Physical description of caregiver: Thin woman probably in her late 20's or early 30's. Wearing "work out" clothes: Blue t-shirt, black yoga pants, navy blue visor, sunglasses, white tennis shoes, brown hair in a bun.Physical description of involved child/children: A boy and a girl (twins). The boy was blonde with a blue polo shirt and blue plaid shorts. He was wearing little "loafer" type shoes with no socks. The girl was also blonde with curly should length hair and a pink hair clip. She was wearing a pink "Tommy Hilfiger" polo with pink and orange plaid shorts. Her shoes were pink and purple and she was wearing socks. They looked to be around 2 years old.
Address or venue of observed incident: Lake Calhoun (East side), Minneapolis, MN
Date and time of incident: 8/4/2010 around 10am
Detailed description of what you witnessed: This woman spent HOURS obsessing over a "sick" seagull instead of watching her charges! I arrived at the park around 10am to meet a fellow nanny for a play-date. My nanny friend arrived at the park about a half an hour before us. She told me what was going on with the woman and the seagull. We heard the woman say that she had spent "hours" trying to get someone to come and get the sick bird. The woman was frantic on the phone trying to get ahold of someone. Now I am an animal lover but this was ridiculous. Her charges were not being watched what-so-ever. They could have been abducted several times in the time we were there. They both looked like they had been in the same diaper for HOURS. They were sagging down to the ground and the boy smelled like he had gone "number 2". The boy knocked my one year old charge off of a toy and then sat on her before I could pick her up!!! She saw this and said "There you are! Let the baby play too" When I offered my charges a snack the boy and girl swarmed around us and tried to grab our snacks. The girl snatched the sand toys that my charges and my nanny friends charge were playing with (they belonged to my nanny friend) and ran away. This whole time the nanny was trying to nurse a "sick" seagull back to health! I am sorry but that is not what you get paid to do!!! Watch your charges so they don't harass other children at the park! Take a time-out from the bird to change the kids diapers!!! Geeesh!!!
Description of vehicle, bag, stroller that may aid in identifying involved caregiver: Gray and Navy blue double stroller.
Good post, assuming she was the nanny that is (probably was). I can see wanting to help the bird but not to the point of neglecting your kids for hours!
ReplyDeleteShe should have just called animal control and directed her kids elsewhere.
The diaper situation and agression of these children makes it sound like they are used to being ignored too.
One thing, I'd like to mention though....not just for this post, but in general. I see a lot of posts claiming the children involved to be twins. You cant always tell.
My children (my own children...I am not a nanny)are mistaken for twins nearly every time we go out in public and they are actually 17 months apart.
Especially if a mom isnt with her kids much and doesnt know that the public often perceives them as twins, the real mom may read a post here, see "twins" and quit reading, never realizing the post was about her family.
Just food for thought when posting unless one is positive they are twins.
I feel sorry for the kids. You are right Meme, it does sound like the kids are use to being ignored.
ReplyDeleteOp, good sighting! Hopefully their parents will see this. I'm just curious, did you get the chance to talk with the nanny, and suggest she check to see if they needed a change? Maybe she was just clueless, which is still no excuse.
OP here:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments... I do know that the woman was not the mother. My nanny friend and I thought she was but then we heard her say "I would take the bird but I am watching these guys and I have to get them back to their house for lunch and naps." That is when we assumed it was a nanny. I suppose it could be an occational babysitter but I would guess nanny. You are right, I shouldn't assume they were twins but they were not only the same "petite" size but they seemed at the same stage in development... They didn't talk much just pointed and grunted. I really do think they were twins. We didn't really get a chance to talk to her at all... Before I got there she asked my nanny friend to borrow her phone (she had left hers at home) so that she could call about the bird... she was completely OBSESSED about the bird to the point where if we would have said anything... I doubt she would have heard us!!! I know she called 911 and they gave her a number for animal control which she called and they told her she would have to transport the bird to the shelter. I was quite disapointed that the city of Minneapolis had no interest in picking up and treating this bird... MN is the land of 10,000 lakes and I am sure there has been sick seagulls before!!! But as I mentioned... there was no excuse for her neglecting those poor kiddos!
Her obsession with the bird over and above watching the kids was a bit much. Hopefully the mom sees this.
ReplyDeleteBut, yeah, that is disappointing they wouldnt come get the bird though. I think that may be typical though. Im in Grand Rapids, MI and we had a pigeon fly into the side of our house and get injured and same thing, animal control refered us to a bird rescue and we had to take it there. Circle of life I guess.
I hope the seagull is ok... :(
ReplyDeletepoor bird I really hate it when animals are sick
Maybe she wanted the bird out of the park due to safety reasons. Birds in general carry a lot of diseases. If this seagull was visibly ill who knows what it had and it would be very easy for a child to walk up and touch it when nanny/mom's back is turned. So maybe that explains her seeming obsession with the bird.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree it is a good sighting because the little ones in her care should have been her first priority. I hate to see a child walking around in a soggy diaper.
OP: I like the additional information. Thank you.
ReplyDeletenahhh
ReplyDeletejust because she used the term "guys" doesnt mean she wasn't the mom.
Here in the north we all use that term.
OP Here:
ReplyDeleteNJ- It wasn't that she called them "guys" that made me think she wasn't the mom... It was that she said she was "watching" them and she had to take them back to "their" house. Those were pretty big signs to me.