Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 13:07     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
Anonymous wrote: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.


ham vs turkey: I can see how the mistake can be made, especially if it's deli meat sliced thin. Though you said it wasn't deli meat; right?
nectarine vs apple: I thought about this for a while. Maybe she didn't know what a nectarine was, so she just grabbed any piece of fruit? Maybe she thought it was a fancy name for an apple?
How did your son correct her? Was it in a nice voice or a mean tone? It's silly and shows her immaturity that she got so upset, but if your DS said it in a way that implied "Gosh! don't you know this is an apple, dummy?" I can see why the babysitter might have gotten upset.

But the basic things about instructions for dinner not being followed and driving a couple of blocks is very weird.
Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 12:50     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
OP, fire her RIGHT NOW. If she is young, this could be schizophrenia emerging (seriously).
Either way, if she has a disability, the place to find out is not in a job that deals with children. Her parents probably know there is an issue, they are just hoping she can squeak by.
Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 11:18     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
Not trying to be mean but maybe your kids are lying because they don't like her. Kids don't always tell the truth and can be manipulating
Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 11:09     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
Anonymous wrote:She is either an alien or dumb as a rock.


LOL!
Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 11:09     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
There is no way I'd keep her as a babysitter - and I'm extremely flexible and not at all picky.

My 2 year old knows what an apple is...

Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 11:06     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
Anonymous wrote:How old are your kids telling you these stories? I am wondering if they are 100% accurate. Maybe she grabbed fruit out of a bowl and absentmindedly handed him a nectarine instead of an apple...maybe your son responded rudely, called her a name etc and so she got upset (not about the wrong fruit but about his response).

Just wondering if this is a possible explanation as it doesn't really make sense that a college student actually doesn't know the difference between an apple and a nectarine and got upset if your son politely mentioned that the nectarine wasn't the fruit he wanted.



This. NP here. OP, consider what you yourself have seen, and judge by what you have seen. Your kids might be exaggerating or trying to make the story more exciting.
Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 10:38     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
She is either an alien or dumb as a rock.
Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 10:35     Subject: Re:Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
Anonymous wrote: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.


I don't think you're being nitpicky. I think the examples you gave us suggest that for whatever reason (medication, mental illness, drugs, etc.) she is not totally with it. It is more serious than feeding your kids the wrong dinner. If there was an emergency, I doubt her ability to follow your instructions via phone or instructions from a 911 operator (i.e. administering CPR).

If she really, really did not know the difference between an apple and a nectarine, she shouldn't have been so upset about it and shrugged it off when your kid told her. Also I am a vegetarian and generally know which types of meat are which.
Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 10:08     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
How old are your kids telling you these stories? I am wondering if they are 100% accurate. Maybe she grabbed fruit out of a bowl and absentmindedly handed him a nectarine instead of an apple...maybe your son responded rudely, called her a name etc and so she got upset (not about the wrong fruit but about his response).

Just wondering if this is a possible explanation as it doesn't really make sense that a college student actually doesn't know the difference between an apple and a nectarine and got upset if your son politely mentioned that the nectarine wasn't the fruit he wanted.

Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 10:02     Subject: Re:Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
Sounds like a heavy pot smoker to me. I had some friends who were smoking up several times a day, and within a few months, they were confused by simple things, easily lost in familiar surroundings, and easily angered.
Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 07:52     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
You need a new babysitter
Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 02:38     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
It's not the lack of common knowledge, it's the response to being called on the lack of common knowledge.

We had a nanny, and I was talking to her once about meal options for our them 14 month old. I told her that she loved grilled cheese. Our nanny had never heard of grilled cheese! She explained that most things with cheese are new to her because her mom and sister are lactose intolerant and so they never had it growing up. But she wasn't angry or defensive.
Anonymous
Post 09/11/2012 01:13     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
I might not be sure of ham or turkey. I've never eaten ham in my life, and it was never in our house growing up. But I'd know how to figure it out. Also might not be sure of the difference between a peach or nectarine, though I'd know an apple for sure. Just not a food person.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2012 23:33     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
I think she is mentally ill. It's not about not knowing an apple from a nectarine, but her being very upset about it
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2012 23:21     Subject: Babysitter Doesn't Know Common Things
Anonymous wrote: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.

Yeah, it sounds like some kind of LD, perhaps colorblindness, maybe both? What it comes down to is, do you trust her as a person, despite her oddities? Do your children like her? Those are your answers right there. Just listen to your gut!