Could she be dyslexic or have some kind if learning disability? Sounds like a friend of mine, who often confused words for closely related items - I could see her making the mistake between two different meats left in the fridge simply bc she didn't process what the mom said.

I'd fire her. Whatever her issues are, it would make me too nervous.

Anonymous wrote:is she ethnic? I grew up in the US and am pretty sure that when I first went to college, I could not have told you, for sure, what the difference between ham/turkey/salami was. Product of eating entirely asian food growing up.

We didn't even have enough spoons for more than 2 people to eat yogurt at a time.

+1 I am ethnic but not Asian but I don't know some common things. Sandwiched meats without labels - I may confuse salami and pepperoni or other meats I am not familiar with.

Neither her name nor her appearance suggests anything other than boring old Anglo-Saxon/Western European descent. I'm not talking cold cuts, either.

is she ethnic? I grew up in the US and am pretty sure that when I first went to college, I could not have told you, for sure, what the difference between ham/turkey/salami was. Product of eating entirely asian food growing up.

We didn't even have enough spoons for more than 2 people to eat yogurt at a time.

Well, at first I thought maybe she was just flighty or something, but as time goes on and there are more and more weird things. I am really starting to wonder. She shows up on time and everything, but I am starting to worry that, if she has such basic gaps in knowledge or some cognitive problem that she can't process these things, it is starting to get more than a little weird. One night I even left her directions exactly where the dinner was in the refrigerator and she still got it wrong!

I didn't want to be too nitpicky, but I am really starting to think it is time for a change.

Even my brother, who does not eat fruit, knows what an apple is. That's very weird. Ham and turkey? Maybe if she's a vegetarian? I don't eat cold cuts but have seen very light ham as well as darker turkey. If she doesnt eat either, maybe she did get confused? The whole apple and driving thing is really weird though.

I wonder why you keep hiring her- red flags would go on for me!

Well, would she know what to do in an emergency? e.g., dialing 911

If it's just once in a while that she watches the kids, your kids will probably be fine.

This is REALLY weird. Is it possible that she's on drugs? But I guess you'd have to be on a lot of drugs for something like this. I honestly would get rid of her immediately, something is not right.

She doesn't know the difference between an apple and nectarine???

Weird! Or maybe visually challenged?

She's a college student?

I honestly wouldn't feel comfortable with her watching my kids, nevermind driving with them.

Yes, your sitter is odd. I'm not sure I'd trust her with my children if she's lacking that much common sense.

We have an occasional evening babysitter - a college student born and raised here (so it is not a language thing) - that seems confused about basic things. For example, the kids told me when we leave instructions about the dinner to feed them while we are out, she gives them something else first. When they point out the error, she says she didn't know. She didn't know the difference between ham and turkey and she also gave my son a nectarine when he asked for an apple. When he corrected her, she got really upset and asked how she was supposed to know it wasn't an apple. She also refuses to walk with the kids to the park and insists on driving them so she can use her GPS even though she has been there several times and it is just a couple of blocks away straight down the street.

Am I being too nitpicky for thinking this is really odd? It makes me wonder what else she doesn't understand and whether she could somehow create a danger if she mistakes common things.