This is why you keep your nanny

[Anonymous]

I’m a nanny for school aged children. I’ve been with the family since both kids were born 9 years ago. Most of my nanny friends were let go when the kids went to kindergarten. My family chose to continue to keep me on and pay me full time to be on call, because they don’t have the kinds of jobs where they can just stay home for sick days, days off school, breaks........ or a pandemic.

I’m a former teacher and now I homeschool the kids, while the parents work from home. Things are running pretty smooth.

I don’t understand why wealthy parents who can afford to continue paying, choose to dump their nannies when the kids go off to school. I’m hoping that something like this will make parents realise how important it is to keep your nanny, if you can afford to do so. .

[Anonymous]

What a strange post. And I'll preface this by saying that we have kept our kids' nanny FT, even though older is in K and younger is in pre-school. It just doesn't make sense for everyone. You also don't have any idea what others can afford. They may have financial obligations you don't know about. Most importantly, nannies may also prefer to work with younger kids where they are fully engaged daily. We continue to pay FT and give regular raises, but I also check in with my kids' nanny who began as an infant nanny for our older DC. Pre-pandemic, she spent most of her time shuttling kids around. I think she loves my kids and watching them grow up, but I would understand if she decided to move on to something more interesting.

[Anonymous]

I am the parent of two school age children and we have a full time nanny as you say. It has been amazing as you say.
I will also pay my nanny if we or she need to quarantine as long as needed.

But I also think your post came across as tone deaf. I am very fortunately to have all these things. The reality is that many people can not afford a nanny on call and many more right now are looking at being fired or laid off or big pay cuts. Please be kind. I am glad you have a great job and the family is running smoothly. This is not the time to consider luxuries like you describe though.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know any wealthy families who did let their nanny go when the kids started school. Between sick days and the constant school holidays, as well as after school care, the nanny is still needed. Shuttling kids to sports practice and lessons is another reason.

But not everyone can afford this level of care.

[Anonymous]

Because there aren’t as many wealthy people as you think.

Also, a lot of people are comfortably off because they live relatively frugally and don’t spend on a nanny a minute more than they need to.

Finally, what advice do you have for the immense majority of people who never could afford a nanny and are now struggling between jobs and childcare?

Idiot.

[Anonymous]

Sure, I will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over many years that I otherwise don't need just in case there is a pandemic that locks us in for a few months. Hasn't happened in a hundred years, but you can never be too cautious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure, I will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over many years that I otherwise don't need just in case there is a pandemic that locks us in for a few months. Hasn't happened in a hundred years, but you can never be too cautious.

I don’t think that is what OP is saying at all.

My kids are still very young but having an educated nanny, a former teacher, care for them all day - in quarantine and not - is a great thing. We are not wealthy but we really sacrifice to have her. When the kids are both in elementary school we will work something out to keep her. Our nanny is older and has already said she’d like to cut her hours when the kids are in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, I will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over many years that I otherwise don't need just in case there is a pandemic that locks us in for a few months. Hasn't happened in a hundred years, but you can never be too cautious.

I don’t think that is what OP is saying at all.

My kids are still very young but having an educated nanny, a former teacher, care for them all day - in quarantine and not - is a great thing. We are not wealthy but we really sacrifice to have her. When the kids are both in elementary school we will work something out to keep her. Our nanny is older and has already said she’d like to cut her hours when the kids are in school.

No. OP is saying exactly what the first PP said. Let them eat cake, you know.
Very insensitive, when so many people, including the middle class, some of whom had nannies, are out of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, I will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over many years that I otherwise don't need just in case there is a pandemic that locks us in for a few months. Hasn't happened in a hundred years, but you can never be too cautious.

I don’t think that is what OP is saying at all.

My kids are still very young but having an educated nanny, a former teacher, care for them all day - in quarantine and not - is a great thing. We are not wealthy but we really sacrifice to have her. When the kids are both in elementary school we will work something out to keep her. Our nanny is older and has already said she’d like to cut her hours when the kids are in school.

No. OP is saying exactly what the first PP said. Let them eat cake, you know.
Very insensitive, when so many people, including the middle class, some of whom had nannies, are out of work.

Didn’t OP say “wealthy”? Wealthy parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, I will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over many years that I otherwise don't need just in case there is a pandemic that locks us in for a few months. Hasn't happened in a hundred years, but you can never be too cautious.

I don’t think that is what OP is saying at all.

My kids are still very young but having an educated nanny, a former teacher, care for them all day - in quarantine and not - is a great thing. We are not wealthy but we really sacrifice to have her. When the kids are both in elementary school we will work something out to keep her. Our nanny is older and has already said she’d like to cut her hours when the kids are in school.

Of course that is what she is saying.

And if your situation works out as planned, then you are exceptionally lucky that your nanny will want to cut her hours, right around when you need her less. You do realize that is very unusual.

In almost all cases, your great nanny wants and needs full time work. So, you either pay for full time when you really need quite a bit less, or you give up the nanny. The unicorn situation you envision is not what most people face.

[Anonymous]

Because not everyone who appears wealthy is. They may be spending everything they have and heavily into debt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, I will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over many years that I otherwise don't need just in case there is a pandemic that locks us in for a few months. Hasn't happened in a hundred years, but you can never be too cautious.

I don’t think that is what OP is saying at all.

My kids are still very young but having an educated nanny, a former teacher, care for them all day - in quarantine and not - is a great thing. We are not wealthy but we really sacrifice to have her. When the kids are both in elementary school we will work something out to keep her. Our nanny is older and has already said she’d like to cut her hours when the kids are in school.

No. OP is saying exactly what the first PP said. Let them eat cake, you know.
Very insensitive, when so many people, including the middle class, some of whom had nannies, are out of work.

Didn’t OP say “wealthy”? Wealthy parents?

She did, because she does not know what wealthy means in the context of maintaining a nanny when one doesn't need one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, I will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over many years that I otherwise don't need just in case there is a pandemic that locks us in for a few months. Hasn't happened in a hundred years, but you can never be too cautious.

I don’t think that is what OP is saying at all.

My kids are still very young but having an educated nanny, a former teacher, care for them all day - in quarantine and not - is a great thing. We are not wealthy but we really sacrifice to have her. When the kids are both in elementary school we will work something out to keep her. Our nanny is older and has already said she’d like to cut her hours when the kids are in school.

No. OP is saying exactly what the first PP said. Let them eat cake, you know.
Very insensitive, when so many people, including the middle class, some of whom had nannies, are out of work.

Didn’t OP say “wealthy”? Wealthy parents?

She did, because she does not know what wealthy means in the context of maintaining a nanny when one doesn't need one.

I think you don’t understand what wealthy means.

Stop trying to turn this into an attack on middle class families worried about losing their jobs. Those families never had a nanny to begin with, those kids were in daycare or aftercare. Wealthy families by definition are not worried about job loss or savings or paying the bills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a nanny for school aged children. I’ve been with the family since both kids were born 9 years ago. Most of my nanny friends were let go when the kids went to kindergarten. My family chose to continue to keep me on and pay me full time to be on call, because they don’t have the kinds of jobs where they can just stay home for sick days, days off school, breaks........ or a pandemic.

I’m a former teacher and now I homeschool the kids, while the parents work from home. Things are running pretty smooth.

I don’t understand why wealthy parents who can afford to continue paying, choose to dump their nannies when the kids go off to school. I’m hoping that something like this will make parents realise how important it is to keep your nanny, if you can afford to do so. .

You’re like the SAHM who say they’re even *more* needed now because of sick days and snow days

In early elementary it’s nice for a child to be able to come home from school and play at home or on the playground. But they don’t need a former teacher to facilitate that, any reasonably intelligent adult is fine. And by upper elementary they are mostly in activities so all they really need is a driver. The only families who really need a highly educated nanny are those that work crazy hours and need the nanny to be the parent. I do not aspire to be one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, I will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over many years that I otherwise don't need just in case there is a pandemic that locks us in for a few months. Hasn't happened in a hundred years, but you can never be too cautious.

I don’t think that is what OP is saying at all.

My kids are still very young but having an educated nanny, a former teacher, care for them all day - in quarantine and not - is a great thing. We are not wealthy but we really sacrifice to have her. When the kids are both in elementary school we will work something out to keep her. Our nanny is older and has already said she’d like to cut her hours when the kids are in school.

No. OP is saying exactly what the first PP said. Let them eat cake, you know.
Very insensitive, when so many people, including the middle class, some of whom had nannies, are out of work.

Didn’t OP say “wealthy”? Wealthy parents?

She did, because she does not know what wealthy means in the context of maintaining a nanny when one doesn't need one.

I think you don’t understand what wealthy means.

Stop trying to turn this into an attack on middle class families worried about losing their jobs. Those families never had a nanny to begin with, those kids were in daycare or aftercare. Wealthy families by definition are not worried about job loss or savings or paying the bills.

Are you talking about independently wealthy families who don’t rely on their salaries? There are very few of those