Keep or fire?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even as parents, we have made some negligent mistakes.

This is a tough call OP.

As a parent, I would give the nanny a stern warning and ask her directly if she really thinks she is competent enough to handle two small children. Because handling two small children is no easy task. Ask her to think long and hard before she gives you a straight answer.

If she says yes, then you can keep her on, but in your mind, keep her on a probationary period for the next few months. See how everything works out.

If I were her, I would try double-hard to please you as your nanny and make a huge effort to go above and beyond my childcare duties. See if she makes an extra effort.

Obviously, if another incident occurs, she is out the door immediately.

Holy bitch, batman. Do you speak to everyone like that?

[Anonymous]

Your child at 3.5 absolutely should know better unless they are SN.

I'd be deciding on how to discipline child & make it harder for them to get out, not the nanny who should be able to leave a 3.5 yr old alone for a few minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even as parents, we have made some negligent mistakes.

This is a tough call OP.

As a parent, I would give the nanny a stern warning and ask her directly if she really thinks she is competent enough to handle two small children. Because handling two small children is no easy task. Ask her to think long and hard before she gives you a straight answer.

If she says yes, then you can keep her on, but in your mind, keep her on a probationary period for the next few months. See how everything works out.

If I were her, I would try double-hard to please you as your nanny and make a huge effort to go above and beyond my childcare duties. See if she makes an extra effort.

Obviously, if another incident occurs, she is out the door immediately.

Holy bitch, batman. Do you speak to everyone like that?

Lol. A stern warning for the nanny? Omg, now we've heard it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a nanny and a mother I'm on board with those saying its your child who needs disciplined. I absolutely expected my (as the time 3 year old) to be able to hang out by herself downstairs while I put her little brother down for his naps and when I got him up and changed. We've always had door alarms so I would know if she tried to go out, but she also would have been in big trouble because at 3 she should no not to open doors.

Lots of kids KNOW the rules that they break. Did your son know not to throw toys, too? But I be the did sometimes, right? For some kids, opening the door and wandering off is the rule that they forget, ignore, or test frequently. In those cases an alarm and an above-the-door lock is important. DS might KNOW that he's not allowed to open the door, but look the neighbor's puppy is in the yard and he IS allowed to pet the dog..."and omg look at the puppy it's licking my hand!..." Kids learn to follow rules gradddddually. 16 year olds know not to speed, but they still do it. We are talking about the real world here and how to keep kids safe in it, not some magical world where children obey every rule every minute after being told once. (But if you have directions there I'd love to take a peek.)

+1. My 4 year old knows he shouldn't drink the cleaning products under the kitchen sink but if I left the cabinet unlocked and he got into it would you blame the child and say he should know better? It's fine to say the 3 yo should be disciplined for walking out of the house but the nanny should also know that a 3.5 year old doesn't always follow rules and needs to keep a better eye on him in a safe environment. By that I mean that it's ok to leave him downstairs for a few minutes while she goes upstairs but ONLY if she's made sure it is safe for him there and that means making sure the door is locked and he can't get out.

OP, if your nanny is showing the proper remorse I probably wouldn't fire her but let her know she needs to be more careful. Chances are she feels terrible and will be EXTRA careful in the future. We had a previous nanny who once accidentally gave DC too much baby motrin. It was purely an accident but she blew it off like it wasn't a big deal. We fired her that day because I wasn't comfortable that it wouldn't happen again. Several years ago our current nanny was playing outside with DC when he had just learned to walk. He wasn't stable and I warned her to be careful and hold his hand. Well, she didn't and he fell and got a big goose egg and scrape on his forehead. She felt so horrible I knew it would never ever happen again. She's been with us for several years now and I feel completely comfortable and trust her completely.

Kids fall. That's what they do. You would have fired your nanny because your toddler fell?

.

Yes kids fall but a toddler who JUST learned to walk shouldn't be walking on uneven/broken pavement without assistance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd likely fire. Unclear why she'd leave your 3.5 y
r old downstairs that long unattended. I wouldn't do that with my own 3.75 yr old daughter. If I'm heading upstairs for a while, so is she.

This.

Re read the Original post.

[cherimichelle85]

sorry but being a former nanny you don't fire somebody over something like that. That's dumb and its unfair especially if she became very upset that it happened. give her the benefit of the doubt!!