Kudos to great nanny/ care giver at Forest Hills playground

[Anonymous]

This was today around 4:30. Young child, maybe 18 months wearing white collared shirt and blue striped pants. Nanny in teal top and black leggings. I've never seen a more engaged nanny. She was actively playing, running around, being goofy, making your child laugh. It was really fun to watch how much he was enjoying her and how she looked to be having an equally fun time. Very obvious how much she loved him. Nice to see.

[Anonymous]

Our nanny is like this. Totally engaged and loving our son. We’ve surprised her many times and others have told me how great she is.

[Anonymous]

How do you know it was a nanny?

I lived in NWDC until my daughter was 3 and one of my least favorite things was people asking me if I was the nanny. I was not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know it was a nanny?

I lived in NWDC until my daughter was 3 and one of my least favorite things was people asking me if I was the nanny. I was not.

This. My friend is from Ecuador and has dark hair, dark skin, and dark eyes. Her son has blonde hair, light skin, and blue eyes like his dad. She is asked all the time if she's his nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know it was a nanny?

I lived in NWDC until my daughter was 3 and one of my least favorite things was people asking me if I was the nanny. I was not.

This. My friend is from Ecuador and has dark hair, dark skin, and dark eyes. Her son has blonde hair, light skin, and blue eyes like his dad. She is asked all the time if she's his nanny.

My goodness. You try to say one positive thing on this board and you get slammed. I heard her say “time to go home and see mommy and daddy” which is why I said care giver or nanny. Maybe it was the grandmother, maybe it was an aunt! Sheesh people...

I go to the playground A LOT, and most nannies/care givers/parents are on their phones not paying attention the kids. This was a nice change of pace to see.

[Anonymous]

It was also assumed I was the nanny and when I'd take my kids to the playground I'd let them loose and say, "Go run and play!" and sit down on the side. At LEAST half a dozen times people told me what a shitty nanny I was and how if they knew the parents they would let them know how i treated the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was also assumed I was the nanny and when I'd take my kids to the playground I'd let them loose and say, "Go run and play!" and sit down on the side. At LEAST half a dozen times people told me what a shitty nanny I was and how if they knew the parents they would let them know how i treated the kids.

Ha!! Really? I can't imagine saying anything to a (presumed) nanny!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was also assumed I was the nanny and when I'd take my kids to the playground I'd let them loose and say, "Go run and play!" and sit down on the side. At LEAST half a dozen times people told me what a shitty nanny I was and how if they knew the parents they would let them know how i treated the kids.

Sounds like you should have been more involved then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was also assumed I was the nanny and when I'd take my kids to the playground I'd let them loose and say, "Go run and play!" and sit down on the side. At LEAST half a dozen times people told me what a shitty nanny I was and how if they knew the parents they would let them know how i treated the kids.

Sounds like you should have been more involved then.

Why? They didn't know I was a single mother and spent ALL day, EVERY day with my kids. They didn't know this was my version of giving myself a break. They didn't know we'd come from the library where we'd spent two hours reading books and playing, and before that we'd been home coloring and playing puppet show and playing hide and seek with their stuffed animals. Why shouldn't I give myself a 20 minute break from talking to a 2 or 3 yr old?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was also assumed I was the nanny and when I'd take my kids to the playground I'd let them loose and say, "Go run and play!" and sit down on the side. At LEAST half a dozen times people told me what a shitty nanny I was and how if they knew the parents they would let them know how i treated the kids.

I am routinely mistaken for a nanny or babysitter b/c I am so young. It's interesting to see the garbage way presumed nannies and babysitters get treated by the supposedly enlightened people in NW DC. when people realize I am the mom they change COMPLETELY.

[Anonymous]

When we go to posh neighborhoods, people assume my dad is the kids dad (moth their grandpa). He is 60 but looks 50, and that’s a normal dad age here.

He loves it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was also assumed I was the nanny and when I'd take my kids to the playground I'd let them loose and say, "Go run and play!" and sit down on the side. At LEAST half a dozen times people told me what a shitty nanny I was and how if they knew the parents they would let them know how i treated the kids.

Sounds like you should have been more involved then.

Why? They didn't know I was a single mother and spent ALL day, EVERY day with my kids. They didn't know this was my version of giving myself a break. They didn't know we'd come from the library where we'd spent two hours reading books and playing, and before that we'd been home coloring and playing puppet show and playing hide and seek with their stuffed animals. Why shouldn't I give myself a 20 minute break from talking to a 2 or 3 yr old?

+1 PP you are so judgmental. Sometimes my kid wants to play with me, so I play. Sometimes he wants to tinker around and be in his own head, so I scroll through my phone. Sometimes he wants to find a buddy and run around, so I sit on a bench. Being all up in your kid's space every second of every day is not good for his development.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know it was a nanny?

I lived in NWDC until my daughter was 3 and one of my least favorite things was people asking me if I was the nanny. I was not.

This. My friend is from Ecuador and has dark hair, dark skin, and dark eyes. Her son has blonde hair, light skin, and blue eyes like his dad. She is asked all the time if she's his nanny.

My goodness. You try to say one positive thing on this board and you get slammed. I heard her say “time to go home and see mommy and daddy” which is why I said care giver or nanny. Maybe it was the grandmother, maybe it was an aunt! Sheesh people...

I go to the playground A LOT, and most nannies/care givers/parents are on their phones not paying attention the kids. This was a nice change of pace to see.

sometimes it is nice when kids can just play without all the hovering!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know it was a nanny?

I lived in NWDC until my daughter was 3 and one of my least favorite things was people asking me if I was the nanny. I was not.

This. My friend is from Ecuador and has dark hair, dark skin, and dark eyes. Her son has blonde hair, light skin, and blue eyes like his dad. She is asked all the time if she's his nanny.

My goodness. You try to say one positive thing on this board and you get slammed. I heard her say “time to go home and see mommy and daddy” which is why I said care giver or nanny. Maybe it was the grandmother, maybe it was an aunt! Sheesh people...

I go to the playground A LOT, and most nannies/care givers/parents are on their phones not paying attention the kids. This was a nice change of pace to see.

That's so great! I actually postponed going back to work in part because all the nannies I encountered while I was on leave were so disinterested in the kids they were with and it disturbed me. I'm sure they are affectionate with them sometimes, but when I would see them at the library and playground, the nannies would largely ignore the kids except to reprimand them, and then be on their phones or talking to each other. I can't imagine paying someone 40k a year to do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was also assumed I was the nanny and when I'd take my kids to the playground I'd let them loose and say, "Go run and play!" and sit down on the side. At LEAST half a dozen times people told me what a shitty nanny I was and how if they knew the parents they would let them know how i treated the kids.

Sounds like you should have been more involved then.

Why? They didn't know I was a single mother and spent ALL day, EVERY day with my kids. They didn't know this was my version of giving myself a break. They didn't know we'd come from the library where we'd spent two hours reading books and playing, and before that we'd been home coloring and playing puppet show and playing hide and seek with their stuffed animals. Why shouldn't I give myself a 20 minute break from talking to a 2 or 3 yr old?

Because 2 or 3 year olds NEED supervision on a playground. Don't tell me you can sit on the bench while your 2 year old runs off...4 maybe.