Ready to terminate nanny; is this sufficiently "for cause"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To PP who said it's very rude to ignore a text from someone caring for your children: do you really expect immediate response to a text under any circumstances? Or that any time is an appropriate time to send a text? I'm in meetings half or more of most work days. And I just can't imagine sending a text to someone who is with a dying family member and then getting irritated that the person didn't respond to the text fast enough for me. There are circumstances where pulling out your phone just isn't okay.

Re-reading this I recognize it comes off as snotty, so sorry about that, I meant to genuinely ask if there really is an expectation that people can receive and respond to texts wherever and whenever. That just surprised me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To PP who said it's very rude to ignore a text from someone caring for your children: do you really expect immediate response to a text under any circumstances? Or that any time is an appropriate time to send a text? I'm in meetings half or more of most work days. And I just can't imagine sending a text to someone who is with a dying family member and then getting irritated that the person didn't respond to the text fast enough for me. There are circumstances where pulling out your phone just isn't okay.

Re-reading this I recognize it comes off as snotty, so sorry about that, I meant to genuinely ask if there really is an expectation that people can receive and respond to texts wherever and whenever. That just surprised me.

So the nanny was supposed to know that The death happened that day?
A death in the family doesn't negate your responsibilities as a parent. Communicating with your child's nanny is a responsibility. She may have seen the text as annoying or trivial, but it wasn't. Life goes on whether we are dealing with a loss or not. I lost my mother 2 weeks ago...I get it. I wasn't mad that I had to deal with "trivial stuff" while I was at her funeral. It's life.
I think the fact that the nanny texted instead of calling shows that she was trying to be respectful. OP, you have a rotten attitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To PP who said it's very rude to ignore a text from someone caring for your children: do you really expect immediate response to a text under any circumstances? Or that any time is an appropriate time to send a text? I'm in meetings half or more of most work days. And I just can't imagine sending a text to someone who is with a dying family member and then getting irritated that the person didn't respond to the text fast enough for me. There are circumstances where pulling out your phone just isn't okay.

Re-reading this I recognize it comes off as snotty, so sorry about that, I meant to genuinely ask if there really is an expectation that people can receive and respond to texts wherever and whenever. That just surprised me.

So the nanny was supposed to know that The death happened that day?
A death in the family doesn't negate your responsibilities as a parent. Communicating with your child's nanny is a responsibility. She may have seen the text as annoying or trivial, but it wasn't. Life goes on whether we are dealing with a loss or not. I lost my mother 2 weeks ago...I get it. I wasn't mad that I had to deal with "trivial stuff" while I was at her funeral. It's life.
I think the fact that the nanny texted instead of calling shows that she was trying to be respectful. OP, you have a rotten attitude.

I'm the Nanny PP who said that I will communicate with parents any time there is a need, barring non-emergency texts within a window when I have been told no texts. I don't expect an immediate response; I do expect a response as soon as possible given their job or other circumstance, if a response is needed. About 25% of my texts require a response, maybe another 25% don't need a response if they trust my judgement, the other 50% are solely updates.

As a parent, you are responsible and liable for lives completely dependent on you. By hiring a nanny, you are hiring someone else to take on that responsibility and liability in your stead during a time frame. Without communication from parents, I have to assume that I'm trusted to handle whatever situation arises, without recriminations later about how I handled it. If I didn't communicate an issue to the parent, I would expect to be fired for cause if a situation went out of control. As long as I communicate the issue to the parent, it's up to them to respond, and if they don't, well, they know me and they know what I'm likely to do.

[Anonymous]

OP, drop this nanny as soon as you can. Pay her a couple weeks severance and tell her it's not working out. Ignore the nanny posters on here bashing you--they live in a fantasy world.

[Anonymous]

If you're really strict about screen time, then it makes sense that she would have texted you. Honestly, I think you need to think about whether you are a person who frequently has falling outs with relatives/coworkers/employees/servicepeople. Because I do get a vibe that you are being overly picky here, but I could be wrong.

[Anonymous]

Somebody has been bored trolling on this thread. OP, yes, being late repeatedly after warnings is firing for cause. No severance is required. Good luck finding a better fit for your family on the next nanny!