9/11/2009 Nanny: AA, about 5'3/5'4", wearing jeans, at the Children Museum of Manhattan with a white boy, around 12-18 months. She my have been an islander. I didn't know about this website, so I didn't take more details. We saw her in one of the small "buses" by the stairway. She sat on the drivers' side and had the boy stuck between her and the wall. She was on the phone when we arrived, around 1:15/1:30. We passed the spot about three times, the last at 2:45 p.m. and she was still on the phone and the poor boy was there, just holding on the wheel and watching her. He had no playtime. She'll go home and tell his parents that she took him to CMOM and they will feel so happy. I was so upset that I told someone who told me about this website. The boy was so sad, it broke my heart. Now that I know about his website, I'll pay more attention to descriptive details. Maybe even take a pic with my phone camera...
Friday
Children Museum of Manhattan - NY
Received Friday, September 11, 2009
9/11/2009 Nanny: AA, about 5'3/5'4", wearing jeans, at the Children Museum of Manhattan with a white boy, around 12-18 months. She my have been an islander. I didn't know about this website, so I didn't take more details. We saw her in one of the small "buses" by the stairway. She sat on the drivers' side and had the boy stuck between her and the wall. She was on the phone when we arrived, around 1:15/1:30. We passed the spot about three times, the last at 2:45 p.m. and she was still on the phone and the poor boy was there, just holding on the wheel and watching her. He had no playtime. She'll go home and tell his parents that she took him to CMOM and they will feel so happy. I was so upset that I told someone who told me about this website. The boy was so sad, it broke my heart. Now that I know about his website, I'll pay more attention to descriptive details. Maybe even take a pic with my phone camera...
9/11/2009 Nanny: AA, about 5'3/5'4", wearing jeans, at the Children Museum of Manhattan with a white boy, around 12-18 months. She my have been an islander. I didn't know about this website, so I didn't take more details. We saw her in one of the small "buses" by the stairway. She sat on the drivers' side and had the boy stuck between her and the wall. She was on the phone when we arrived, around 1:15/1:30. We passed the spot about three times, the last at 2:45 p.m. and she was still on the phone and the poor boy was there, just holding on the wheel and watching her. He had no playtime. She'll go home and tell his parents that she took him to CMOM and they will feel so happy. I was so upset that I told someone who told me about this website. The boy was so sad, it broke my heart. Now that I know about his website, I'll pay more attention to descriptive details. Maybe even take a pic with my phone camera...
Well, the child was not being abused, sure, but he/she was stuck with nothing to do for more than an hour. This does not sound good to me. Besides, I wonder, how did the lady manage to scare/persuade a kid that age to sit still for such a long time?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the child was the same complexion as the nanny you would not take a second look at the situation and your heart would definately not break..She probably already took him to the Museum and was waiting maybe for the parents or a relative of the child.Seriously you really need to MYOB,this child was obviously not being abused
Good siting.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that instead of focusing on the fact that a child was being cared for badly, it becomes necessary so often to attack the OP?
Just because the child and nanny are different races, it does not give the nanny the right to take substandard care of him and hide behind the race card when she gets called out on it.
If I was paying somebody to take my child to the museum, I would be very unhappy to find out she wedged him into a corner and talked on the phone for an hour instead of letting him enjoy the museum. I would fire here. As far as I can see, this is just one more version of the "baby trapped in a stroller at the park while nanny ignores him" scenario we see so often here.
Bad nanny.
I'm not the OP, but yes if the "child was the same complexion as the nanny" I would still feel bad for the child. What is the point, anonymous, of implying that we are all racists? If the child wasn't white I know that most of us on this site would still think he was being mistreated, and if the nanny was white we would still think she deserved to be fired. However, if they were the same race, I might be more hesitant to post it, because then I would get attacked by the "how do you know it was the nanny" crowd. Are you this nanny, anonymous? you are sounding pretty defensive about this post.
ReplyDeleteDo you have to pay to get into this museum? If you do they were most likely there on mom and dad's money. So she was not only deceiving the parents, but she was wasting their money, and not providing anything (other than sadness) for their son. This site isn't just about reporting ABUSE, it is about reporting bad nannies. This is obviously a bad nanny, I cannot think of any good excuse for her. The parents deserve to know how the person they hired to care and nurture their son spends her day.
Museums are so fun! Just the thought of getting to take my charge to the museum when he gets a bit older makes me happy, because it is such a good learning environment and a really fun way to spend the day for nanny(/parent) and child! Shame.
Even if she was waiting on a ride, over an hour is way too long to expect a child of that age to sit and do nothing while she was on her phone. She should be at least available to interact with him or take advantage of the time by doing something fun.
ReplyDeleteI am a nanny and I know that the hours can be long, but you are not being paid to sit and talk on your phone. Sure this nanny wasn't being abusive, but if i were the parents I would want to know about this so I could decide for myself how to handle it.
etereia,
I was wondering the same thing!
I nanny for the most awesome, well-behaved children in the world, and there's no way they'd sit that still for that long! Poor kid, he must have been miserable.
ReplyDeleteAnd Anonymous, I'm confused. What does race have to do with this? Even when I'm stuck waiting for my kids' parents, I at least talk to them or something.
I am slightly confused as I have never visited this museum.....is this "bus" a play structure of sorts inside the museum? I am guessing so but at first I thought of a bus outside and wondered how on earth someone would stick a kid between a bus and a wall!!
ReplyDeletePerhaps the boy cannot walk yet, if he is only 12 months this would be possible, but of course that is no excuse, but maybe explains HOW she could keep the boy still.
It is slightly possible that the boy enjoys sitting in the bus if he was not crying, but again, no excuse, and way too long to just sit.
The siting is justified, although I don't think I would fire someone over this. He was not being abused, just being BORED. Hopefully it is a rare thing. I know that when my father passed away I was at the mall with my daughter. I was in such shock that I walked around and around the mall like a zombie with the phone glued to my ear while holding my daughter's hand for probably an hour or more. Someone could have written up a sighting about me on that day. But, of course, it was extremely out of the ordinary.
I do not think "anonymous" meant anything by the race issue. I think what he/she meant was that IF the child had been the same colr, it would more likely imply mother/child instead of nanny/child. Therefore, it would be less "heartbreaking" becasue said person is not being paid to shower undivided attention on said child.
ReplyDelete***I am neither defending nor rebuking the nanny in question or commentors. I am simply trying to convey what I THINK the original "anonymous" said.
I do think this is a good posting. However, I think conclusions such as, "this is obviously a bad nanny," are unjustified, since this is one instance. The OP doesn't say what the nanny was talking about. It's possible that it could have been an emergency, and in that event, I think it's good that the child was safely beside her while holding the steering wheel. I know that scenario is unlikely, but I can think of times when I have had to make/receive phone calls at work (as much as I hate to) due to emergency situations, and I would hate to be judged harshly based on those infrequent incidents.
ReplyDelete