They. Won't. Stop. Fighting.

[ziggy]

This is more of a rant than an ask for help, because I"m only here a couple more days and I know nothing changes that fast. I just needed to vent.

I was a nanny last year for five kids - 3, 5, 8, 9, 15. It was not world's greatest idea, mainly because I clashed with a LOT of the parent's views on child rearing. They believe in spanking, forcing the children to clean their plates, a lot of rules, no food outside meal times, they have to ask for a glass of water and get in trouble if they don't, stuff is ALWAYS being taken away, etc. We don't get along.

However, the kids missed me and I missed the kids, so I agreed to come down for week one of my spring break, which is also the kid's spring break. I'd help out, chauffering them around, and spending a day one-on-one with each kid (except the 15 year old. We're more friends than anything else).

But I'm going insane here. The kids will NOT stop fighting. Every time they're together they're screaming, hitting, throwing, won't get off the TV, won't get off the computer, they're mean to each other. Every thing they do seems to set them all off. I have had world's largest headache since I got here. I don't know how I lived through a year of this, truth be told.

[sleet76]

That sounds hard. Good luck making it through! My older two fight (and love and play, too) a lot--they are almost 5 and almost 3. i can only imagine how it would increase exponentially with more children...

[AllisonR]

Maybe they are trying to give you a message - in the only way they know how. YOu did a great job, we miss you, now we are stuck with these other rules and we hate it and we are going to act out to tell you how ANGRY, FRUSTRATED.... we are? Almost like - come back and save us!

I suppose the worst though, is you can't do anything about it. You are not the mom or dad, and you are not the nanny anymore. The fact that you don't get along, but the parents asked you to come anyway - is that an indication of their willingness to listen? How much will the parents listen - really listen - to you, if you get together one night to talk or write them a letter? If not, then I am so sorry, but you may just have to let it go - even if it hurts your heart. Even if they won't listen, I would at least tell the parents that because of all the fighting and it going downhill, that you will not come back anymore.