Madison Street Park in Hoboken, NJ

Received Thursday, May 22, 2008 -
You need to have a chat with your nannies.
Background:
I am a WOHM in NYC. We let go our nanny of 2 years about 2 months ago. Our child needed a different sort of care now that our daughter is two. Our former nanny did not read to the child, plan activities, participate in activities, like to walk far, want to take the child to any classes or programs, want to work late, want to travel with us, want to participate in potty training, etc. etc. etc. So, we sent her on her was with 4 weeks severance pay, which is double the recommended formula of 1 week for every year of employment for a live out, 2 weeks for every year of employment for a live-in.

Today:
I am home now as we haven't found the nanny we want yet. My arrival at the playground our neighborhood, (Madison Street Park in Hoboken) this afternoon, (5/22) was met with anger. Because I am a working mother, I don't know many of the mothers who would be at the playground on a Thursday afternoon. But your nannies knew me by my child. The two spent the time I was there (which was about 25 minutes) laughing, pointing their finger at my and my child and making rude comments alluding to the suggestion that I treated their friend like garbage. And taunting my presence at the playground by loudly saying, "bitch is never going to find another person to work for her, she should get mighty comfortable pushing that stroller". All sorts of comments again suggesting that the way we treated her friend was unfair.

In truth we gave their friend two more chances and then two more and then another. We liked her as a person but as a nanny she was nearly lethargic. She had bursts of energy but was no match for my child. The nanny has always been in to television, which worked well when our daughter was an infant. Things change. The job description tightened up as our child grew and began to explore and we saw her mind as the hungry sponge it was. So we let the friend go. This is how they treat me because of that? And this is how they treat my child?

These nannies care for children in the same age group as my children and were close witness to their behavior today. The children stared curiously as the two wicked nannies laughed and pointed and swore. I have to wonder if the parents who employ these nannies are comfortable with this sort of behavior around their child. I found their behavior as reprehensible as it was juvenile. I did not feel comfortable enough to approach the duo, so I didn't. I left with my child because the situation was uncomfortable and I was afraid to make it worse.

One of the nanny's is named Alicia or Letisha. She is white or Hispanic, short, with thick dark hair, ruddy skin and bad posture. She was wearing white pants and an orange long sleeved shirt. The other nanny was the louder, more obscene of the two. She is medium height, probably 315-345 pounds with a receding hairline, eyes set close together and a double chin. She wore lots of make up, dressed in black pants and a long black sweater and had a green print scarf around her neck. If these are your nannies, I wonder what you would think of the way they treated their previous play date. And I wonder what you think of the nannies being unkind to your child's previous playmate, a playmate the oldest of your children was desperate to say hello to. The largess nanny held her back. The big nanny watches two children who are 1 and a boy and 3 and a girl named Emma or Emily but called "Emmi". The nanny who is named Alicia or Letisha watches one girl who is right under three years old and is named Lauren.