Received Thursday, April 3, 2o08- Perspective & Opinion
I have a question. I was recently fired because I sat a 21 month old child beside me on the counter while I washed 2 bowls. He was crying because his dad was leaving and I was trying to hurry and do the bowls so his dad could leave while trying to keep the child close and comforted. I have only worked for the family a couple of weeks but other than this offense, I have had a great relationship with the parents and children. I was surprised when I was fired over this action instead of warned not to do it again. I was right beside of the little boy, so I didn't feel like I was endangering him, but now that I look back on it, I see that it wasn't a good idea. My question is, do families normally fire their nannies for relatively small offenses like this? {PS, I am reliable, on time, do more than asked for the family, volunteer to do extra errands using my gas and car, and am otherwise extremely careful and loving with their children.}
82 comments:
Right, it was not your best judgement to have your hands busy washing dishes with a toddler sitting on the counter - even "right next to you". BUT.. I'm guessing your employer may have simply used that incident to justify firing you. Eventhough you're trying to go above and beyond for this family, there may be other things you did that rubbed them the wrong way, as well. It's hard to know, but this doesn't seem a major infraction to me. I don't understand why honest communication seems so difficult between nannies and employers. My experience has been, the harder I try to get straight answers/feedback, the more information my employer withholds...sometimes you just can't win - or win them over.
Not the best judgement, but you already know that.
There is no point to overanalyzing this to find out if other parents would or wouldn't have, because the 'deed is done'....
Sometimes the chemistry is just not there. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you, or anything wrong with them . . .but I would say if you have just been working a couple weeks ...well, it was just a getting to know you period.
And because the parents didn't have that much time with you (to really get to know you/what you would/wouldn't do), my best guess would be that they would've thought "OMG...if she lets the baby sit on the counter while WE are there....what would she do when we aren't?"
Again, not a true reflection on you ...because you sound insightful and honest with yourself (looking back, not the best thing to do); so really...try...as hard as you can not to get stuck in a rut feeling bad about this. You were new enough with them...that they didn't know the true you. YOU know yourself. We ALL have made silly mistakes. Hold what you KNOW you are in your mind, learn from this the best you can, and best of luck finding a new position
As the mother of a 20 month old, I cringed when I read that you sat the child on the counter with you.
I was very glad to see that you admitted it was poor judgment. I bet the child's parents have made many similar bad decisions. Therefore, I must agree that they had to have felt a lack of chemistry. Unfortunately they made this honest mistake out to be a much bigger deal.
Wow! I'd have to say that there is a whole lot more wrong than sitting the child on the counter. There has to be something else that was bothering the parents in the past two weeks.
And does it really bother parents all that much to have a child on the counter? I've done that for many reasons and never had a problem as long as I was nearby (and I mean, REALLY close - within a foot). 21 months old is not the same as 6 months...
Thanks for the input everyone. {BTW, I'm also a mother of a 20 month old and was treating the little boy as I would my own. I think that was the problem, I got too comfortable!} I think the thing that most bothered me was that up until that point they had told me they really liked me, trusted me, etc. but when they fired me they said they didn't feel comfortable leaving me with their kids and never would. Yet, just the day before they asked me to watch the kids at my house for the next two weeks because they were temporarily living in a hotel. I do know that the mother had only had her job for 2 weeks and was not very happy about being away from her kids. I just wish that they would have been completely honest about why they fired me. It really is hard to get over someone telling you that you have no "common sense" and that they could never leave their children with you when you are a mother as well. Being fired really stinks :(
Okay, so you made a mistake. We all do. And especially if you are young and don't have children, sometimes you don't realize what is really unsafe.
So its over. You can't change the past. Just go forward, and know not to do that again. Maybe, you will find a great family this time.
Oh and by the way don't use your car and gas to transport the kids around, or run errands. If your in an accident the insurance company can give you a hard time. Especially, if you don't tell them that part of your job is to haul other peoples kids around all day.
okay O.P. must have posted will I was typing out my say.
So O.P. you have a habit of putting your 20 month old child up on the counter while you wash dishes?? Doesn't make sense to me. I thought you must have been childless to do that. Then I see your a mom as well. I can't blame them for firing you.
Alot may have to do with the fact that parents think nannies do much worse when they arent around then what they do WHEN they are around... So they may have thought that if that was what was done while they were there what goes on when they arent.... It doesnt matter why they fired a parent has a right to terminate child care if they feel the least bit uncomfortable with their current child care...
1125-
I think you hit the nail on the head. You're a thinker!
Some of you parents are neurotic! Children aren't pieces of glass. I'm a nanny. I had my 2yr on the counter today in front of his Dad. He didn't flip, he didn't even take notice. It's not a big deal! Get over yourself parents! If you continue to treat your babies like they're glass they are going to run your lives once they're old enough to tell you off. OP you're not a bad nanny people are all different. I'm sorry your boss is an uptight person. I wish you had my boss, she's a doll and sweet! Loves her kids but isn't going to freak if her child has a scratch. Children are children!
1125, yes, they do have that right. I was just wondering whether this type of infraction would normally be viewed as such a grave mistake.
Jennifers Mom-- I knew there would be at least one person to make a very ignorant statement, how could you possibly know whether or not I make a HABIT of anything? But, so I don't dissapoint you {obviously you wanted an argument}, let me just say that I don't put my son on the counter {unlike the other child, he is a wiggler!} I was simply saying that I felt comfortable enough in this particular situation that THIS particular little boy would be safe beside me on the counter for the 2-3 minutes he was there. Obviously, his parents didn't agree and I'm ok with that.
Okay, I'm fallible.
When my kids were 2 and 5 I could not get shoes on them both at the same time and we were chronically late.
When my daughter started Kindergarten I'd put both kids on the kitchen counter and get shoes on them because I knew it was the only spot they couldn't escape from.
Oh, how I wish I could'a been fired some mornings....
OK, a 21-month-old is not a newborn baby who rolls over and flops to the floor if you walk away from the changing table. A 21-mo-old is a walking, talking child who can sit up on a counter with ease. I have seen lots of parents and caregivers set a child down on a counter for a moment. Haven't you ever seen a child sit on top of playground equipment much higher than a counter? OP Nanny, you did nothing wrong and so think nothing else of it. At least the job was only for a few weeks so if you don't get a reference at least you don't have a huge gap in your employment record to explain.
I really do not see the big deal with putting a child on the counter and there must be some other reason they fired you. I am not saying it is anything that you did wrong, but maybe they wanted to stay with the kids etc. And I would think that would be a warning, but so many parents put their children up on the counters. Some even younger than that and walk away for a second, I see it all the time in stores. So I do not think of it as a huge deal, the child was old enough. If it really bothered you maybe you could ask them, but that may give them a reason to tell you other things, so it just depends. I do think they were a little harsh saying you are not fit to watch their children. All you did was put a child on the counter.
Here is the part of this that I don't understand: why were you washing bowls? Assuming for the moment that washing dishes is part of your job description...why could they not have waited until later, when the child wasn't experiencing separation anxiety? You say you were trying to wash them so the dad could leave for work, but that makes no sense to me. Did the dad need to take the bowls with him? If so, could he not have washed them himself?
Someone has messed up priorities here. If it's you, I'm sorry but they were right to fire you. It's less a matter of putting the child on the counter and more a matter of focusing your attention on something unimportant rather than on the child's emotional needs. And if it was them -- if he insisted you wash these dishes at this particular time -- then you are far better off not to be working for them any longer.
I don't see the big deal. I put my charge on the counter all the time (He is 3 now). It brings him up to my level, there is lots for him to look at and play with. Some of you people are nuts, she was right there. The child is old enough not to fall off. Get over yourself. Sorry for your lose, you did nothing wrong.
Sounds like another crazy mom story to me. The mom was jealous of you because you got to spend all day with her kids while she had to go to a horrible job so in firing you (over nothing) she got her easy win to be able to quit her job and stay home.
Sorry you were the one wronged in the situation when it's probably just the Mom's issues.
7:27 wins for "post of the day".
Honestly, you should have put off washing the bowels and tended to the child.
But other than that, I think it was ridiculous for them to fire you because you had the kid on the counter next to you.
I guess I should be fired as a mom ... my kids like to climb up the counters and onto the fridge because that's where I keep the snacks. Kids will be kids, and they like to climb. Your charge was old enough that he could've probably climbed up there on his own anyway. Mine have been little monkeys since they were old enough to walk ...
Good luck finding your next job. Hopefully it won't be with a parent that treats their child like it belongs in a curio cabinet.
I don't get why you had to wash the bowls then and there. I also cannot imagine just how you had the child on the counter. Like others, I have placed my own children on the counter to shoe them up, but I stand right in front of them the entire time. To understand what you did, one would need to have a diagram of the kitchen of your employer,including what other objects were on the counter. My guess is if you were terminated for that, they probably had seen something previously that made them question your judgment. I wish you the best of luck, but the parents did what they needed to do. No parent should go off to work worried about the safety of their child and you did not give them a good feeling.
I've been out of the country for six months, but I'm back. Have you all missed me? Steve is back and life is wonderful. Don't forget to tune in to Steve on CBS 2 New York.
You had a child that was going through separation anxiety and decided to wash bowels instead of comforting him?
And then you had a Father fire you for having him on the counter and not consoling him?
Boy, is everyone's priorities mixed up or what?
About washing the dishes:
The parents were having to stay in a hotel for two week, so they asked me to watch the kids at my house for that time period. {Watching the children at my house from time-to-time was something we had agreed upon when I was hired.} The father was acting very strange that morning, frantically running about the house-- he said he was running behind which is why I was hurrying to do the dishes. I still don't understand why, but he was waiting for me to leave. I did the two bowls because the people to fix the sink and dishwasher were coming and nothing was to be left out in the kitchen. As for a grieving little boy left uncomforted-- I calmed him down and placed him on the counter next to me so that he would stay that way. I didn't realize I needed to be so specific! Pls., don't get lost in the details and forget the point-- I was not fired because I failed to comfort a baby crying-- I was fired because I put him on the counter. As a new nanny, I wrote this post to find out if parents are usually so offended by things like this, so I'll know what I'm getting into.
I have to believe that IRL the people like "Undercover Regular" that post here aren't as judgemental as they seem. {Which, BTW Undercover, I would/could not wash anyone's bowels... that would be gross!} I would hate to be the one on trial with her in my jury! Way to jump to some outrageous conclusions.
OP, all parents have different things that they think are extra dangerous. I have frneds who I think are overboard protective on some areas and lax in others...and I know that they probably see me the same way. I covered every outlet in the house, refused to let a toilet seat be up and cut all the cords on my miniblinds when my kids were small. I would have found any caregiver who did not feel the same about those things "negligent." But I sat my kids up on the counter to stir bowls when we were cooking. (My mom is extra careful in that area and would only sit toddlers inside the sink, because she was afraid of falling toddlers.) One of my friends didn't think carseats were necessary when driving in the neighborhood...but she wouldn't let her kids out of the car at a gas station because of the cancer risk form the gasoline. I used carseats everywhere, but let my boys help me with the gas pump because they thought it was really great to do such a "big guy" thing, and simply washed their hands afterward. My husband and I even had different ideas of what we did and didn't think was OK for the kids to do.
Maybe falling is just one of this dad's really big fears for his child? Or maybe people here are right and he saw other things that also made him nervous before that...or it wasn't a good personality fit.
In any event, it doesn't sound like it would have been a good fit for you to work for them anyway.
O.P. sounds very rude on here. Maybe, thats the real reason she lost her job.
12:02
you sound all kinds of crazy.
lol.
you really do.
:)
I agree that a 20-month old should be aware enough to not fall off the counter but it would depend on a child. Is he super active?
Some children can be trusted and some can't. One little girl I used to care for was lovely. She'd sit on a counter without EVER jumping off unless I said okay, hold my hand when we cross the streets (even at 18 months), I could even leave her alone for a bit to go downstairs (with the baby gate closed of course) to take something (her parents do the same) and she would be fine.
Then there's another child I cared for who can never ever be trusted to not have possibly fatal accidents (he'd lean over bridges etc and I'd have to hold on to his jacket) so I nearly never took him out because it was just so stressful and I didn't want to be responsible for anything.
1:40, you must mean that 1:18 sounds crazy because I can't see anything even sensational at all about 12:02 (mom's) post. Unless YOU are all kinds of crazy?
I dont see what the big deal is. As long as theres nothing for the toddler to lean over and touch. I have done that w/ all 4 of my children. I have sen the moms that I have worked for do that. 1 lil boy use to love to help his mom w/ the dishes and she would put him up there too.
2:30 you must be right. I wondered the same thing.
Yes, some people have nothing better to do. Than to write these longgggggggggggggggggggggggggggg replies.
Why don't you all get a job!
And yes, I have a job.
FWIW... I would have fired you too! If you do that kind of endangering behavior (NO CHILD OF MINE IS ALLOWED UP ON A COUNTER TOP) while I am watching you... what are you doing while I am gone!?
Just think of this as a learning experience and move on.
You are obviously a stellar employee too! Lets see, what time does your post read? 3:46pm? Uh huh.
Go show your boss how clever you are. I'm sure he'll get a real kick out of knowing what you do at work.
OP
I'm not trying to be judgemental. You made a mistake, and I'm sure you regret it because you lost your job because of it.
But honestly, the Father sounds like more of a dink than you do.
Try not to take my post too seriously.
☺
P.S.
I never conceded that you were washing anyone's bowels but yours.
O.k., I'm confused.
You said you were watching the boy at your house?
The father was running around frantically waiting for you to leave - at his house?
Then, whose bowels were you washing, yours? ... at whose house?
Please clarify.
I'm getting a headache.
She was washing bowls not his bowels LOL
I agree that kids are not made of glass but neither do they bounce well. Their little heads can bounce when hitting the floor from a high place. It is not a good idea to put a child up that high unless you have a hand on him/her.
I can see the parent getting disturbed over this and telling you never to do that again but firing you like that is a little harsh But maybe they had a child fall from a hard place onto a hard floor before and know the damage it can do. Skull fracture,concussion,stitches and maybe death. They were maybe feeling you would do it again?
Thank you everyone for your thoughts. I have learned from this experience and will definitely be more cautious in the future if I choose to pursue another nanny career. My question was answered-- I guess some employers are more particular about their children than I expected.
This will be my last post because I need to start looking for another job!
4:40
I hate to break this too you. Not all of us work the 9-5 business. Thank goodness I don't have a job like that. My husband and I own a autobody business. So I can work flexible hours. Nice being the boss!!!
Maybe, I will show my "boss" this site. He will get a kick out of it.
About the counter being dangerous or not-it really does depend on the child. I wouldn't put my 20 month old on a counter, or if I did I would never take my hands off him. He would fall for sure. He stomps around the house never looking where he's going, tripping and falling left and right, tries to leap from his dads shoulders onto me when he sees me, *dives* head first into the tub while I'm trying to undress him, etc. Of course, there are also children who can be trusted to sit on a counter no problem.
If I were the parent I would ask you not to put my son on the counter because I didn't trust his own judgment. I certainly wouldn't tell you you had no common sense and fire you.
You put the dishes "needs" before the child's. You got fired, deal with it.
As soon as my employer gets home she puts her little girl (a little over 2) on the counter to sit while we chat and she gets dinner started. It always does make me a little nervous, but it's easier than carrying her around, or trying maneuver around her while she's crying for you to hold her.
My question, then, to you parents who NEVER put your child on the counter is this: Do you also NEVER cook or clean? Or do you just ignore your child as she cries for your attention? Yes, you do have to have your priorities in order, but come on! Sometimes you have to forgo the plastic bubble, and just do what has to be done.
OP, unless this guy is a total boob, the counter thing was probably just an excuse. I agree with those who said the mom probably just decided she didn't like working anymore. Move on, you sound like a fine nanny! You'll find another family. ;)
I put my two year old on the counter all the time, and have done so from about the time he was 18 months old. If I need to get dinner started, he'll sit on the counter next to me and help me stir and measure. He feels like a big boy for helping, and I get to make dinner without him hanging off of my leg. You were right next to him! It's not like you went in the other room and left him there alone. You did nothing wrong.
I put my two year old on the counter all the time, and have done so from about the time he was 18 months old. If I need to get dinner started, he'll sit on the counter next to me and help me stir and measure. He feels like a big boy for helping, and I get to make dinner without him hanging off of my leg. You were right next to him! It's not like you went in the other room and left him there alone. You did nothing wrong.
I cooked and cleaned, but not while my children were crying to be held. Although since I am a SAHM it has always been easier to do my stuff around their needs, and they didn't tend to cry to be held very much (again probably because I was always around anyway.)
I'm ever so convinced that people do not read thoroughly
5:08
Ah - you got me, lol.
I knew better, and even thought "it didn't look right" ...
Good catch! Too funny.
8:49
"My question, then, to you parents who NEVER put your child on the counter is this: Do you also NEVER cook or clean? Or do you just ignore your child as she cries for your attention?"
I think normal, caring parents are there for their kids - BUT, maybe clean up after they go to bed.
The child doesn't always need to be underfoot.
I am fortunate enough that my kid can read/do homework/ play a game, while I cook dinner - I don't have to balance him on one knee or sit him on the counter in order to care for the rest of my family.
Who cares
enough of this post
get a grip. if ya don't like it, write something better.
3:53-You are the type of parent that good nannies avoid working for. Cuckoo cuckoo cuckoo.
I'm cuckoo for cocoa puffs!
I'm a nanny of 2 year-old twins and I cringe when they climb on the counters, which their parents let them do. Not that they've ever fallen, but it just makes me nervous. The leading cause of death in children under 4 are falls and accidents.(Excluding car accidents thats the leading cause of death in children 4-8 due to inadequate child restraints.) I don't think it makes anyone a bad parent/caregiver I'm just a nervous ninny, but maybe the dad is too. I don't think you should have been fired over this offense especially if it was a first mention of his disapproval of your actions. Good luck on the job hunt! Try moving down south, people are less uptight!(No offense, I promise, It's just our way of life to be more relaxed, and I can't think of a more PC word)
maybe a child, having previously been allowed on the counter, might decide it's okay to climb up there at other times when there is no supervision?
8:49
This is why they have play pens.
You place your child in this if you need to do your dishes or clean. They are safe and have something to play with. Sitting them on the counter or letting them crawl on the counter is not really necessary.
I don't know about you but I am not happy when people sit their kids on counters in the kitchen especially kids that are wearing diapers. We prepare food on those counters. It is bad enough when toddlers crawl up on chairs and beds and couches and fall off. The carpet takes away some of brunt of the fall but a tiled kitchen floor can hurt a child badly or kill them !
1:26
Thank you for bringing some extra insight. I'm sure many hadn't considered a diapered bottom.
That's a big deal.
Good job!
I think the nanny should have been fired. The boss probably saw something in what she did that made him concerened. As in, maybe anouther person could have done the exact same thing and not caused him any concern.
Undercover regular,
who are you? Or why are you undercover?
10:43, I'll bite. Do you mean the bowels/bowls, or something else?
Heidi
No reason. Just don't feel like using my moniker right now.
Thought using "undercover regular" would be funny.
Cali
I made the mistake of using the word "bowels", too. It's hilarious going back and reading it now. I don't know why 10:43 would say what she said over a stupid misspelling, so it must be something else, but I admit I'm curious, too.
The bowels/bowls thing was funny.
No big deal LOL . No one is perfect. You will always have a board monitor that corrects your grammar or spelling. They need something to do!~
CaliMom- it was just an observation! I mentioned about people on here not reading posts thoroughly- at times- but even misreading one word can change a post substantially! Not a big deal as I've done it myself and to 3:42:
if you were referring to me as some sort of board monitor who corrects spelling and grammar, you are addressing the wrong person. That isn't my deal. Have a nice Sunday.
Caring for children properly involves watching them obsessively & constantly and making sure they are never ever in danger. It's exhausting work, and there are some parents and nannies who are very nonchalant about it...think of the stories you hear on the news about children who drown in the family pool or slip under the riding lawn mower while Dad is trimming the grass, or children who fall from counters (yes, a fall from a countertop can kill a toddler) or windowsills and DIE. These deaths are ALL preventable!!!
If you're incapable or unwilling to commit to vigilant safety precautions with the children you're caring for, you shouldn't be given the responsibility at all.
The truth hurts, but there it is.
Highchairs...playpens...baby swings...even carpeted play areas on the floor...all safe and acceptable options for children who are "in the way" while you're doing the dishes or preparing meals.
This is a no-brainer.
Agree, why are we defending what O.P. did? Is it because she boasts about what a great employee she has been to them??
While I was a nanny for my first family, my employer placed her then 2 and a half year old on the counter and moved away for a second, he then proceeded to hit the butch block that held a couple knifes, which flipped off the counter and rained down on his baby sister who was sitting on the floor below, every single one landed around her but didn't hurt her, but that was all I needed to know I never would place them up for even a second.
Worst mistake I ever made during my nanny career was accidentally (I promise it WAS an accident!) shutting the family dog's tail in the door while I going from one room to another (ouch! yelp!)...the dog was sweet and old and slow-moving and I didn't realize he was there until it was too late.
I felt so guilty about his bruised tail that I confessed to my employers what had happened and offered to pay any vet costs if necessary...they just laughed it off and told me they understood and thanked me for putting a makeshift bandage on his tail.
But if I had put one of their children in danger, it would have been an entirely different story.
Better safe than sorry when it comes to kids.
Hmmm...if the child was distressed because his Dad was leaving, shouldn't the nanny have taken the time to hold the child and console him rather than wash a couple of bowls? Couldn't the dishwashing wait until later?
Just wondering...
I want her to explain why the bowls were so urgent too! I'm just really curious, and knowing that detail changes the story.
11:09, OP did explain it a bit more about the need to wash the bowls and the hurry, etc.
But here's a concept...If the child was upset about Dad leaving and Dad needed the bowls washed before he could leave, why couldn't DAD hold the child to comfort him while nanny washed the bowls? Or Dad wash the bowls while nanny comforted the child??
In any case, I can't see EVER setting a child on a counter. In our house, the countertops are part of the out-of-reach area where non kid-friendly things go, (like knives and scissors) and that's not to mention the risks of falling. I just don't see any reason to do it, but there will always be parents who take (IMO) crazy chances with their kids' safety, and they are always convinced that there is no danger at all in what they are doing.
Because nannies are required to do EVERYTHING. Didn't you know that? Once you hire a nanny you no longer EVER have to parent or clean anything in your house again.
So Sarah, you're saying that OP should give up nannying forever? And no one should go into that line of work?
I'm beginning to understand why so many E.coli bacteria are found in the kitchen. Uggh.
I would like to state for the record that on occasion we have all misspelled a word, and then somebody comes along and slams you for it.
However, 5:08 corrected me in such a way that we were all able to chuckle about it - and even though I felt like an airhead, I wasn't made to feel like an ass.
Too bad there aren't more "board monitors" like that, lol.
Leave the kid in the playpen and he'll scream his head off. I've seen plenty of kids like that. Dad gets mad and fires nanny.
Get another job already.
Ugh.. I am a nanny. And, I just read this imagining the dad standing there watching her juggle dishes and a screaming child and not even thinking about helping.
I would have called the police on you.
SHAME ON YOU, you child endangerer!
Yes, the dad need a kick in the ass. Why was he just standing there like a idiot. He didn't want the child to dirty his business suit
You weren't fired for no reason. There was obviously more going on. You said "they said they didn't feel comfortable leaving me with their kids and never would"....so it wasn't just this one instance. It was probably a handful of other things over the last couple of weeks that brought them to this conclusion....the baby on the counter thing being the dealbreaker. I am guessing there were other things that you may not even be aware were a problem for them.
It's already been said but, really....why would you bother with the dishes when a child needed you? The kids are who you were being paid to take care of. I have 4 kids....work full-time...still manage to get my cleaning done without ignoring a chld or putting them on the counter (which, regardless of many opinions here, is dangerous without a doubt.) The point isn't to bring the child 'up' to your level....it's to go to his.
4:29
Excellent post. And the last sentence is right on!
My neraly-three year old son climbs on playground equipment over my head. He has since shortly after he was two. It makes me nervous, but my job as parent is to let him explore his limits and learn. If I had a nanny, then that would also be the nanny's job. A counter, while potentially dangerous, isn't exactly the biggest deal in the world.
Also, I very much believe that many of the commenters here think a 21 month old IS akin to a six month old. My kid was climbing out of the pack'n'play, easily, long before he turned two. "Just put him in the playpen" is useless advice once you have a standing child.
Good luck with the job search, OP. The bonus of having lost your job so quickly is that you found out that you weren't compatible with that family QUICKLY, and didn't lose too much time, energy, and emotion on a family with much different ideas/standards than yours.
i nanny a 2.5 year old and also work in my church nursery, with the toddlers and infants, alot of the time i will put the boy on the counter so he can watch his milk being warmed and at the nursery i put the i am carrying around on teh counter while getting a snack or drink for them
the trick is if you put any child on teh counter, be sure to have atleast 1 arm infront or stand right in front of them, i never leave a child on the counter without making sure my arm or body is infront.
As a mom tis sure shows a lack of good judgment on your part. Babies can get hurt very badly falling off the counter. O would wonder about other decisions you have made if it were my child, the last thing a parents wants is to think one incident may turn into a pattern. I would have fired you too, especially since you were new on the job.
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