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What about nannies making personal phone calls? - Page 4

post #61 of 91
4/15/08 at 2:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rigama View Post
I think it depends on the mall. When I lived in the Dallas area, they had some really rockin' malls with kid zones for jumping and climbing. I could see the appeal of such a place in the heat of the summer or the dead of winter, when kids just need to jump thier jumpies out but it's too nasty to be oustide for more than 10 minutes.
I agree. During the winter its too cold out. And since I had to pay out of my pocket for any activities for the child. The mall was free and cheap if we ate. We went to the Frisco Stonebriar mall.

Quote:
Originally Posted by akilamonique View Post
Ok, I just noticed this post, I have to admit I would be irritated with going to a mall for a "playdate", I wouldn't even do that myself. The mall is not child oriented. I left a playgroup because they were doing things like that. IMO there are much better indoor activities.
I'm sorry I disagree with the post about mall being inappropriate. We would go to the Barnes and Noble in the mall and sit and play with the trains and then read a few books. We'd also make it to story time when we could. Then we would eat lunch and she could have one ride on the carasoul. (Otherwise she'd ride it for hours!!) Then we'd play in the playplace for a few. I have no idea how that is not KID oriented or inappropriate. I'd love to know how it is. We didn't go shopping for me and buy things. So it wasn't an errand unless the mom asked to get something for her.
I was not about to sit inside the house 24/7 especially since I was live in. If you want to burn out a nanny by all means make her stay home at all times. Just like cabin fever.
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post #62 of 91
4/15/08 at 3:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy View Post

I was a nanny last year and while the situation was not in ANY way ideal, I'd have quit MUCH sooner had the parents said that I was not allowed to make personal phone calls/do personal errands with the kids.
Your situation sounds so absolutely awful, oh my gosh. Some people...
post #63 of 91
4/15/08 at 3:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by therdogg View Post
Actually many professional nannies will take on these chores, and will do some meal prep etc. I disagree that a professional nanny will never do anything that isn't child related- in fact, those who take on broader household responsibilities are called household managers and are paid better.

...many nannies enjoy taking on household management tasks, including planning trips, overseeing household repairs including getting bids on jobs, planting a garden, meal prep, planning entertaining, packing for trips, bills, scrapbooking for the kids, volunteering (well, you're paying her, so she's not technically volunteering LOL) at the kids' school, errands, etc. Again, this requires a raise.
Yes, and I have firsthand knowledge of this. We have a very professional, career Nanny/Household Manager, and she does a lot more than caring for the children. Childcare is her primary responsibility, and household management is secondary.

Interesting thread.
post #64 of 91
4/15/08 at 3:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Potty Diva View Post
Thank you!
A nanny doesn't do house cleaning or laundry or fills in for mom. A nanny cares for children and the children's needs. She is an educator of small children and a Nanny doesn't have time for cleaning your house.
An "educator of children" is more like a Governess, in my experience.

The term "nanny" has a very broad range.
post #65 of 91
4/15/08 at 3:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Potty Diva View Post

Lay nannies do light housekeeping, errands, etc.
Never heard the term "lay nannies" in my 5 years of having nannies. Where did you pick this up?
post #66 of 91
4/15/08 at 5:56am
As a nanny, I would always incorporate my charges in whatever activity i was doing, whether running errands or making dinner for the family(depending on age, of course)Errands and phone calls are a fact of life. Kids are capable of coping with both. I never would dream of doing anything that would compromise the happiness of my charge and I was always forthcoming with the parents when I knew I needed to get a few things done.
Bottom line-I used good judgement and the families I worked with trusted me and their decision to hire me. Now, as a parent, if I didn't think someone could juggle phone calls, errands, and kids, I probably wouldn't hire them to care for my babies.
post #67 of 91
4/15/08 at 9:40am
Potty Diva, I don't know if I'm reading this right, but I was a *lesser* nanny because I also cleaned and cooked? And helped out at the kids school? On the one day a week that the kids had after school activities I volunteered in the ESL center. I also chaperoned a couple of class fieldtrips when I had time - it was fun. I fail to see how this makes me *lesser* or a *lay nanny* or anything of the sort. I'm working on my teacher's certification, have taken child development classes, have been working with both children and adults with developmental disabilities and typically abled kids since I was thirteen, etc. I find your implications incredibly insulting that I was not a "professional." Is nannying a "profession?" It was my job, it paid my bills, it was legal, so I have no qualms calling it a profession, making me a professional.

I'd also incorporate the kids into helping out as much as I could. I taught the nine year olds how to make a simply dinner, so they'd always help with at least cutting up the salad. One kid would help set the table, things like that. We'd throw on some putomayo kids or marlo thomas and just have fun.
post #68 of 91
4/15/08 at 9:45am
Having been a nanny in the past, I would like whoever is babysitting by kids to feel at home in my home and with my kids. If she wanted to take my kids to the store to do her personal shopping I wouldn't have a problem. Personal phone calls would be a non issue with me. As long as she was taking great care of my kids (as I am still able to do when shopping or talking on the phone) and they loved being with her there would be no problem. As for cleaning, when I was a nanny I didn't do any major housework, but I always left the house in the same condition I found it. Always cleaned up the little messes that were made through the day.
post #69 of 91
4/15/08 at 9:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ananas View Post
Your situation sounds so absolutely awful, oh my gosh. Some people...
You know, reading some of the replies, I'm feeling like it wouldn't be much better to work for some of the posters here.
post #70 of 91
4/15/08 at 9:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy View Post
Potty Diva, I don't know if I'm reading this right, but I was a *lesser* nanny because I also cleaned and cooked? And helped out at the kids school? On the one day a week that the kids had after school activities I volunteered in the ESL center. I also chaperoned a couple of class fieldtrips when I had time - it was fun. I fail to see how this makes me *lesser* or a *lay nanny* or anything of the sort. I'm working on my teacher's certification, have taken child development classes, have been working with both children and adults with developmental disabilities and typically abled kids since I was thirteen, etc. I find your implications incredibly insulting that I was not a "professional." Is nannying a "profession?" It was my job, it paid my bills, it was legal, so I have no qualms calling it a profession, making me a professional.

I'd also incorporate the kids into helping out as much as I could. I taught the nine year olds how to make a simply dinner, so they'd always help with at least cutting up the salad. One kid would help set the table, things like that. We'd throw on some putomayo kids or marlo thomas and just have fun.

No. Lesser does not describe a nanny without a college degree in child development.

Lay nanny is a term applied to women who care for children in a nanny capacity, yet their life goal and career will not be nannying.

There is a difference betweening being professional (behavior) and a profession (a life career).

I understand that unless you have been involved with professional nanny agencies it is hard to grasp the various concepts.
post #71 of 91
4/15/08 at 10:09am
It's not "hard to grasp the different concepts" as you condescendingly put it, it's stupid to differentiate between them, especially a term which apparently exists in a very small sphere, seeing as no search engine, nor any of the nannies I mentioned this to who DO work for and with agencies, can find anything on it.

So you're saying if you hired a "professional" nanny that, if you got home at 6:00pm and the nanny had cooked dinner for the kid that you'd be happy to find she'd not made extra, and therefore you immediatly had to swing into work mode in cooking for yourself while watching your kid who doesn't want to sit still, because they just ate? Or do you make yourself dinner, while cleaning the kitchen after the nanny cooked, while the nanny keeps your kid out of your hair until you're done?
post #72 of 91
4/15/08 at 10:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Potty Diva View Post
No. Lesser does not describe a nanny without a college degree in child development.

Lay nanny is a term applied to women who care for children in a nanny capacity, yet their life goal and career will not be nannying.

There is a difference betweening being professional (behavior) and a profession (a life career).

I understand that unless you have been involved with professional nanny agencies it is hard to grasp the various concepts.

Unless you ARE involved with such an agency, those concepts are pretty unimportant. IMO, using these concepts outside an agency context is likely to have the effect of making any number of people feel confused, not to mention belittled.

I've worked with a bunch of placement agencies in finding jobs as an administrative assistant. Placement agencies of all kinds are assisted in their work by concrete job categories and descriptions, but actual workers and actual employers almost always wind up negotiating more flexible job descriptions because both sides benefit from those, and also because some hard and fast rules that agencies toss around (like "administrative assistants don't fetch coffee" and "nannies only cook for the children") can wind up causing problems for employers.

If you hire someone to come to your home and care for your children (and possibly do some other things as well), you call that person what she wants to be called, and you should treat her with respect. Period. Hair splitting over titles is not a luxury that parents should indulge in.
post #73 of 91
4/15/08 at 10:18am
condescending? No, definitely not. I am sorry that my post came across that way.

I thought these terms were common, but I see they are not. It's not a lesser or greater thing, better or worse - just different.

In my life of being involved with professional nannies (I am not one) the difference is very important because of the time, energy and education they have invested in their career.

I was, wat I refer to, as a lay nanny. I did light housekeeping, cooked family meals, planned activities for the children, ran errands, did the family grocery shopping, picked children up from school and shuttled them to events. So I am not saying a lay nanny is lesser.

BUT, it is different.
post #74 of 91
4/15/08 at 10:22am
Not only are you saying (whether you'll admit it or not, it's very blatant in how it's coming across) that "lay nannies" are less important, you are further implying that they take worse care of the children. The "lay nanny" is something who will do the grunt work - shuffle kids around, cook, clean, occasionally play with a kid if they have time, where as the saintly and amazing PROFESSIONAL NANNY will have none of that "lay nanny" business wherein they, god forbid, start a meal or take a two minute break to collect themselves.
post #75 of 91
4/15/08 at 10:27am
There is nothing to admit. You read my post wrong.

Lay nannies are not lesser, professional nannies are not better.

Just like CNAs are not lesser because they change bedsheets and RNs are not better because they dont.
post #76 of 91
4/15/08 at 10:34am
On the topic of household chores I think that's something you negotiate up front in the contract. The contract protects you both by outlining what the expectations are clearly. I think that's really important because it depends so much on:

- the kids' temperment and ages
- the nanny's experience and own personality (some people multi-task better than others)
- the way your house is laid out (is the laundry area where you can't see/hear the kids, etc. etc.)

and of course the hours and compensation.

I get uncomfortable about "I expect the nanny to do what I would do." Working with kids is kind of creative in a lot of ways, and as someone who manages creative freelancers I have to say that people all have their own rhythms and way of doing things. Of course there are minimum standards to be met, but a big way to have problem is to assume that someone will or can do what you do the way that you do it.

This is where a contract works because the nanny can say things like "I can change the beds, but while I am doing that I will have to put the kids in front of the tv, because I personally will lose it if the kids are bouncing on the sheets while I'm trying to do it." Whereas as a mom I might not mind if the kids bounce on the sheets while I try to fasten the corners down.

Also on the creative note I do personally believe that really good caregivers need to bring their best IDEAS and flexibility to the role. I personally believe that in many (not all) cases giving some flexibility and respect just gives people the space THEY need to do their best job.
post #77 of 91
4/15/08 at 10:37am
I know nil about nannies, but I wanted to say that I wouldn't consider any job that cared so little about my worth as a human being as to tell me I couldn't have personal phone calls, etc. We have got to move beyond the worker-as-property culture if we're ever going to progress as a society. This is very disheartening.
post #78 of 91
4/15/08 at 11:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy View Post
Not only are you saying (whether you'll admit it or not, it's very blatant in how it's coming across) that "lay nannies" are less important, you are further implying that they take worse care of the children. The "lay nanny" is something who will do the grunt work - shuffle kids around, cook, clean, occasionally play with a kid if they have time, where as the saintly and amazing PROFESSIONAL NANNY will have none of that "lay nanny" business wherein they, god forbid, start a meal or take a two minute break to collect themselves.


Ziggy, I don't think that's how she meant it (former "lay" nanny here, LOL, although I also have never heard that term). I don't think she is saying a "professional" nanny is "better." I get what she's saying....a "professional" nanny is someone who is a career nanny, and would typically work for a wealthy family (since that is the type of family that could afford this type of nanny). The family that hires this type of nanny would more likely have other types of household help.

With that, I do think it's splitting hairs a bit. I used to manage a nanny agency, and we emphasized that nannies did not clean the house, unless it was *very* specifically laid out beforehand. If a client said, "light housekeeping" we really pressed them on what that meant, b/c it was amazing what things a client would want considered "light" ("Scrubbing the bathroom floor is light housekeeping isn't it??" Ummmm, NO).

Anyway, I think you're taking offense at something you shouldn't be. Just my two cents, and I'm butting out now. =)
post #79 of 91
4/15/08 at 11:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by avengingophelia View Post
I know nil about nannies, but I wanted to say that I wouldn't consider any job that cared so little about my worth as a human being as to tell me I couldn't have personal phone calls, etc. We have got to move beyond the worker-as-property culture if we're ever going to progress as a society. This is very disheartening.




And...we're back On-Topic!! (Yes, I agree with you).

Also, I know there are jobs that exist that making a small personal phone call is very frowned upon - but it is b/c of the nature of the work (eg. Retail or Restaurant work come to mind).

But again, comparing other totally different lines of work to nanny work doesn't make sense.

Where is the common sense in all this?? And what on earth is a parent doing entrusting her children with someone to care for if she can't trust their judgment around a PHONE CALL??

What, is she going to check her personal cell phone at the end of each day and monitor all the calls and times?

UGH. Do people not see how micromanaging someone you TRUST WITH YOUR CHILD like cannot be good?
post #80 of 91
4/15/08 at 11:14am
Thanks Karina.
Lay nanny is a term I am using just to clarify for myself, nothing I had heard of before this conversation

And this is why I love contract, it keeps everything in order and all respectable-like.
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