Tuesday

Spotlight on Cat Fights

opinion 1
Wow! Maybe I've been away too long, but from what I remember when I used to frequent here this board was about keeping kids safe by reporting bad caregivers and every now and then there was advice shared with new nannies and praise for a good nanny. Yes, there were squabbles, but just reading through recent posts I'm both saddened and really I haven't been missing much. There were some awesome questions here, but the vast majority of replies are name-calling and cat fights. Pathetic. Guess I can continue to stay away for good.

33 comments:

UmassSlytherin said...

OP,
I have read some really good and insightful advice on this blog. I honestly don't mind the arguing.
But congratulations on posting a special farewell for yourself. That's not lame at all.

Nanny Jenn said...

Call me crazy, but I tend to enjoy it when people disagree. It keeps this blog interesting and addicting to me. It's like my guilty pleasure...just like my reality shows are. Again...call me crazy if you will. LOL.

Imagine how blah this blog would be if everyone said the same thing over and over.

Aria said...

I'm in the middle of the road with this.
I think we all do need to remember the primary purpose of this blog.

That said,

I think disagreements are fine and healthy debate is good, but all too often a healthy debate turns into nothing more than insults and name calling which is boring in my opinion.

Phoenix said...

Yes. I admit I do get carried away and I will offer my offical apology on the matter. i think it's great that people are passionate about their beliefs and stand up for their opinions. I was a little upset for what went down yesterday and not because my feelings were hurt (they don't actually get hurt) but it was the hard turn it went. I do believe I am partly responsible for that as well. And i offer an apology for that too. Sometimes being a proactive defensive artist is not a good thing. I will watch how I phrase my opinions and keep the all out bitch fest to a minimum.

But for all you crazy fans out there. That doesn't mean I won't say my side of the opinion,:)LOL. I just won't let the conversation get out of control. I was the one driving the bus and it was honestly not becoming.

congrats said...

COngratulations on 99.9% on this post being respectful and grown up in response to the post. As for the 1st post... well people that like just needs to be blocked or their comments just deleted.

hahaha said...

Congrats: I thought you said you were leaving?

UmassSlytherin said...

congrats: I think your math is a little off. lol

lol said...

What I think is funny is the original intent of the blog has shifted so much....I think it started as resource for parents to see how their nannies were doing...but the nannies got wind of it and took over- I think it was run by a parent at first and is now run by a nanny...there are very few nanny sightings anymore, good or bad...mostly rants from nannies complaining about their situations. I think the name should we changed to "IHateMyMomBoss.com" .....

UmassSlytherin said...

lol: I think this blog has always tried to go in the direction of what the readers want. I don't really see a great deal of ranting and raving from nannies on here regarding their MBs. On the contrary, most of the nannies here seem to love their jobs and their families.
It is helpful to moms to hear the truth about how nannies see their jobs, and the families they work for.
As a parent and a non-nanny, I don't feel threatened at all on this blog or that moms in general are attacked by nannies here. Most of the nannies here seem like advocates for quality childcare in our country, as most of us are.
As far as their not being many "nanny sitings," I enjoy the perspective posts and the ones seeking advice just as much. The original intent of this blog really is neither here nor there: it is a popular blog, and for many reasons.
As far as who runs the blog, as far as I know it is the same two blog owners who originated it, both great people and talented ladies. They are both dedicated to quality childcare in our country.

congrats said...

I think someone is confusing me with the poster of the article. I am not the same person. Though I agree with the fact that there is just too much bitchy behavior on here.

Like, look at at UMASS. UMASS here likes to play the I am going to take low blows. Provoking constatly. 99.9%? That is simply an expression to state the majority of the people who posted were thoughtful and made relevant comments.

So let me stoop to your level and tell me if I am wrong about you UMASS.

Hey UMass, are you
1. a fictional writing addict
2. obese
3. live with 3 cats
4. have bad skin
5. suffered physical and mental abuse in your last relationship
6. overcompensate for your insecurities by picking on others?
7. get joy from putting others down
8.picked on as a kid?

Hey UMASS, do you want people to talk to you like I just did?

Or do you want people to be kind to you? If you want them to be kind and thoughtful and have a healthy debate- treat them likewise. Provide strong comments. Or go back to your couch and the newest harry potter dictionary.

Lyn said...

HEY! All the cool kids have 3 cats! Dont be hatin' yo! ;)

Manhattan Nanny said...

Hey Congrats,
For those who parent or nanny older kids, a Harry Potter Dictionary is a necessity!

Phoenix said...

Yes cats are a very good thing. I have 6. I love them. They are my children. I am a married crazy cat lady. I even have 4 kitty paw prints tattooed on my lower back. The tramp stamp I think that's what it’s called. Kitties are wonderful. Two of my cats we had to bottle feed. One of them was inside a huge tire in my neighbor’s yard and he was running around in circle screaming. Well not running he was only 2 weeks old. Then when my neighbor was mowing his lawn and he found another baby and almost ran him over! Both of them were around 2 to 3 weeks and they were different litters. Cutest things I’ve ever had. So small and delicate. It was really cute when they started running around and being bad kitties.

when a dog looks at a person he says, "hey you give me food and play with me. YOU must be a god!"

a cat looks at a person and says. "you give me food and shelter. I must be a god"

another one of my fav's quote by Mark Twain

normal people are descended from apes. redheads are descended from cats.

I have lots of kitty jokes

UmassSlytherin said...

I don't internalize what people on blogs say about me, congrats. Sorry you wasted your time with your super long post.

NannyPants said...

I completely agree. Some people really have nothing better to do with their time than come on this blog and talk shit. If you look at who is posting, there is definitely a pattern. I wish I had all that spare time. Wait, no I don't.

Kat said...

I used to love to come here and read, I wish we still had CL-WTF as it was a great read.

RBTC said...

i had an interesting experience posting here in january of 2011 - i posted a fun picture of a nanny and clown dancing with the kids who loved the nanny.

All heck broke loose and when it got to the point where very intellegent and talented women like "talesfromthenannyhood" and "miss mannah" were making accusations against me to the effect that i was a narcissistic perv enabler i knew something was awry - as i have been a child activist and worked with kids since my first babysitting job at 11 years old in the 70's

careful scrutiny of the flames and attacks revealed what seems to be the issue: there are some - not all - nannies who read this blog who hate the premise of the blog - scrutinizing nannies ! --I Saw Your Nanny !! LOL

some, not all, of the fine people very specifically flame the ops on a regular basis to try and cut down on the amount of nanny sightings - more sensitive Ops are uncomfortable posting

go figure !

MissMannah said...

Wow, was that really that long ago? Time really does fly when you're having fun, eh?

I don't recall thinking you were a narcissistic perv enabler or whatever the hell that's supposed to me. If memory serves, the reason we got all uppity about the pictures was because they were of other people's children. Children who could be recognized and found, because you also put the location on there.

I also hope you aren't implying that I take issue with the very premise of this blog. If I did, I would not be here so often. Nor do I believe any nanny really takes issue with this blog, I think all of us whole-heartedly support it.

BTW, thank you for the kind compliment.

Aries said...

If there wasen't anyone that argued on this board i would be somewhat board. People have different personalities and opinions and when those clash, a fight erupts. It's the internet and nowadays about 9 out of 10 sites have the same type of comments going back and fourth.


But if it really bothers you just read the stories and don't pay mind to the comments. I personally like the comments a tiny bit more then the actual posts. teheh.

MaryPoppin'Pills said...

lol said...
"... I think it started as a resource for parents to see how their nannies were doing... but the nannies got wind of it and took over - I think it was run by a parent at first and is now run by a nanny."

--------------------

Close lol, but you've got it backwards. The Blog was started by Jane Doe (an ex-Nanny) and a short time later I came on board, also an ex-Nanny. Now we are both proud Parents.

But the main premise of ISYN remains the same: it has and will always be a place to report negligent and abusive Nannies. The other Features just sort of became part of the woodwork. We figured it would be helpful for Readers to give/receive advice when needed or have the support of others when they're having a bad day.

Phoenix said...

and you never know guys. reality shows are always looking for new talent. Queue ISYN Wars on Oxygen... we would be fun to watch. Anyone wanna send the idea on up to Ryan Seacrest? LOL JK

Rocky Mountain Nanny said...

For crying out loud. Who cares if someone insults you online? Why does it matter if you get flames? Why do you need to 'get back' at someone if they insult you? Does anyone on this site have any direct control over anyone else's life? I don't think so.

I don't understand online fighting. I heard a quote a while back that summed it up..."The problem with arguing online is, even if you win, you're still a loser." That made me laugh, and gave me some perspective.

I don't see why we need to keep harping on how bitchy some people are. There are mean people everywhere, the very best thing to do is ignore them. They only keep being mean because they are getting a lot of attention for it. Kind of like a toddler throwing a tantrum, if you ignore it, pretty soon they lose interest in screaming their heads off.

Tamm said...

I do wish that the nannies on here would conduct themselves with a little more professionalism. I am often mentioning this site to parents because I think it can be very helpful for parents to read about what bothers their nannies. I love seeing posts from parents asking how to treat their nanny well!

If parents keep seeing these nannies acting like catty teenage girls, I worry that they will stop taking this site seriously. The nanny profession is already struggling to be thought of as a "real job", and some of the posters here are just setting us back further.

RBTC said...

a couple of points --

miss mannah - the owners of the blog specifically ask for location, time,a description of the children,the children's names, the name of the nanny and a picture if possible LOL!!!

so the thing about giving too much info doesn't make sense even though it was a good nanny sighting the site does not stipulate - and i had total permission to take the pics, was acquainted with the people etc - so - who knows? it does not make sense to me

all i can say is that in my flame attack once i was able to wade thru the character attacks it became clear that the REAL reason some of the nannies were writing untrue and abrasive words about me personally is that it chaps their tooshies that there is a blog that invites people to scrutinize them

i think one nanny said words to this effect - that it's ok with her if a HORRIBLE and life threatening nanny report is put here, but not ok if the reports are more bland/interesting/geared towards watching the nanny

that's why we get the

1. is it really a nanny

2. it's probably made up

3. it's not really a nanny but if it was she was yelling for a good reason

etc

i am revisiting this because i would like to see more participation on this blog and some people have said they are scared away by the disingenuous / not always rational flame throwers- and i am not talking there about interesting discussions, different points of view or disaggreements

to the poster who said - why care if you are flamed? - you have a good attitude, a tough skin - but not everyone does - many people feel uncomfortable being falsely accused and belittled even if it's on the web

in my case both myself and the moderator thought it was a bit disturbing - but i learned to laugh at it

just want to see more posts and OPs - that's all

UmassSlytherin said...

..."The problem with arguing online is, even if you win, you're still a loser."

This is pure gold. :)

MaryPoppin'Pills said...

I have had so many requests for CL-WTF lately... there must be something in the air!

The reason I quit was because it was really time-consuming and although I was grateful for those of you that sent Ads, it just wasn't enough. And most of them really weren't that funny, or pathetic, or crazy... so I ended up scanning Ads late at night myself, which grew tiresome.

But here's my offer:

For those of you that want to see it up again, scan Craigslist and send me some really good ones, ok?

E-mail the Ads to:
isawyournanny@aol.com
PLEASE include the link (URL) and COPY & PASTE the ENTIRE ad into your e-mail (because most of the time when I get to it, CL has already deleted it! And those are the ones worth Publishing!)

If you want credit for the Ad, include your name or moniker, otherwise it will just say ANONYMOUS.

Ads should be funny, extremely low-paying vs. the amount of work they want (including housework), paying rent, sexual in nature... you get the idea. Anything mind-blowing that would make you say, "WTF?!"

Good luck... I'll let you know what happens!

MaryPoppin'Pills said...

RBTC,

Thank you for your comment. I do vaguely remember which post you are referring to and hope that I moderated your Sighting for you but from the sound of it, I may not have been as strict then as I am now about OP's being flamed on Nanny Sightings.

I wish Reader's weren't so afraid to report negligent Nannies but it is quite obvious the word isn't getting out that we now have zero tolerance on badgering OP's of Sightings.

Lyn said...

MPP, i must have missed the annoucement about the zero tolerance policy. I think that is amazing! Perhaps you should make an entry exclusively about that? Hopefully more people will send in their sightings if you do! :) kudos.

Jane said...

So where not allowed to question sightings anymore?

While there are some valid sightings many are just ridiculous analagous to a nanny being terrible because she and her charge weren't wearing matching socks when the poster saw them.

Just A Thought said...

Perhaps it would be better if their was a standard format for posting about bad nannies. I think that could help make things clearer for readers. Let's face it some bad nanny sigthings read like 8th grade fan fiction.

A clear format for describing location, nanny, child, and behavior/offense would help.

Their would be more focus on bad nannies and less junk posts of busibodies and revenge seekers.

Phoenix said...

There pretty much is a standard guidline for nanny sightings. But MPP should not be required to "filter" out which sighting she thinks is real or not. If someone emails about a bad nanny that person who witnessed the behavior was obviously concerned about it or they wouldn't send it in at all. I feel that we as the readers are entitled to disagree with the OP and we are allowed to offer how we interpret what they saw. We can also offer possible alternatives or motives as to why a nanny could have behaved that way.

I think what MPP is referring to is the fact that we shouldn't attack the OP. Meaning we can't call the OP stupid or perverted for sending in a sighting. We can tell the OP we think they may be wrong but we can't attack their character.

MaryPoppin'Pills said...

I really appreciate it when a regular Reader steps in to inform others about how things are done. Kudos to Phoenix and everyone else that takes care of business for me.

For those that may not know: ISYN will NOT tolerate any character assassinations on the OP's of Sightings. You will be deleted... quickly.

Lyn, the next time I post for Sightings, I will do that. Thank you for the input!

Tales from the (Nanny)Hood said...

Now I am trying to remember the incident RBTC is referencing...anyone care to help me out? A link? Anything?