Natick, Ma
Natick Mall Playspace
5-12-10
10-1030am
I'm not one to say much but this I couldn't ignore. A busy day in the playspace with lots of children i noticed a German speaking young blonde nanny sitting on the bench on her iPhone for a solid 10-20 mins not looking up at all for a glance. The girls name was Johanna, just seemed odd to let such a young child go unattended.
I would take J to the mall for playtime, especially if it was raining. These areas are extremely busy and left unsupervised, it takes only a few minutes for a child to vanish. The sad part is, the inattentive parents and nannies wouldn't notice anything. Perhaps I was overbearing, but I constantly watched J like a hawk while I was chasing him around the play area. Parents smiled at our interactions, and some rolled their eyes at me as I acted like a kid too. J was 2 when I started and 3 when the position ended. Had he been older, I would've kept a close eye on him, yet not to the extent that I watched J. OP, any idea how old the child or children were in this sighting?
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of nannies (and parents by the way) assume that a child is much safer when they are in a crowded area with lots of children. They just automatically assume that the child is also being supervised by another nanny or parent and is safe. I have had mothers actually ask me after speaking to me for a mere three minutes if I could "watch" her child while she used the bathroom or got a drink, etc. They assume that just because you are there with a child, you must be a good and decent person at heart.
ReplyDeleteI hope the parent of this child reads this and fires that nanny effective immediately. Then she won't have any i-phone to play with anymore.
Laura: you are so right! It amazes me as to how many parents will allow a stranger to watch their children so they can do whatever.
ReplyDeleteI remember several years ago babysitting one evening after work. The little guy and I went to McD's. (yeah, I know not healthy.) Anyway, we are in the play area with a few other parents. One parent (or nanny) in particular was on her cell phone doing her nails. (Yes, painting them right there in the McD's playland!!) As I was watching my charge, the little girl this woman was "responsible" for stacked the foam blocks on top of each other to hang on the bar overhead. The girl was slipping off the bar, and didn't have the strength to hang on. I had a feeling a serious injury was going to occur, so I helped her down. The second she was out of danger, the woman began yelling at me, telling me not to touch the child and if she wanted my help, she would ask for it, and what kind of person was I to touch another child I didn't know. I politely told her that she wasn't paying any attention to the child, as she was on her cell phone and doing her nails. That shut her up quickly.
I would never ask a stranger to watch my charge, so why would other nannies and parents ask strangers to do it?