Received Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Dear Fellow nannies, I have been a nanny since 1986, child care certifed and although I have read this blog there are some things pointing out to me that reminds me of some of my past jobs:
I worked for a woman on long island, nice lady, divorced one child, her boyfriends ex-girlfriend decided to make false accusations about me to cps. I did everything I was asked to do even for the child and more, I played with him, we went for walks, I took him to nursery school, his mother and I went out dancing when he visted his father, they treated me well. The pay sucked $125.00 a week and no raise but it was ok for a starter job. Anyways this ex-gf made accusations that were down and out lies, the mother was calling every parent to see if I was good to her child which was insulting because she knew I never do a thing to a child, so after two days of being treated like crap and hurt, I left the job. I explained to her "I can no longer work under conditions where I am falsly accused of things I didn't do" and she understood. A yr later all charges were dropped when cps found out it was all a lie and I found out from the mothers now ex-bf what had happened, he even stuck up for me and told her "do you honestly think she would do those things to your son, you making her feel bad and shes crying, thats so wrong, talk to her and ask her yourself don't call people in hearing distance and make it worse then it is" to say the least they broke up.
Hint, suggestion - when you work as a nanny try not to get to comfy with your employers.
Next job was a doosie, a divorcee 4 kids one being a baby, now granted this mother was a flipping nut case and she was a tramp to say the least, but her kids were my priority and the baby well he was a doll. I did everything for what $125.00 as well and more, no extra pay for OT, no respect at all. She treated her ex-husband like crap, he actually was a nice guy, well when she started cheating with my bf and went to florida with the baby and him and lied to me and I saw the pictures all heck broke loose. I left the job, called her a few things and a liar as well, and informed her ex-husband of what went down. She cranked called my house all through the nights and tried to lie to a doctor one of my family told the doctor just in case, well don't you
know the woman lied and the doctor called police on her and she and another friend who came up with thier idea {which I had on tape thanks to my answering machine} got arrested and the kids went to dad. Because of her and her games, I took the phone off the hook the night my aunt
died and I felt guilty about that along time.
Hint - see red flags before it's too late.
I went to an agency. I liked it because the woman who ran it found me two jobs. Omg, ok the first one great, awsome. The couple was really nice, had four kids, I did house work. I was called white wind by her husband, lol. I was treated very well, sometimes the woman give me things, they were just really nice nothing bad to say. The company the husband worked for was having problems, so he had to let me go. My pay every week was $250.00 and he even gave me extra pay when they let me go {showed respect to me}. I liked that job alot. {Recently they moved to
Fl and their son, who was my favorite, was killed by someone in 2007. I still think about that.}
Hint - when you have the dream job, being a nanny is worth it.
Second job, omg, I wish I had left sooner. The woman was a b word, her husband was ok but her son was a brat and her daughter was cute. I liked the job ok $250.00 every two weeks {huh} and although I did alot of cleaning, cooking etc, I was never compinsated for OT ever. I got sick
days when I had teeth removed or was sick with the flu, but then I went to Fl with them and whats my personal buisness should be just that. I dated someone there, I liked him not right away but in the future anyways when we got back not only did this woman call all her snotty friends and tell them my business but she just made me mad. She snooped through my things{she said her kid did} I doubt that and then said I was fired no severance pay nothing, ok, so I left, I didn't want to go to Fl anyway.
Hint - employers need to stay put of nannies business unless it has to do with the job, what you do on your time off is your business.
Then the job from hell. A single father with a daughter who was a witch and a older son who wasn't my problem. The father was an ass, a mean sob, who got into my business one too many times. His daughter was a handful, she wansn't allowed to watch tv all the time, fine, he wanted me to do things that hey I don't do like wax your floor dude. Anyways this guy was a jerk, he liked to shout and I won't take verbal abuse from anyone, so I left.
Hint - if an employer treats you meanly, verbally abuses you, stand up for yourself and leave, you are a human being, you deserve respect.
I had too many jobs to say I loved them all, I didn't, wishful thinking if you would love every job you ever had. Worked for a single dad going through a divorce. When a father allows a child to listen to rap music expect the youngest kid to repeat a word thats not so nice, and be accused and fried for it, it happened. The eldest kid liked rap music and one song was by salt n peppa ahhh me so h. Anyways the youngest kid said the H word and her brother heard it, the father was told by the eldest kid I taught her that meanwhile the kid was trying to get rid of me day one because of their mother leaving {ok I understand} but the father wasn't gonna listen to me, he wanted to talk I said no, you said all you had to say, you accused me falsly and that hurts "I said listen to the rap music your kids listen to", well I packed my things and left.
Hint - remember kids can be sneaky and mean.
The next job was a widower and while I felt bad for his two girls, he was outright stupid, I mean it. He kept the memeory of their mother out of their lives which hurt, he signed them up for drama, dancing, etc. These kids had no play time, no being a kid it was sick. I honestly think he did it to find a date for himself because it was selfish of him not to allow the kids to be kids. I understood when they cried they needed a hug, I understood they needed to feel loved, what I didn't understand was the temper tatrums one pulled. Example, twirling contest I had to sit through when their father should of been there, the kid wanted something I didn't have the money for. I had to call her father from the school to straiten her out. Example two, sledding, because she was too tired threw a massive fit in the street which almost made me get hit by a car no less, the neighbors were peeking at the doors thinking I was hurting the kid. When I got her home, forget about it all bets were off, I made her get into her pjs, lay on the couch and
not move till her father came home. Well when he found out he spanked her after I had already punished her, I grounded her from going outside for the weekend, which made me more mad. He acted like no big deal to me. It may of not been but he underminded me, then I suggested he take his girls to talk to their mother at the cemetary because they needed that, well at first he was reluctant. But the neighbor who was very nice told me he went through 4 nannies in a yr because of the way he treated them and the way his eldest daughter acted. I can't blame them at all, I was the longest, 5 months, all the rest were 2 months. She said "I'm surprised you haven't left yet." Then one day the eldest throws a fit about not wanting to go to school, the neighbor whose known them since babies came out and spanked one on the butt and told her "you will do as you are told and get to school, give {me} any more trouble she'll tell their dad." Well she did tell him what was going on, do you know he came back and said "don't talk to my neighbor" his
daughters weren't angels by far. I left the job, why? Because the man was so blinded by wanting a gf and went as far and hummmm doing his thing in the bathroom one night to relieve his aching, you know what he never flushed it, ick, to his constant verbal out breaks to his taking his kids sides when he knew they were wrong. When I heard their mother was laying there dying on the couch of cancer and both kids jumped around on the couch, it made me sick that he allowed that, then to go to a church pleading I need help which is how I got the job from friend, I was mad, the man was a phoney.
Hint - make your own list of questions and what you expect as well.
Last one, a doc and her idiot english husband who was a pig. Ok I took a job $300.00 a week from a doc who was ok, she treated me to lunch and things but her son was a handful, the baby was ok. I was sued badly, first had to go to early morning swimmming classes on a saturday, second had to sit so she could go home and sleep, with the baby in two at his t-ball practice, oh joy, then off saturday afternoon till sunday evening, during the week lite housekeeping, child care, to and from bus stop with the oldest and omg karate classes and making me sit in Friendlys with two kids for an hour while she and he took their classes, then to top it off she plans a last min trip to Fl, with extra friends. She had the big ones to volunteer me to baby sit not just her
two kids but five of her friends kids, no f-ing way, I was hired to care for hers and if she was gonna offer me huh, she better come up with a thousand dollars all together. Oh she said you'll get one night to do what you want, one night hey lady I want all my nights free, then her
brat says "when we get back my mom and dad are gonna fire you." For what? I did my job well, why because I want a day off? I was gonna ask her but got too mad at the florida thing to begin with then her husband who was english walked around in his draws with his private showing, I
had to ask her to have him cover up, I don't wanna see it, I forget in England their free over there, naked wise, however it was insulting. Then as you burped lets say the kid be saying don't say excuse me say parden me, who is a child to correct an adult? I left them a week before her Fl trip and game.
Hint - don't let a family take advantage of you, of your time, well being, don't let them walk all over you.
Now I have shared some of my jobs, I will say this, I have worked for so many yrs, my favorite are single dads. I have also worked for low income familes as well, I like being a nanny alot, I love kids but there are some things I won't tolerate either, being taken advantage of, verbally abused, cheated, lied about and most of all being treated with disrespect, if I treat you with kindess expect the same.
- Bay Shore, NY nanny, over 14 yrs.
