TAMPA - Remember Mr. Belvedere in the 80's? He was a "manny," a term short for a male nanny. So was Scott Baio's character in the 90s TV show "Charles in Charge." The idea of a guy taking care of your kids may seem odd, but these days, it's not uncommon."I think originally there would be a little hesitancy to hire a boy for whatever reason. It was more, the woman takes care of children," says Eleanor Nesbit, owner of A Choice Nanny in South Tampa.
"Now we have male nurses. There are males going to a lot of occupations that used to be just for girls," Nesbit added.
Nesbit says she's had a number of men apply for child care positions in her agency. One of them is 24-year-old Ben Mathews. Mathews is a finance major at the University of South Florida. He says he can change the diapers and help get the homework done.
But he does admit his buddies find it a little strange... (continued)
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4 comments:
I used to watch "Mr. Belvedere" as a kid and loved that show. R.I.P. Mr. B.
Anyway, I think a "Manny" is an excellent idea for single parents who have boys such as I do. It would be nice to have a nice role model in their lives and w/a Male they can do many things that maybe they would not do w/a Female Nanny. I would probably prefer a Female Nanny if I was looking for someone, due to some irrational belief that Males are molesters. Again, this would be a huge irrational decision and it would be a crappy thing to do, but I see myself doing it. Hopefully, w/a bit more education, I could turn this belief around and snap back into reality. And reality dictates that such a stereotype has no merit and is ridiculous at best. But I am just being honest.....
I would for sure hire a male to do the job. In my situation my husband in better with kids and knows more about children than I do. I get very offended when people automatically assume that I am good with kids and ask me to babysit. They would have a better chance at asking my husband to watch them. I think that child care is still very sexist towards men.
I would possibly consider a "manny" if I were a single mom of a school age boy.
But I would likely wind up hiring a female nanny who was a good balance for me.
Probably not. I don't know really. I have never really thought about it. I'll tell you later. ;)
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