for the day, what was SHE expecting?

Anonymous said...

I am curious. How can you tell a cobbled shoe from a store bought shoe?

Anonymous said...

What is a cobbled shoe?

Anonymous said...

What is a cobbled shoe?

Anonymous said...

I think a cobbled shoe is one that is custom made by hand, by a shoemaker, or "cobbler." I suspect one would be very wealthy to have such shoes made for their rapidly growing toddlers.
I am just curious as to how one distinguishes such a shoe from another high end shoe.

Anonymous said...

This is terrible. Those poor little boys. If their family is visiting, I hope that this is not their normal nanny and just someone their parents hired for a day or for the duration of the trip.

mom -- I'm curious about that too, now that you mention it! I hope the OP (or someone else in the know) chimes in.

Anonymous said...

what the hell is high english>
and by cobbled shoes, do you mean. corrective shoes?

Anonymous said...

My take on Ops description of the little boys 'cobbled shoes' ... maybe they looked handmade; out of perhaps rubber or leather, maybe they had a buckle? When Op described the boys shoes, my mind immediately went back to the olden days and to what those poor little kids had to wear - the knickers and all.
As for High English - a very 'proper' accent?
Maybe OP could give us a few more hints? lol

Anonymous said...

What's the issue? The nany got into an argument and one kid watched? Welcome to real life.

Anonymous said...

12:02
No honey. It just went over your head.

Anonymous said...

This is a rather bizarre post. How could you detect an Oxbridge accent in a child under three? And dressed like foreigners! If you were in the burbs maybe, but in Midtown Manhattan you see all kinds of dress. What you described sounds like an outfit for a tt school interview.

Anonymous said...

What does tt mean?

Anonymous said...

tt stands for top tier (private) school.

Anonymous said...

Cool. Thanks. I'm from the south. We don't use that term. Or at least I didn't recognize it. My son is in a very nice private school, and we just say what it is.

Anonymous said...

In NYC private schools are ranked top tier, second tier etc, according to how selective and academically rigorous they are, what percent of grads. get into Ivy League colleges etc. It is crazy making!

Anonymous said...

Wow. Learn something new every day. Here, everyone knows which Private schools are elite and the most expensive. All you have to do is say the name. Out of all of them, one would be considered 'top tier', because only millionares can afford it. The rest are probably within the same league, and exceptionally good schools.

Anonymous said...

But wouldn't that suck to only be able to afford/attend a 2nd tier school?

Anonymous said...

I don't know. I puprosely did not send my kids to one of the "top tier" schools. Why? because they are CHILDREN first, and I thought it might be nice to let them PLAY sometimes, rather than have to do homework until late into the evening every weeknight and most of the weekend, as I see these "top tier" school children around here doing. Also, I thought my children might enjoy not having to worry about "clawing their way to the top of the heap," and putting them on antidepressants or nerve medication during their formative years.
The competitiveness here is appalling. Apparently a lot of children here are seen as status symbols through which their parents are hoping to best their friends, neighbors and colleagues. Pretty sad when you see the poor little kiddos who are not as bright, but have parents with enough money connections to get them into the best schools anyway...only the kids are literally unable to compete...which is completely impossible for their parents to accept, and so they ride the children into pathetic little bundles of nerves who never think they are "good enough"...because their parents can't even bother to hide their disappointment.

Oh, and of course these same children are enrolled in scads of "noteworthy" extracurricular activities in order to boost their eventual college application resumes (because a lot of the parents have already chosen the college the child will attend long before its actual conception.)

BTW My husband are both college educated and have enough money to send our children to any school we choose...so this is not a "sour grapes" opinion. It's what I see.

Anonymous said...

In NYC the schools admission is partly based on ERB test scores. They don't admit kids who can't handle the work.
You also can't buy your way in. There are many more applicants who can afford tuition than there are places. That is why it is so nuts. It is not unusual for a child with test scores in the gifted range and wealthy parents to apply to six schools, and only get into one.

Anonymous said...

Well, they're not supposed to admit them here either if they are underqualified...but I have seen it happen....more that once. You probably have too, but just don't realize it. Look for the children of the parents who just donated something really big to the school to be admitted...or the offspring of wealthy graduates/donors...or the children of somebody famous. Look for these same children to get a temporary suspension for infractions that would cause any other student to be permanetly expelled. The school won't ADMIT to you that they have "overlooked" the test scores a time or two. It either becomes obvious...or, in the cases I have personally seen, the parents can't keep from bragging about their "in" with the school. When we were looking at private schools, we even had a friend on the board of one very difficult to enter school offer to get our son admitted, sight unseen, to the school.

Anonymous said...

Mom

Let me just say ... I can vouch for that here, too. We pulled my son out of his (very elite) Private School last year because we couldn't stand the 'favoritism' shown to the students whose Parents donated wads of cash to the school.
Private Schools are not federally funded, and completely depend on the tuitions/donations to keep the school running.
The tuition was high enough, but every month, they would nickel and dime us to death for something.
Another thing that bothered me about the Private School ... is they have their own curriculum, it's not state-mandated. Plus, every other week they were going on Field Trips! Just another way for them to have their hand in my pocket, I guess.
But my son is in a terrific Public School now. He has grown leaps and bounds, especially socially. (My Husband and I used to joke that the kids at the Private School were "Stepford Kids" ... they seemed like robots there.) I mean, intellectually ... wow! Smart-ass kids. But in every other way? No thanks.
I thought I was doing my son a big favor and giving him a 'head start' against the world ... and all it did was hinder him.
And this is MY opinion, the only one that matters.

Anonymous said...

Private schools in the NYC area? It is well known that the rich children receive favoritism and get a free pass on everything from cheating to date rape. And if these children were so elite and well bred, why are they being caught in hallways and libraries performing oral sex on each other at age 11-13? Do you read the New Yorker? A private school is nothing to brag about. I mean all it means is that you are paying big bucks for a designer label. No substance. Much like "designer" pleather.

Anonymous said...

My kids are now in a more modest, private Christian school.
We did public school all the way through elementary school and were VERY pleased.
We tried public Junior High with two of the three and were appalled with what goes on in the schools at that level. We live in a "fantastic" school district academically, so we allowed my younger son to try the public high school at his request. Unfortunately, the schools are overcrowded, some of the kids are really rough, drugs are prevalent, and nobody in authority seems to care that there are butt cracks and boobies aplenty on display in every classroom. (And this would be considered one of the most desirable school districts around, so imagine what the others are like.)My son wanted out before the first year was over.

So we opted for a nearby private school where there is less snobbery than in the "tt" private schools. There is still favoritism, but our biggest issue has been dealing with some of the sanctimonious Christian mothers who think everybody else and their child is headed straight to hell, and aren't afraid to talk about it. We try to ignore them, or better yet, use them as a "Don't let this happen to you" lesson for our kids. On the plus side, the kids tend to be a little more innocent, the teachers know each child and treat them alll as individuals, and nobody is allowed to fall through the cracks. Everybody attends the Friday football games and participates in the school activities. It's kind of like a huge family...but, as I said, complete with the "crazy in-laws."