I saw your nanny yesterday evening (July 9th) at approximately 6PM. She was caring for a boy of about 5 and a little baby in a stroller. The baby was not old enough to walk and the boy was very busy playing on the climbing apparatus and sliding down all of the slides. The little boy seemed happy and he did not appear to need anything from his nanny. The baby was a bit fussy. She suckled on a paci and would throw it out of the stroller every five minutes or so. There is a low wall by the main structure and the nanny was sitting on it with the stroller parked next to her. After twenty minutes or so, two young men who appeared to be, based on demeanor and dress, day laborers and friends of the nanny, joined the nanny. One stood and one sat next to her. Each of them had what I have every reason to believe to be alcohol in a paper sack which they drank from. One of them appeared to be drinking a tall can of beer and one appeared to be drinking a 40 of beer (based on size and shape). The guy drinking the 40 ounce shared a few sips with the nanny. The nanny had been rinsing the paci with water from a bottle when the baby through it. When the baby through it again, the man with the 40 told her in Spanish not to wash it. He put the paci back in the baby's mouth and I know there was sand on it. The baby spit it out and then eventually put it back in her mouth. I didn't see the baby throw it again, but that doesn't mean I think that was a good idea. The men sat with the nanny for about a half hour. They were talking in Spanish and scratching lottery tickets. They left and soon after the nanny left. The boy had no contact with the men, except to notice them, he was busy playing. The stroller was brown and green with a grey base. I don't know the brand. The baby was very fair, blonde and was shielded by the stroller cap and a peach checked blanket the nanny had hanging off of the stroller cap. The little boy was not as fair as his baby (sister I think but not absolute). He had on camouflaged shorts that were grey and black. The nanny was wearing blue jeans that were cut off below the knee and a white t-shirt that said "Indiana" in red and blue letters. She was of Mexican descent and had straight dark hair.
Thursday
Manzanita Park in Reno, NV
Received Thursday, July 10, 2008
I saw your nanny yesterday evening (July 9th) at approximately 6PM. She was caring for a boy of about 5 and a little baby in a stroller. The baby was not old enough to walk and the boy was very busy playing on the climbing apparatus and sliding down all of the slides. The little boy seemed happy and he did not appear to need anything from his nanny. The baby was a bit fussy. She suckled on a paci and would throw it out of the stroller every five minutes or so. There is a low wall by the main structure and the nanny was sitting on it with the stroller parked next to her. After twenty minutes or so, two young men who appeared to be, based on demeanor and dress, day laborers and friends of the nanny, joined the nanny. One stood and one sat next to her. Each of them had what I have every reason to believe to be alcohol in a paper sack which they drank from. One of them appeared to be drinking a tall can of beer and one appeared to be drinking a 40 of beer (based on size and shape). The guy drinking the 40 ounce shared a few sips with the nanny. The nanny had been rinsing the paci with water from a bottle when the baby through it. When the baby through it again, the man with the 40 told her in Spanish not to wash it. He put the paci back in the baby's mouth and I know there was sand on it. The baby spit it out and then eventually put it back in her mouth. I didn't see the baby throw it again, but that doesn't mean I think that was a good idea. The men sat with the nanny for about a half hour. They were talking in Spanish and scratching lottery tickets. They left and soon after the nanny left. The boy had no contact with the men, except to notice them, he was busy playing. The stroller was brown and green with a grey base. I don't know the brand. The baby was very fair, blonde and was shielded by the stroller cap and a peach checked blanket the nanny had hanging off of the stroller cap. The little boy was not as fair as his baby (sister I think but not absolute). He had on camouflaged shorts that were grey and black. The nanny was wearing blue jeans that were cut off below the knee and a white t-shirt that said "Indiana" in red and blue letters. She was of Mexican descent and had straight dark hair.
I saw your nanny yesterday evening (July 9th) at approximately 6PM. She was caring for a boy of about 5 and a little baby in a stroller. The baby was not old enough to walk and the boy was very busy playing on the climbing apparatus and sliding down all of the slides. The little boy seemed happy and he did not appear to need anything from his nanny. The baby was a bit fussy. She suckled on a paci and would throw it out of the stroller every five minutes or so. There is a low wall by the main structure and the nanny was sitting on it with the stroller parked next to her. After twenty minutes or so, two young men who appeared to be, based on demeanor and dress, day laborers and friends of the nanny, joined the nanny. One stood and one sat next to her. Each of them had what I have every reason to believe to be alcohol in a paper sack which they drank from. One of them appeared to be drinking a tall can of beer and one appeared to be drinking a 40 of beer (based on size and shape). The guy drinking the 40 ounce shared a few sips with the nanny. The nanny had been rinsing the paci with water from a bottle when the baby through it. When the baby through it again, the man with the 40 told her in Spanish not to wash it. He put the paci back in the baby's mouth and I know there was sand on it. The baby spit it out and then eventually put it back in her mouth. I didn't see the baby throw it again, but that doesn't mean I think that was a good idea. The men sat with the nanny for about a half hour. They were talking in Spanish and scratching lottery tickets. They left and soon after the nanny left. The boy had no contact with the men, except to notice them, he was busy playing. The stroller was brown and green with a grey base. I don't know the brand. The baby was very fair, blonde and was shielded by the stroller cap and a peach checked blanket the nanny had hanging off of the stroller cap. The little boy was not as fair as his baby (sister I think but not absolute). He had on camouflaged shorts that were grey and black. The nanny was wearing blue jeans that were cut off below the knee and a white t-shirt that said "Indiana" in red and blue letters. She was of Mexican descent and had straight dark hair.
Nasty. That's the only word I can use to describe this post. Perhaps the parents of these children should hire a real nanny, not keep this one around for much longer.
ReplyDeleteomg..are you serious?
ReplyDeleteSo, now because the nanny's freinds are not to your liking she is a bad nanny? These guys probably worked their asses off all day and were enjoying a cool drink! It has been hot as hell in most places! you don't know what they were drinking!! How can you assume like that? you cannot take"every reason to beleive" into a courtroom!!Quit assuming!
Nannies run into people they know all the time. It is not a crime to talk with them as long as the children are cared for and except for the paci, yuk, these children were!
(Pacifiers are disgusting anyhow..none of my children ever had one!)
and what the hell did the fact they were speaking Spanish have to do with anything??
You probably would rather this nanny hang out with clean,english speaking welfare mamas or unemployment pros who have no need for a cold drink cause they sit on their asses all damn day long!Jeesh!!
These kids were taken to a park and watched and cared for..what more do you want?!
EWWWWWW!!!!!! Put a dirty pacifier back in the kids mouth. And was drinking on the job!!!!!! FIRE that nanny!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteomg..are you serious?
So, now because the nanny's freinds are not to your liking she is a bad nanny? These guys probably worked their asses off all day and were enjoying a cool drink! It has been hot as hell in most places! you don't know what they were drinking!! How can you assume like that? you cannot take"every reason to beleive" into a courtroom!!Quit assuming!
Nannies run into people they know all the time. It is not a crime to talk with them as long as the children are cared for and except for the paci, yuk, these children were!
(Pacifiers are disgusting anyhow..none of my children ever had one!)
and what the hell did the fact they were speaking Spanish have to do with anything??
You probably would rather this nanny hang out with clean,english speaking welfare mamas or unemployment pros who have no need for a cold drink cause they sit on their asses all damn day long!Jeesh!!
These kids were taken to a park and watched and cared for..what more do you want?!
2:35 PM
YOU are out of your mind!!!!!!! The nany was drinking beer while working. And she put a dirty pacifier back in the child's mouth. Those are the problems...not the fact that anyone was speaking Spanish! Grow up...you're just a crazy maker who's picking a fight. Thank you to the original poster!
303 when someone states " I have every reason to beleive" there is no guilty verdict.
ReplyDeleteUnless the op knows without a doubt that what was in that bag was beer she should be very careful..she could cause someone to lose their job becuse she assummed something.
I agree with the pacifier..that was gross..not sure I understand why a nanny would consistently wipe off a pacifer and then chnge her MO ? but hey, I was not there.I awill takw the op's word for it.
As to the mysterious bag..the op herself can not say for certain what she saw and I for one beleive in "innocent until proven guilty"
I truly hope you do too!
hey crazy maker is umasslytherins word..is that you uma? Posting anonymous at 3:03?
ReplyDelete3:18, Why would she post anonymously? Give me a break with a BLOG-PARANOIA.
ReplyDeleteI understand what 2:35 is saying. This post DID sound very pretentious and superior. Day laborers? That went beyond an innocent description. However, what OP saw is cause for alarm. Of course we don't know for sure what was in the paper bag. I guess it could have been a COOL, REFRESHING, DRINK but logic dictates that it was probably some sort of alcoholic beverage..hence the concealment in a paper bag. You usually don't see people drinking soda or juice from a bag.
Good job looking out, OP.
*with the
ReplyDeletejxj..318 here..It was just an observant question. Umasslytherin usually is the one to come up with the fun ,off the wall words.She has used that one several times before and so i thought maybe it was her?
ReplyDeleteNo paranoia..just an honest question. why is everyone always so darn uptight? Good greif
Sorry, my bad. I thought it was an attack. Maybe I'm the paranoid one :-)
ReplyDeleteThats ok jxj..I can't post anymore on this blog! Everyone is always so damn grouchy! Thanks though for the apology. I am outy!
ReplyDelete3:28
ReplyDeleteI have actually seen a couple of other people pick that word up, lol. I wasn't sure who it originated with, but I knew it started here a couple weeks ago!
..... actually, isn't "crazy-maker" the name of a book?
ReplyDeleteIt fits perfect with a troll/troublemaker.
UMass started it? Not surprised, lol.
wow, I am becoming way too popular on this blog. I'm so not worthy.
ReplyDeleteyes, I have used the word "crazy-maker," however that is not my anon post. sorry to disapoint. I actually first heard the term on this board.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I'm not exactly sure what the nanny has done wrong here. It sounds like she was just chatting with some friends in the park while caring for the children. She definitely should not have given the pacifier to the girl after it dropped on the ground, but I don't see anything wrong other than that. Who even knows if it was alcohol those mean were drinking? And even if it was, I don't think it's a problem if the nanny wasn't drinking and was properly caring for the kids.
ReplyDeletei'm not sure popular is the word we're looking for here umass! im never grouchy 318 so you can't say everyone! heh!
ReplyDeleteThe nanny was drinking beer...that's what's wrong. Crazymakers...all of you!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I’m missing something, but I'm not exactly sure what the nanny has done wrong here. It sounds like she was just chatting with some friends in the park while caring for the children. She definitely should not have given the pacifier to the girl after it dropped on the ground, but I don't see anything wrong other than that. Who even knows if it was alcohol those mean were drinking? And even if it was, I don't think it's a problem if the nanny wasn't drinking and was properly caring for the kids.
ReplyDelete3:52 PM
___________
She was drinking beer on the job...that's wrong!
Eh, I think popular is a good description. Most of the posters seem to like Umass. She brings a sort of comic relief around here ... and I happen to find her pretty funny myself.
ReplyDeleteBesides, she introduced me to Michael Pitt, lol.
As for this Nanny, the way the post was headed, I was actually waiting to read that she poured beer on the paci to rinse it off.
That was pretty nasty what she did, hopefully the kid won't get sick.
You never know what kind of animals roam through those parks at night. They have to go to the bathroom somewhere.
407&408..ookay, so you were at the park..and you looked int he bag..pls tell us this is true so we too can find the nanny as guilty as you have with a clean conscience.
ReplyDeleteHere is a true story.
before i became a nanny I used to sell jewelry at the local flea market.
I love Good & Plenty candies.
As I was selling I would pour a few candies on the table under a ring pad ( candy was then out of everyone else's veiw)and stash the big candy box. I did this just to appear a bit more professional, rather than standing there with a huge box of candy in my hand.
One hot,slow afternoon I sighed, grabbed a candy(a white one) and popped it in my mouth.The lady standing at my booth looked at me like I had two heads and made a tsk sound while shaking her head at me!
Me being me said"what"?
I know what she thought she saw..I told her it was a candy, grabbed the box out of my car, flashed it at her and then told her to she should be ashamed for making assumptions without knowing the facts!!
She said to me" well you sighed and then popped this big white "pill" in your mouth"
I told her she was an idiot and to move it along!
I was 20 when that happened. I am glad to have learned such a valuable lesson at such a young age!
Don't assume..get the facts..you can really mess with someones life!!
The OP did not say "she was with a pack of dirty illegal mexicans sucking up beer" She explained and gave details in her post.
ReplyDeleteShe also said the nanny was also enjoying the beer while taking care of children and I doubt very much if her employers would appreciate her drinking beer and shoving a filthy paci in thier childs mouth.
The brown bag is a pretty common thing . Some people think if they keep their beer in the bag that cops are too stupid to realize that they have beer.
I go by a place that drops off day workers on my way to work everyday and at the end of the day they get a cold beer and keep it in the bag and I see other people doing the same thing. I see a neighbor doing this when he works on his car because it keeps it cooler than one of the rubber things people also use. You can bet these guys were having a cold beer so what?
The point really is the nanny was drinking beer on the job and stuffing a filthy pacifier in the kids mouth.
Someone always wants to make it racist if you say what nationality a person is or decribe how they were dressed (makes you a snob) . It usually is the people who are of the race you are talking about that want to start this crap.
So can I complain everytime someone talks about a white nanny?
You give a description of the person and it does not make it racist. They were speaking Spanish hence she could not understand what they were saying.Probably verifying they were Hispanic so people can't start yelling"How do you know they were hispanics?? or 'How do you know she wasn't the mom". She was covering all bases and still got that racist crap.
Not Hispanic
ReplyDeleteNot Latin
Not Spanish
Mexican!
this a bumper sticker and a T-Shirt worn in my area..By Yes, I am going to say the filthy word..Mexicans!..some of you could use it!Like 5:19..who is trying so hard to stay on the politically correct side of the tracks!
don't try so hard..it makes you look , well..somebody who is trying to hard!
OP did understand what they were speaking in Spanish:
ReplyDelete"When the baby through it again, the man with the 40 told her in Spanish not to wash it. He put the paci back in the baby's mouth and I know there was sand on it."
Wait. HE (the guy) put the paci back in the mouth, not the Nanny. We've been reading this post wrong.
speaking Spanish does not mean that the person is Mexican....
ReplyDeleteSpeaking spanish does not make you a Mexican. I can listen to someone speaking spanish and tell if they learned it in school, they speak it as a first language or they are Colombian, Peruvian or Mexican.
ReplyDeletePlease stop underestimating the intelligence of normal people.
Okay, lets all get over the "mexican" comment.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't THAT bad of a word.
I really don't get this post. Ok, none of us should drink on the job but exactly how were children endagered by the nanny having a few sips of beer? No one is that much of a lightweight. And about the pacifier, get over it - it's just dirt!
ReplyDeleteI know right..
ReplyDeleteI could seriously do half a crack pipe or snort three lines and if anything I would be more fun for my kiddies, not less fun.
Party on.
12:48, really? Of course a few sips of beer won't cause her to be drunk and stumbling. That's not the point. You have a responsibility while you're on the clock. That responsibility is DOUBLED when it involves taking care of someone else's children. If in fact it WAS beer, that nanny had absolutely NO RIGHT to even sip while she was in charge of another person's children...
ReplyDeleteI doubt the children were endangered at that moment, but who knows what other behaviors she may partake in...It could have been a one time deal, it may not have been...that's something none of will ever know...but it makes you wonder. Which is why I think this was a great report on OP's part. If the parents see it, they can take it from there and confront the nanny.
2:35 you are an idiot. Was that even a real posting?
ReplyDeleteAs a former young live in nanny I was sometimes offered wine or stronger drinks on new years parties or other events. I always declined, because no one should ever drink on the job or have booze on their breath when they play with their charges. If your a mom- do as you please, but not a nanny.
I don't think the paci incident was nearly as gross as it was mean. Sand in a babies mouth? What is it suppose to rinse it with? The beer in the nannies hand?
I don't really care if she was hanging out with people she knew- the kids weren't playing or interacting with them.
Ps. Stop picking on umass bitches! She's awesome, funny and cool!
ReplyDelete1) In some parts of the country (for example, I live in Houston), it is very obvious if someone is MEXICAN, as opposed to other Hispanic countries of origin. Those of you who don't live in these parts of the country may not recognize the traits and finer details that make it obvious, but we do. This is not a derogatory statement by any means. It is just information.
ReplyDelete2) A sip of beer (or 3) is NOTHING. Get over it!
3) Half the infants I know eat sand... and guess what? They're ALL STILL ALIVE.
I too ate sand as a kid and no I turned out just fine- or so I like to think. There is however a dif between deliberately sticking a dirty pacifier in an infants mouth( to teach it a lesson) and sticking sandy fingers in your mouth by accident through exploring.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I'm really caught up on is the "just a few sips" of beer or whatever it was. Shame on you nanny!
What I want to know is why in the world the nanny would bring the children outside right now???? We have a pollution alert and children are on the list that should not be taken out. The alert was not issued as of Wednesday evening, but was out Thursday morning first thing. Still, the air was brownish-grey on Wednesday and was so smoky! Those kids should have been inside playing!!
ReplyDeleteI have seen moms put dirty pacis back in their kids' mouths, so while it is not good, it's not the end of the world either. Personally I don't think just wiping off helped the paci anyways, it was pretty much just as filthy with or without the water on it- she should have taken it away until she could properly clean it.
I don't know if there was alcohol or not, but honestly, with the crappy nannies we seem to have in this town, I wouldn't be surprised if it was. The nanny should be fired though- she seems very neglegent anyway. The baby was probably fussy because it was near 100-degrees outside on Wednesday, probably still around 90 in the evening.
Unfortuneately, childcare is so bad in this area, probably 80% of the "nannies" and providers I saw were SO FAR below my very high standard. I mean... not even a little bit close.
Pacifiers are simply a tool to shut a child up. If a child is crying, there is a reason.Instead of shoving a pacifier in his or her mouth( the easy out)..why not figure out what is wrong and try and fix it?
ReplyDeleteI cannot STAND seeing these two yr olds walking through the store with a pacifier hanging out of his/her mouth! Mom and dad should be ashamed that they have allowed that to happen.Lazy parenting, very lazy parenting!
While the Mayo Clinic gives paci's the greenlight..there more cons than pros..and the pros can affect children later in life with dental issues and ear infections as well as having a 4 yr old child completely dependent on a pacifier and not capable of understanding why it is now being taken away?
Paci's get on my nerves more than anything else! Everytime I see a 4 yo walking around with one I want to snatch it out of their mouth and shove it in the parents mouth!
ReplyDeleteOkay, side note: have they never heard of one of those paci strings so the thing won't keep falling?
ReplyDeleteAnd, wtf! I can't believe nannies do this! My bosses tell me I'm welcome to have ppl visit, etc, but I always get permission before my DH might stop by for a visit (which they approve of and have become friends with anyways).
So judgemental 1:04.
ReplyDeleteI have no opinion regarding pacifiers, period, but accusing people of lazy parenting because you disagree with something relatively minor that they're doing is a bit extreme. Lighten up. And please spare me the scientific studies about the harmful effects they have on children later in life. I've heard it all before. Thanks.
My daughter has a Hannah Montana pacifier, and she rocks it. She rocks that paci.
ReplyDeleteRock and Roll, Miley.
Rock. And. Roll.
You can take a child's pacifier away gradually when the time is right to break the habit. You can't take away the child's thumbs, so preventing a thumb sucking habit with a pacifier is, in my opinion, a relatively good idea and not a sign of lazy parenting.
ReplyDelete104 here well, JXJ, yes, I do admit you are right. I am very judgemental when it comes to pacifiers. I always have been, even as a teenager. I do not know why.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it was because we (my siblings & I ) never had them as children? Or because when I babysat as a teen I saw these things constantly shoved in mouths so that mom & dad could talk and finish getting ready for date night without being interupted.
I go to the park often. I would say 90 percent of the toddlers(1-3) have a paci in their mouths. i do not even know if these children talk?? I know the moms do..to each other.
Between the ages of 18 months and 2, all of my children were speaking in complete sentences. Please before I get jumped, let me explain. I am not a hoilier than thou, look what my child can do and yours can't parent. My point is, I do not feel that my children are in anyway more gifted than anyone elses. I feel that they all spoke so clearly and so well because we took time to talk with them and they had no paci occupying their mouths and otherwise keeping them from talking.I see babies that cannot sleep without paci's. I see children much too old who are dependent on pacis.
An otherwise bright 2 yr old should be singing and talking with other children and not sucking on a pacifier.
So, yes, I concede to your remark. I am very judgemental when it comes to pacifiers.
I simply beleive that they are more of a comfort to a lazty parent than they are of help to an infant or 4 year old toddler. This is JMO .
For the record, I do not beleive it is a minor thing. I truly beleive it inhibits a childs potential to socialize and communicate with his or her peers when a paci is stuck in their mouth through an entire outing at the park or birthday party. again, JMO.
I threw in the Mayo clinic study, actually, to try and show that I was aware I was being judgemental, as it was in favor of pacis. Sorry that was not more clear.
1:06,
ReplyDeleteI totally understand your point of view, and you are correct: children with pacifiers tend to talk later.
You admit you are judgemental: are you working towards changing this? Because it's not a good thing to be judgemental. In the grand sceme of things, you should relax when it comes to other people's kids having pacis. One can tell from your post that you look on these families with distain and condescension.
If I may be so bold, there are other, more important issues we should all be focusing on. I love this site, because as I have said before, it allows us an opportunity to be advocates for quality childcare and quality parenting. And it is so great to be able to put forth all of our opinions. But the judgements are irritating: we are lazy, we are stupid, we are too obsessed with B-list celebs. Enough!
It is possible to put forth an opinion without being abraisive and condescending. You will be more apt to get people to understand you point of view if you choose your words more carefully. If you start off by telling parents they are lazy, they will just see you as a big bag of wind.
Unless you are, in fact, a big bag of wind normally. If you are, then rock on, my friend. Rock that judegmental paci crap. Hope someone listens.
umasslytherin, my agenda was not to change anyone's minds about pacifiers. It was simply to post my very opinionated opinion.
ReplyDeleteI know the debate is a huge one.
As far as working on being judgemental..well, the fisrt step is learning to admit it!
Something I indeed find myself doing every once a while, especially as the years go by.
As always, thanks for the positive posting!
I love how Umass can call a person out without being judgemental or mean, and then kindly offer up her opinion or advice.
ReplyDeleteYou really are a great poster, Umass!
back at you, mpp. Did you see on my blog that you are now a Slytherin Prefect?
ReplyDeleteIt's quite an honor you know. :)
is there really a huge debate over pacifiers? my daughter loved her *binky* ~ slept with it until she was around 3.5 then *traded* it for a stuffed dog i let her pick out at the toy store. neither of my boys would even take a paci.
ReplyDeleteThere is a big debate about Aquaman. Some say his superpowers are not great cus he only has them underwater. I disagree. I think he's smokin' hawt.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I don't see what the big deal is with a paci. I mean, of course if the kid is five or whatever, you should probably get rid of it. But a toddler with a binky is not a big deal to me. I think people like to call other parents lazy to make themselves feel better about their own valium addiction.
Just saying.
Umass, I love it! I do feel honored! :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't there a big debate about every aspect of child care now days?
ReplyDeleteSucking for comfort is a strong instinct in most infants, and a paci gives comfort. None of my charges had a problem giving them up gradually, some by six months, and I think the oldest was 18 months, and happily traded them in for a dinosaur sippy. None of them sucked their thumbs, which is also a dental problem. My attitude is, you can wean them off the pasi, and I too hate to see older toddlers with them, but if your three year old sucks his thumb at the preschool interview, there is nothing you can do!
Wow. Any preschool that blacklists a 3 year old for thumbsucking during an interview with people he or she doesn't know...wouldn't be high on my list of places to send any child!
ReplyDeletePaci's used as plugs to quiet a child annoy me. Pacis used for extra suckling (and did the APA suggest paci use as a potential SIDS preventative?), no skin off my nose.
Of course, no kid I have ever cared for has been willing to use a paci.
And now for my story on "How to break a 3 yo of the thumbsucking habit"
ReplyDeleteI had a 5.5 yo, a 3 yo, and a 1 yo at the playground. Daredevil 3 yo, my aforementioned thumbsucker, is swinging from a high bar. She lets go and goes flying. She lands and breaks her arm. Very badly. Her lower arm now looks as if it has 2 elbows.
Screaming ensues, a dad I had been chatting with becomes our "angel", helps me get my 3 charges 9and his 1.5 yo) to the park entrance. Ambulance comes, takes 3 yo and her big sister, I careen after them with the 1 yo.
3 yo has surgery, gets arm set in arpit to fingertip cast, set at a right angle at the elbow.
3 yo sucks the thumb of the casted arm. But not any more, because she can't get it in her mouth. Tears and hysteria ensue, her parents and I beg her to suck the OTHER thumb, but it's "not RIGHT!"
Once she got out of the cast, she was a former thumbsucker. An effective habit breaking method that I absolutely cannot in any way recommend.
Chick: When your a pre-school interviewing hundreds of kids for 16 spots, you use every possible trait to evaluate the kids, including thumbsucking.
ReplyDeletePre-school interviews. Ghaaa. So terrible!
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with a child who sucks their thumb? I could see if you were like, interviewing to get into Harvard or MIT and you started doing it, but damn.
When my daughter is old enough to go to pre-school, ima make sure I find a place where she's allowed to suck her thumb and watch as much tv as she wants to.
Word.
Sorry, I'm not really grammatically correct in the early morning. I meant 'When you're . . ."
ReplyDeleteTV at pre-school?
ReplyDeleteI've wondered for a while, umass, you're not a nanny, are you?
No Emily, I am not a nanny. And with all due respect, you needn't have wondered for awhile. All you had to do was ask, chief.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes: TV at pre-school. I think children should be schooled in TV watching at a very early age, as well as exposed to classic films such as Spinal Tap and Journey to the Center of the Earth (the Jeremy London version, of course.)
I hope that answered all of your questions, Emily. But if it didn't then you know where to find me.
Thanks for the open door policy, umass, but I didn't really doubt it :-)
ReplyDeleteWell, Emily, of course if you have HUNDREDS of kids and just 16 spots, you must check for rampant nail biting, nose opicking tendencies back to the 4th generation, thumb sucking, and any signs of severe lovey attachment. Not to mention parental blood work must be done, and any history of fast food consumption needs to be rooted out.
ReplyDeleteEmily, do you move in NYC circles, where preschool is seen as the first step toward ultimate lifelong success or failure?
I am certainly glad I don't run in your pack, because I get to care for kids who are allowed to be kids. Noisy, neurotic, wacky and wonderful kids. Kids who go to preschool to learn how to play nicely with others, and who actually enjoy their days.
...... and are allowed to once in awhile to pick their nose? lol
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about living in NYC is that you come in contact with such a diverse group of people day in and day out. And yes, Chick, that includes people who are as you describe: neurotic about every aspect of their children's lives and driving those same kids crazy by trying to be perfect parents. But, you'll find those types in middle America as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen you live, as we do in NY, in a small space with millions of other people you're often forced to compete for space in things like pre-school and kindergarden, so I know a bit more that I might like about the process and what interviewers are looking for. It doesn't make us crazy to want and hope for the best for the kids in our lives.
It actually makes us just like everyone else.