Friday

Main street park in Glen Ellyn, IL

Received Friday, July 31, 2009
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Today, ( 7/31) from around 11:30 to 12 I was at the park with my charge. We were sitting in the sandbox playing with the toys we brought when a little boy about 4 years old came over and took my little ones rake away from him. I asked him not to take things away from him and told him we would be happy to share but he needed to ask nice. He ignored me and started using the rake to fling sand. I asked him not to fling sand because it could get in someone's eye and he said "well there is no one over there" which there wasn't but that doesn't make it okay. He then started playing with some of the other toys we brought. One in particular he was stepping on. For a while he was acting okay and playing nicely. He was asking about certain things so I was talking to him since his caregiver wasn't around. I had been making sand castles with the bucket we brought and he asked me to make one for him so I did. Right after, my charge (who is only 13 months by the way) reached out and touched it and it broke. The boy completely lost it and started yelling at my charge. I asked him to please not yell at him, he is just a baby and didn't do it to break it. He told "I can yell because I am a boy and that is what boys do." I explained that that did not make it okay and that I don't want people to yell at him. For a while he left and I decided to watch where he went so I could figure out who was there with him. I saw him outside of the playground area playing in the water fountain with some other boys. Finally I got to see his caregiver. She yelled something at him and when he did not get out of the fountain she yanked him away by the arm and swatted him on the bottom. A little while later he was back in the sand box and throwing sand. Finally his caregiver came over and told him to play nice because there was a baby around. She asked me if he was being nice and I said not really. I should have let her know exactly what he was doing but I am too shy for that. She then started yelling at him saying things like "I bet you were being mean to the baby. You were probably throwing dirt again" instead of talking to him about it or being there to catch him in the act. I'm not sure if this was his nanny or mom or some other type of caregiver, but whoever she was, she needs to do something about his nasty behavior. If it was the nanny, then the parents need to rethink not only the way they discipline him but also the way their nanny disciplines him. If she is the nanny, she should not be swatting him on the bottom and no one should be pulling him by the arm like that. The boy was wearing a navy and white Nike shirt that said "Just Do It" and navy and white basketball shorts. He was wearing black shoes and white socks with multi colored stripes. The caregiver was wearing a black shirt with DKNY in gold on it and cropped pants with stripes. The stripes were different shades of gold or tan and white. She had short light hair with highlights and sunglasses. They may have been transition lenses. Also, as I was leaving the park I walked by the water fountain and it looked like the boys had plugged it up with dirt or wood chips.

6 comments:

About the author said...

Regardless of whether that was that little boy's mother or nanny, no one should be that far away from that child.
While my son is only about to turn 3, I keep him in eyesight at all times. He's allowed to go off and play but never out of sight. It keeps him out of trouble because he knows I'm watching him.
If she had been keeping an eye on him, she could've corrected him immediately when he took the sand toy and starting flinging sand.
Instead, OP had to be firm with him when it's not even her charge.
Shame on that lady!

someonesnanny said...

This lady is just plain lazy. She has one kid and she dosen't keep an eye on him. I have a six year old and twin four year old charges and I manage to keep an eye on them at the park. No, they aren't all in my eyesight every second, but my eyes are constantly circling around watching each child. No one is out of my sight for more than thirty seconds at a time.

MinuteMuggle said...

hope the parents see this. it's just shameful. :(

some people are just not cut out for childcare, and that is an understatement.

Momkat said...

Nasty caretakers aren't going to have kind children in their charge. Kids learn the most by emulating the behavior of the adults around them.

San Diego Girl said...

The parents and nanny ought to discipline that kid or no one is going to be able to stand him. What a sad life for him.

Christine said...

OP here.  I went to the park today and the boy was there again.  I figured out that the lady is his mom.  No wonder he is the way he is.  So sad!