Walking in rain with baby

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- how do you think those of us who dont have nannies pick up our kids when its raining, cloudy, snowing, too hot, etc? You are being paid as a stand in for the parents to care for their children, which from your descriptions includes picking up the older children from school. Figure. it. out.

you walk in lightning and thunderstorms to pick up your kids? Or do you drive or get an uber?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- how do you think those of us who dont have nannies pick up our kids when its raining, cloudy, snowing, too hot, etc? You are being paid as a stand in for the parents to care for their children, which from your descriptions includes picking up the older children from school. Figure. it. out.

you walk in lightning and thunderstorms to pick up your kids? Or do you drive or get an uber?

Yes, actually, I do. Our school lets us hang out till the thunder and lightning pass. Then we walk home in the rain.

Cannot wait for your reaction to this.

[Anonymous]

Was this yesterday in DC? If so, it was a few minutes of rain and a rumble of thunder. I picked my kids up and we metro-ed home. We got damp but if I'd paid someone to handle pick up and they refused yesterday..that would be the end of paying them for pick up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- how do you think those of us who dont have nannies pick up our kids when its raining, cloudy, snowing, too hot, etc? You are being paid as a stand in for the parents to care for their children, which from your descriptions includes picking up the older children from school. Figure. it. out.

I really don't think viewing a nanny as a stand in for a parent is an appropriate way of looking at it at all. I do a lot of stuff with my kid I would never ask a professional to do. Anything involving risk (like teaching my kid to ride a bike) or logistics (like taking the kid to the pediatrician). So lightning calls, I am not putting that on another person. I'll take my own kid and teach them to walk on ice but I would never ask someone to do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you're not going to get a fair answer here because post posters are poor but imagine themselves as rich therefore terrible nany employers. Yes, it's unreasonable for them to expect you to walk in a thunderstorm to get the kids. You should have gotten an Uber, charged it to your employers, gotten the kids home and resigned at the end of your shift. These are not people you want to work for. In the future, only look at families that go through reputable agencies with clearly defined roles, responsibilities in your contract and contingencies for a variety of situations.

I very rarely side with an employer over a nanny, but I have a hard time seeing it as unreasonable to expect a nanny to pick up the kids from school in conditions that I and many other parents near me deal with when needed. If the school age children can handle it, of course the nanny can.

you regularly walk in thunderstorms to pick up your kids?

Regularly? I can’t say that I experience these conditions regularly. But yes— we live close enough to walk, the car line is bananas on a normal day (and there is a cutoff time to change pickup plans), there is very limited legal parking near the school and it is overrun when the weather is bad. And we are absolutely not the only people sucking it up and walking.

We can argue about this more but OP hasn’t provided any details about what the walk, neighborhood, or school are like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was this yesterday in DC? If so, it was a few minutes of rain and a rumble of thunder. I picked my kids up and we metro-ed home. We got damp but if I'd paid someone to handle pick up and they refused yesterday..that would be the end of paying them for pick up.

Yes, I’ve been wondering this for the whole thread too.

[Anonymous]

I’d never ask my nanny or anyone else in a thunderstorm or downpour. First I’d worry about everyone’s safety. My husband and I face this scenario when picking up our DC from school. With one car household, we have a plan B for these scenarios which include me leaving early from work or an Uber ride.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- how do you think those of us who dont have nannies pick up our kids when its raining, cloudy, snowing, too hot, etc? You are being paid as a stand in for the parents to care for their children, which from your descriptions includes picking up the older children from school. Figure. it. out.

I really don't think viewing a nanny as a stand in for a parent is an appropriate way of looking at it at all. I do a lot of stuff with my kid I would never ask a professional to do. Anything involving risk (like teaching my kid to ride a bike) or logistics (like taking the kid to the pediatrician). So lightning calls, I am not putting that on another person. I'll take my own kid and teach them to walk on ice but I would never ask someone to do that.

That’s a fair angle. But the task is picking up the kids from school, which isn’t something she can skip. Either it’s reasonable to have a non-driving nanny in their neighborhood, or it isn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- how do you think those of us who dont have nannies pick up our kids when its raining, cloudy, snowing, too hot, etc? You are being paid as a stand in for the parents to care for their children, which from your descriptions includes picking up the older children from school. Figure. it. out.

I really don't think viewing a nanny as a stand in for a parent is an appropriate way of looking at it at all. I do a lot of stuff with my kid I would never ask a professional to do. Anything involving risk (like teaching my kid to ride a bike) or logistics (like taking the kid to the pediatrician). So lightning calls, I am not putting that on another person. I'll take my own kid and teach them to walk on ice but I would never ask someone to do that.

That’s a fair angle. But the task is picking up the kids from school, which isn’t something she can skip. Either it’s reasonable to have a non-driving nanny in their neighborhood, or it isn’t.

Exactly. And both she (the nanny) and the parents knew she didn’t drive when they agreed to the setup.

[Anonymous]

Pouring rain? No
Light rain yes.

If legit pouring the parents should have a plan B for the older kids. Friend drop off, uber, whatever.

[Anonymous]

I don't think walking in pouring rain without rain gear or an umbrella is reasonable. If the employers want OP and the kids to walk 1-2 miles in pouring rain and thunder, they should be providing rain gear and umbrellas or offer to pay for an uber. The kids could change when they got home but if the OP didn't have a change of clothes, she would be drenched to the bone and likely cold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTF, would the parent do this themselves? Of course not.

And what if it started lightening?

Uhh yes I did this all the time as a parent.

You walked in lightening all the time with your baby. Interesting.

The word is lightning.

If you've gotta pick up the kid, you've gotta pick up the kid.

True, but that comment was about spelling.

[Anonymous]

Where are the umbrellas? Both nanny AND parents should have extras of these. Ponchos are great for smaller kids.


Also the employer was out of line yelling. Understand the frustration level. I think they probably aren’t easy to work for or are clear on communication. It sounds like it’s time to look for a new job either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- how do you think those of us who dont have nannies pick up our kids when its raining, cloudy, snowing, too hot, etc? You are being paid as a stand in for the parents to care for their children, which from your descriptions includes picking up the older children from school. Figure. it. out.

you walk in lightning and thunderstorms to pick up your kids? Or do you drive or get an uber?

Yes, actually, I do. Our school lets us hang out till the thunder and lightning pass. Then we walk home in the rain.

Cannot wait for your reaction to this.

So you don't actually walk in lightning and thunderstorms if you're waiting at the school. Now does the school let the kids have a late pickup so you can wait at home until the thunderstorm passes to pick them up? Do you leave your house with the baby in the str8 to walk through lightning and thunderstorms for on time pickup?

[Anonymous]

I would walk to pick my kids up in a thunderstorm. What else would you do if you don't have access to a car? Uber just isn't realistic with multiple kids in carseats.

If you have a job that involves picking up kids from school on foot and you're only comfortable doing that in good weather, you should negotiate that up front, not in the moment. You should also be able to use the family's umbrella.