“I can’t wait to be in your position!”

[Anonymous]

I am an older nanny (60) and American (white). I was at a restaurant today with my two adorable charges - 5 and 3 - and I was making them laugh. An older gentleman came up to the table and said, “I can’t wait to be in your position” (assuming that I was their grandmother). I said, “You want to be a nanny?” He looked shocked. So I explained that I was their nanny. Then he got it and started to apologize - I reassured him that I took it as a compliment and absolutely no offense was taken. I then introduced him to my charges.

Here is why I am recounting this incident - so many posters on General Patenting grip that they see terrible nannies in the park all the time which is why they send their child to daycare. Whenever I see those posts, I always ask how they know those women are nannies and not mothers. And how many posters see great nannies who happen to be older or white and assume they are the mother or grandmother, never the nanny.

[Anonymous]

Everyone thinks I am my charge’s mother. We are both blondes.

Posters who think they know the bad caregivers are nannies are basing their opinion on apparent race.

[Anonymous]

I’m white, sometimes my charges are, sometimes not. People ALWAYS expect that I’m mom. Doesn’t faze me, I offer to give them an introduction

[Anonymous]

It’s an interesting point, OP. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read, “I see nannies all the time on their phones...”. It’s true that if you think only Hispanic women are nannies, you are going to be wrong a great deal of the time. That lovely grandma or attentive mother could easily be the nanny too.