Received Friday, August 8, 2008.
Second Sighting: Questionable Nanny at Pierrepont Playground.Nanny: Early 20s, possibly spanish or Italian, thin, long medium blond hair.
Charge: 5 yo girl, medium length dark hair, tall and thin. The only reason I decided to post this is because I had noticed that this nanny had been mentioned here a few days ago. She had her face buried in a book so intently she was completely ignoring the girl she was taking care of.
Now I know a 5 yo doesn't have to be watched all the time. That's not the problem here.
What was disturbing was this womans total disregard for the child. She NEVER looked up.. so much so that I thought she might not be a nanny at all. But when the little girl came over to her to talk she brushed her away and didnt look up from her book at all. If this is your nanny or au pair.. rethink the care your daughter is getting.
Received Tuesday, August 5, 2008.
Oblivious nanny, Pierrepont playground, Brooklyn Heights, Tuesday 8/5, 12 noon-ish. Your 5-6 y.o. daughter, Juliette, was playing on the monkey bars in the section of the playground fenced in for young children. She has long dark hair, lovely eyes and smile. She was wearing a light-colored skirt and a green spaghetti-strap shirt with a wide hairband in her hair. Juliette is very agile on the monkey bars and enjoyed hanging upside down--until she fell on her head. I picked her up as she was crying--she was holding her back as well--and asked if her mommy was there. She said her babysitter was over there reading a book. Where? Where was on the other side of the playground sitting on a bench reading a book (outside of the fenced-in area and completely out of eyesight of your daughter). At first I thought Juliette said the nanny's name was Fiona, but then it sounded like she called out to Ginna. At any rate, I walked Juliette over to her, and she did not look up from her book until we were standing right in front of her, and I had to say something to get her attention. Juliette's nanny looked young--early to mid-20s, white, with light brown hair. She spoke Spanish or another language to your daughter.I didn't notice what she was wearing, but she had a very large, silver leather bag on the bench next to her. I'm sure you're paying the nanny good money to WATCH and interact with your child. She was not doing it today. Juliette is a very sweet, engaging little girl. My 3 y.o. dd enjoyed playing with and trying to imitate her on the monkey bars. Juliette deserves a nanny who will play with her and watch out for her--not sit around reading a book.
4 comments:
Same nanny, spotted and reported within two days. No, a child of this age doesn't need to be watched constantly, but they do need interaction and self directed play. You mention that nanny was reading a book-it must have been a great book if she was ignoring a child. Ignoring her to the point the child could've been snatched by anybody due to nanny's poor attention and selfishness. Instead of reading a novel, maybe nanny should read books on being a professional nanny and manners. Behavior like this that is neglectful and putting the child in danger is unprofessional and uncalled for.
I am not a nanny but I do baby-sit and have been babysitting the same children for 8 years (the oldest is 9). I consider them "my kids" and them and their parents are family to me. The youngest is now 4 and I follow him pretty closely. Granted, he is one of those children who has absolutely no fear but still.
No a 5 year old does not need to be watched every second, but even my 9 year old could be snatched if I had no idea where she was. I am pretty sure our playground is much smaller and is fenced but I still just follow them around because you never know who is out there. You may trust the child 100% but the child basically has no defense over an adult. I really hope the parents see these two posts.
Our 6 yr old does not need to be watched every minute but when you have a kid at the park climbing or monkey bars you should be watching.
WE should also be aware of where out kids are in a park!
If I see this going on I am going to ask for the parents name and address so to set up a "playdate". These parents need to know what is happening about their backs.
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