Playroom disaster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Nanny & would advise either 1 or 3.

Definitely not 2.

Because to expect her to have the playroom completely cleaned up would be an unfair responsibility for her.

Yes, the kids MAY help - but that is unlikely especially due to their ages.
It would be likely that the Nanny would be doing the majority of the straightening up here.

I know some of you either don't understand or just don't care, but this a job and they aren't always "fair". You don't always get to stick your your special preferred list of chores as if you're working in a vacuum with nothing going on around you.


OP, 2 is fine given the circumstances, and a good employee wouldn't have even needed to be told or asked. Just something to keep in your pocket when bonus time comes, nanny asks for for special allowances for herself, etc.

Exactly. If you are a nanny, you should make yourself indispensable or at least make your employer's life easier. f the employer feels they have to answer to you when they have a special need due to a medical emergency, you don't deserve a raise or a bonus. I agree that both parents and nanny should stick to the one activity/toy at a time per child though.

A nanny's job is to take care of children. It is not her job to make your life easier by cleaning up messes that you are too lazy to clean
Obviously, her medical problem was not an emergency or she would not have come home. OP should have gone to Urgent Care where she would not have waited all day.

Right, and the playroom is the children's space, so the nanny should be willing to help tidy it, especially given the circumstances. If not, she doesn't have the flexibility to be a team player at all? I might not fire her if she is otherwise a good nanny, but I would be less generous with raises, bonuses, and special requests. For example, we occasionally let our nanny leave early on Fridays (no PTO involved). If she can't be bothered to help when we need it, then that practice might end.

Ah, yes. The old "we are a team" and there is no 'I" in team meaning "I, The OP" is not in team unless OP starts with job creep because they are so special and, anyway, it is a child related job to clean up all children's messes, no matter when they occur.

Nannies should not be expected to clean up children's messes made on parent's watch!

Sure, then don't expect any extras from your employer. No bonuses, no extra days off, early outs before holidays, or any help with transportation when your car breaks down. Stick to the minimums. When circumstances allow, you will be replaced you with someone who tries to be an asset to her employers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Nanny & would advise either 1 or 3.

Definitely not 2.

Because to expect her to have the playroom completely cleaned up would be an unfair responsibility for her.

Yes, the kids MAY help - but that is unlikely especially due to their ages.
It would be likely that the Nanny would be doing the majority of the straightening up here.

I know some of you either don't understand or just don't care, but this a job and they aren't always "fair". You don't always get to stick your your special preferred list of chores as if you're working in a vacuum with nothing going on around you.


OP, 2 is fine given the circumstances, and a good employee wouldn't have even needed to be told or asked. Just something to keep in your pocket when bonus time comes, nanny asks for for special allowances for herself, etc.

Exactly. If you are a nanny, you should make yourself indispensable or at least make your employer's life easier. f the employer feels they have to answer to you when they have a special need due to a medical emergency, you don't deserve a raise or a bonus. I agree that both parents and nanny should stick to the one activity/toy at a time per child though.

A nanny's job is to take care of children. It is not her job to make your life easier by cleaning up messes that you are too lazy to clean
Obviously, her medical problem was not an emergency or she would not have come home. OP should have gone to Urgent Care where she would not have waited all day.

Right, and the playroom is the children's space, so the nanny should be willing to help tidy it, especially given the circumstances. If not, she doesn't have the flexibility to be a team player at all? I might not fire her if she is otherwise a good nanny, but I would be less generous with raises, bonuses, and special requests. For example, we occasionally let our nanny leave early on Fridays (no PTO involved). If she can't be bothered to help when we need it, then that practice might end.

Ah, yes. The old "we are a team" and there is no 'I" in team meaning "I, The OP" is not in team unless OP starts with job creep because they are so special and, anyway, it is a child related job to clean up all children's messes, no matter when they occur.

Nannies should not be expected to clean up children's messes made on parent's watch!

Sure, then don't expect any extras from your employer. No bonuses, no extra days off, early outs before holidays, or any help with transportation when your car breaks down. Stick to the minimums. When circumstances allow, you will be replaced you with someone who tries to be an asset to her employers.

So Mommy, unless YOU cleans YOUR boss’s house/office, you should expect no extras and no bonuses. Sounds good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Nanny & would advise either 1 or 3.

Definitely not 2.

Because to expect her to have the playroom completely cleaned up would be an unfair responsibility for her.

Yes, the kids MAY help - but that is unlikely especially due to their ages.
It would be likely that the Nanny would be doing the majority of the straightening up here.

I know some of you either don't understand or just don't care, but this a job and they aren't always "fair". You don't always get to stick your your special preferred list of chores as if you're working in a vacuum with nothing going on around you.


OP, 2 is fine given the circumstances, and a good employee wouldn't have even needed to be told or asked. Just something to keep in your pocket when bonus time comes, nanny asks for for special allowances for herself, etc.

So you clean your boss’s office, vacuum and take out the trash? Because your job is a job and they aren’t always “fair.”

Np but I’m guessing the pp works in corporate America or healthcare. So no, we don’t clean our boss’ offices because cleaning and picking up is not part of a corporate job… it is part of a nanny’s job. You’re comparing apples or oranges.

A better example: when my boss went on vacation, I covered her work, as well as my own. I also made myself available outside of normal business hours because she was traveling internationally. Similarly, when I had a family issue, my boss covered my conference calls and time sensitive matters for me.

CLEANING UP MESSES CREATED WHEN SHE WASN’T WORKING AND LEFT BY THE PARENTS LIKE PIGS “is not part of a nanny’s job.”

And yes you do apparently, because we’re saying that people are required to clean up after their employers even when their employers willfully left a mess. Don’t give me that tired “corporate America or healthcare” line. If it’s reasonably for your nanny to clean up your messes that you created and didn’t bother to clean, it’s reasonable for you to clean your employer’s. Simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Nanny & would advise either 1 or 3.

Definitely not 2.

Because to expect her to have the playroom completely cleaned up would be an unfair responsibility for her.

Yes, the kids MAY help - but that is unlikely especially due to their ages.
It would be likely that the Nanny would be doing the majority of the straightening up here.

I know some of you either don't understand or just don't care, but this a job and they aren't always "fair". You don't always get to stick your your special preferred list of chores as if you're working in a vacuum with nothing going on around you.


OP, 2 is fine given the circumstances, and a good employee wouldn't have even needed to be told or asked. Just something to keep in your pocket when bonus time comes, nanny asks for for special allowances for herself, etc.

Exactly. If you are a nanny, you should make yourself indispensable or at least make your employer's life easier. f the employer feels they have to answer to you when they have a special need due to a medical emergency, you don't deserve a raise or a bonus. I agree that both parents and nanny should stick to the one activity/toy at a time per child though.

A nanny's job is to take care of children. It is not her job to make your life easier by cleaning up messes that you are too lazy to clean
Obviously, her medical problem was not an emergency or she would not have come home. OP should have gone to Urgent Care where she would not have waited all day.

Right, and the playroom is the children's space, so the nanny should be willing to help tidy it, especially given the circumstances. If not, she doesn't have the flexibility to be a team player at all? I might not fire her if she is otherwise a good nanny, but I would be less generous with raises, bonuses, and special requests. For example, we occasionally let our nanny leave early on Fridays (no PTO involved). If she can't be bothered to help when we need it, then that practice might end.

Ah, yes. The old "we are a team" and there is no 'I" in team meaning "I, The OP" is not in team unless OP starts with job creep because they are so special and, anyway, it is a child related job to clean up all children's messes, no matter when they occur.

Nannies should not be expected to clean up children's messes made on parent's watch!

Sure, then don't expect any extras from your employer. No bonuses, no extra days off, early outs before holidays, or any help with transportation when your car breaks down. Stick to the minimums. When circumstances allow, you will be replaced you with someone who tries to be an asset to her employers.

So Mommy, unless YOU cleans YOUR boss’s house/office, you should expect no extras and no bonuses. Sounds good.

I'm sure the nannies out there who have been paying attention know that their employers (moms and dads) do sometimes go above and beyond their job descriptions in order to keep their jobs and advance in their careers. That includes some of the responsibilities already mentioned in this thread above like working extra hours, covering for other employees, traveling for work on their own time and working after hours in their hotel rooms to respond to emails and other requests, taking on other projects or responsibilities without it being expressly in their job descriptions. It's not going to be about cleaning because the office has a cleaning crew after hours and the boss's house is generally not our work venue. I doubt any of the nannies out there are surprised about that, so you can stop with the fixation on cleaning. As noted, you may not get fired for not doing it, but you won't get any bonus points and it will "stick" in your employers minds that you chose not to help when you could easily have done so, especially since it was a one-off thing when the family was having a tough time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Nanny & would advise either 1 or 3.

Definitely not 2.

Because to expect her to have the playroom completely cleaned up would be an unfair responsibility for her.

Yes, the kids MAY help - but that is unlikely especially due to their ages.
It would be likely that the Nanny would be doing the majority of the straightening up here.

I know some of you either don't understand or just don't care, but this a job and they aren't always "fair". You don't always get to stick your your special preferred list of chores as if you're working in a vacuum with nothing going on around you.


OP, 2 is fine given the circumstances, and a good employee wouldn't have even needed to be told or asked. Just something to keep in your pocket when bonus time comes, nanny asks for for special allowances for herself, etc.

So you clean your boss’s office, vacuum and take out the trash? Because your job is a job and they aren’t always “fair.”

Np but I’m guessing the pp works in corporate America or healthcare. So no, we don’t clean our boss’ offices because cleaning and picking up is not part of a corporate job… it is part of a nanny’s job. You’re comparing apples or oranges.

A better example: when my boss went on vacation, I covered her work, as well as my own. I also made myself available outside of normal business hours because she was traveling internationally. Similarly, when I had a family issue, my boss covered my conference calls and time sensitive matters for me.

CLEANING UP MESSES CREATED WHEN SHE WASN’T WORKING AND LEFT BY THE PARENTS LIKE PIGS “is not part of a nanny’s job.”

And yes you do apparently, because we’re saying that people are required to clean up after their employers even when their employers willfully left a mess. Don’t give me that tired “corporate America or healthcare” line. If it’s reasonably for your nanny to clean up your messes that you created and didn’t bother to clean, it’s reasonable for you to clean your employer’s. Simple.

pigs are actually really clean animals. Not sure why you compared them to untidy children.

[Anonymous]

Let's face it: dealing with children involves cleaning up after them, whether you are parents or hired caregivers. If it evokes so much anger from you, you might want to choose a different profession which will undoubtedly come with its own set of frustrations and injustices.

[Anonymous]

No. Even schools teaches kids to clean up thier messes. In Japan the kids cleans takes care of the classroom. Lazy parents expects teachers do all the teaching. Kids should clean up after making a mess. Teach them to put things back when your done.

Is very rare to see good parents teaching thier kids good manners like cleaning up.

[Anonymous]

Cleaning, is part of life. Stop being lazy or don't have kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Even schools teaches kids to clean up thier messes. In Japan the kids cleans takes care of the classroom. Lazy parents expects teachers do all the teaching. Kids should clean up after making a mess. Teach them to put things back when your done.
Is very rare to see good parents teaching thier kids good manners like cleaning up.

Not only would I expect a nanny to be willing to clean up after her charges, I would also expect her to speak and write English at an acceptable level. I'm not seeing that in these nanny posts --just a lot of anger and bitterness and grammar and spelling errors-- but maybe you are otherwise an exemplary nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have been normally very good about boundaries for responsibility. Nanny only does things related to the kids and we are meticulous about dishes so she never encounters our dishes when trying to make lunch or clean up. We do a night time straightening so that rooms are presentable if between nanny leaving and morning the kids make a mess (if.. haha they always do!) Nanny does a sweep with the kids about 30 min before she leaves and has the kids help put things in order.

Between a parent work issue, a medical issue, and. Two late school events, the past two days the playroom has been a mess when nanny has come to work. Lots of play clothes out, food from the play kitchen scattered about, Lego sets out, just lots of sections of mess.

We have apologized and she knows this is not the norm, but would people suggest
1. Telling her to leave the mess and only clean up what they play
2. Since kids "help" although they are 18 months, 4 and 8, still the adult ends up doing some, it's ok to ask her to have it back in normal order at the end of the day
3. Tell her to leave it and play elsewhere until we can get it back in order

There's no reason for the adult to do more than supervise. Naturally, the toddler will do the least and be the most distracted, but the 4 and 8 year olds are old enough to get what they play with cleaned up.