I have an incident to report that I think deserves to be reported. I was at St. Catherine's Park today, Weds. at approximately 2:10 PM. I was pushing my daughter on the swings. A few swings down from me I saw a nanny I have seen before who cares for a boy of about 10 months, very fair, bright orange hair. This nanny I had seen before and I always noticed how she took such time with that child. I had seen the child tantrum or cry and she was always so loving. I believe the child also has a sibling (same color hair, girl, of about 4 who was not present this day). So I thought, I should snap a picture of her and send it to the Nanny Blog because who doesn't like a good nanny report? I wasn't bold about taking the picture, but quietly snapped a picture. The nanny who was two swings over from me rushed at me and slapped the phone out of my hand. The phone literally went skidding on the asphalt all the way to the railing. I was shocked. My mouth was agape. I quickly grabbed my phone as the woman started to scream at me. "Oh no you don't, oh hell no, you're not taking my picture, whatcha gonna do with it". She was so aggressive and intimidating I immediately took my child out of the swing and made my way to the gate. She was still hollaring at me saying, "you better run, that's right you better run." When I turned to look back one time, she said, "and guess what else? I feed pigeons. That's right." So while I was earnestly trying to acknowledge a stellar caregiver, some psychotic nanny gets in my way. She wasn't even on my radar before, but she was very loud and instantly angry. She was wearing orange jeans, black nike tennis shoes and a white button shirt. It all happened so fast but I think she had a grey sweatshirt, or maybe blue tied around her waist. The child she was pushing was an Asian girl of about 1.5 years. If this is your nanny, you might want to ask around about her and see if she has this temper around your child. I couldn't get away from her fast enough, I can't imagine what it's like to be the helpless child in her care.
Send your nanny sightings to isynblog@gmail.com. All submissions are confidential. Be careful out there!
You don't know her history and she doesn't know who you are. I don't blame her for being upset.
ReplyDeleteWhile she could have handled the situation better, you are definitely in the wrong. Who are you? What ARE you going to do with it? Did you ask permission? Is that your child? Rhetorical.
Our world has become obsessed with snapping pictures, especially of others (whether obviously or on the down-low) to gossip about (negative or positive) without any regard to how the person within the frame would feel about it. We need to stop doing this! Just because someone is in public doesn't mean we can impede on others and aim to social networking. We all should feel comfortable enough to go out in public without worrying about someone taking our picture to ridicule online. I know that was not your intent but SHE doesnt know that and even if you said that it was for good, she doesnt know you to trust you.
You could have simply done your kudos with a description and left it at that.
Op here. I could understand her getting upset. Your prejudice is coloring your response. I was a mom of a child on a playground surrounded by children. She was agressive and out of control. The venom with which she spewed her comnents was unmistakable. Other moms and nannies froze for fear of being caught in her crossfire. Setting aside that I was taking a picture...her out of control, angry tirade was apalling and SCARY
ReplyDeleteDon't be a busybody... See something say nothing
ReplyDeleteI
I would be angry too. It's very rude to take some ones picture without asking
ReplyDeleteInvasion of privacy!
DeleteTHE OP WASNT EVEN TAKING HER PICTURE. HOW COULD YOU MISS THAT> WHAT IS WITH DEFENDING ALL OF THESE NINNY NANNIES AND THEIR BS AGRESSION?
ReplyDeleteI am the Anon from 1st Comment.
ReplyDeleteI guess you missed the part where I said she could have absolutely handled things better. I do not condone her behavior but I understand her being upset. The only judgement that is clouded is yours. You are concentrating on her reaction, and completely excluding the fact that you triggered it with your behavior. You arent the victim here. You are also at fault...she had her wrong, you had yours. OWN what you did was wrong! The moral of the story is, ASK!
-Angi; Nanny of 30 years
Mabel - reread OP post - "So I thought, I should snap a picture of her and send it to the Nanny Blog because who doesn't like a good nanny report? I wasn't bold about taking the picture, but quietly snapped a picture. "
ReplyDelete-Angi
I sent this in. I was trying to take a picture of a nanny, the nanny two swings down from me was not the person I was trying to photograph. She is the one who went batshit crazy. Are we clear?
ReplyDeleteAnd really, you think you have privacy> There are cameras on every street corner, in trees, your groceries and pharmacy purchases are stored in a database.
i guess you missed the part where taking pictures of ANY PERSON, on the street, in a public place, is entirely legal and within her rights.
ReplyDeletesmacking the phone out of her hand, however, is not, and would probably be considered a misdemeanor, if this psycho could be tracked down.
you can't prevent someone from taking your picture on the street. tough shit.
Thanks for clarifying. I thought it was the same person. Regardless, I stand by all of my comments....including where I keep saying her behavior was also wrong but understandable.
ReplyDeleteYES, public place, rights, security cameras, blah blah blah. We as HUMANS should be able to have some common sense and respect for others here. Its instances like these that create an overgoverned environment because people like the OP and her supporters dont have respect or common sense for others right to privacy (yes, even in public), thus we need laws to say "stop doing that".
-Angi
By the time John Quinones pops out of his hiding place to congratulate spectators on properly getting involved in whatever incident they have totally set up, the person is already on tape. Dude, you're already on tape. So you might as well just behave yourself.
ReplyDeleteShame on you for taking pictures of strangers without their permission. Nannies aren't animals in a zoo. Show some respect next time by making your intentions clear and asking if your actions are ok, and maybe people won't get mad at you.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it sounds like you need a nanny to teach you appropriate playground behaviors and respect of other people's boundaries. Do you have problems with sharing toys, too?
This woman had no right knocking the phone out of your hand. I think this awful nanny and her friends probably posting on here.
ReplyDeleteSo because some of us are against imposing on others, we "must be" that woman or her friends? Seriously? Get a clue! Ita called respecting someones space! Obviously you have zero boundries.
DeleteNannies aren't animals in a zoo? Have ya been to Park Slope?
ReplyDeletekiki, I live in the SF Bay area, and I'm not familiar with Park Slope, but your comment is pretty obviously disgustingly classist, and I'm gonna assume racist too, if nanny work has similar demographics over there on the East Coast.
ReplyDeleteListen, I am a nanny, and a damn good one, and one of the things I go out of my way to instill in my kids is this: 1) You never, ever disrespect another human being's personal boundaries or bodily autonomy, and 2) If someone disrespects yours? You shut that shit down, and if you have to make a scene to do so? You make a scene.
OP broke the social contract by attempting to take a stranger's picture without consent. The angry nanny overreacted, but her anger was certainly justified, and she didn't owe OP (whose casual disrespect of others created the situation) any social niceties.
Nannies work long hours, put our heart and souls into taking care of the kids we watch, and get little respect. Consider humoring us nannies by pretending to consider us human beings of equal value to ya'll rich folks, even if apparently you consider us actually on the same level as animals(!?!?) jfc
What the heck does race have to do with it?
DeleteIs it impossible to talk about anything without it being about race? If you knew squat..you'd know...the nanny thing in Park Slope is a class thing. But like you said. .you don't know Park Slope. So you've never seen a nanny chew up a bagel with a smear io cream cheese on it and spit it into her young baby's mouth.
I met a woman with a shadow beard and mutton chops and fell in love, quite hard.
ReplyDeleteTHIS WHOLE PICTURE TAKING THING IS A COMPLETE INVASION OF A PERSON PRIVACY AND RIGHT. WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO TAKE A PICTURE OF SOMEONE WHILE THEY ARE WORKING WITH ANOTHER PERSON'S CHILD? TOTAL DISRESPECT! NANNY WORK IS ALREADY DIFFICULT BUT NOSY PPL THAT ARE ALWAYS STARING US DOWN WHILE AT WORK ARE THE ABSOLUTE WORST. IVE ONLY BEEN RESPECTFUL AND CARING ON THE JOB BUT I DONT NEED TO BE WATCHED AND I DAMN SURE DONT NEED A PICTURE TAKEN, BE HAPPY IT WAS YOUR PHONE AND NOT YOUR FACE. NEXT TIME INVEST THAT MUCH ATTENTION TO YOUR CHILD ON THE SWING. THIS MAY SEEM HARSH BUT THERE IS A SERIOUS LESSON THAT MANY SHOULD LEARN, THE VERY OLD
ReplyDelete" MIND YOUR BUSINESS "
you're on camera everywhere anyway. Parents just don't have immediate access to all of the exterior store cameras, restaurant cameras, street cameras, traffic cameras, etc. that you appear on all day long.
ReplyDeleteGet used to it. And behave yourself, you naughty ninny!
I'm very late to the party but there is quite a difference between security cameras and people taking individual pictures. Security cameras are of a wide area and will be taped over unless something happens. The only people who usually see them are security guards and police. No one is being singled out and it doesn't normally go anywhere. With an individual picture, you have no idea what someone does with it. Will they post it online to ruin your reputation? Use you as a sex object? Mock you? Try to get you fired? All of these things happen regularly with individual pictures. While it is wrong for the woman to knock the phone out of your hands, I can totally understand her being upset. I would be too if someone was trying to covertly take my photo. (I know you were photographing someone else but that nanny doesn't know that.) Not to mention, I don't think there is anything wrong with being upset about the world turning into a surveillance state. I would rather not be under the ever present electronic eye of anyone, state, parent, or blogger.
ReplyDelete