I would quit on the spot as well if I found a hidden camera. It's sneaky and not the type of relationship I expect to have with my employers. |
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Cameras with nanny's full knowledge. |
Question for MBs who have a camera but use it with your nanny's knowledge. What do you have the camera there for? And what gives you confidence that your nanny's behavior is the same when she is out of the house? I notice a lot of nannies are in favor of it but from an MB's perspective, what is the point?
- MB in favor of a hidden camera for the first few weeks, until trust is developed, and then no camera. |
If I found out I was being videotaped and my employers hadn't told me I would quit on the spot. Trust goes both ways in a nanny/employer relationship and being secretly videotaped violates that trust. A nanny should have the choice of whether or not to work in a home with cameras. I would be so uncomfortable with my employers watching my every move. My boss works from home so luckily this is a moot point. She'd obviously be aware if I was doing something wrong. |
Mmmm, well. I disagree. I don't think it's stupid. I don't make a point to get out of the house to be on my phone. What? I don't even talk on the phone to my friends, I hate the phone. I never turn on the tv when I'm at work, even during nap time. I've worked for years for parents who work at home, so there was never any need for a camera (and obviously they are satisfied with my performance), but I do expect to be told if I'm being recorded. It's human decency and shows the respect I expect from the people I work for; I repay their trust and respect by taking excellent care of their children. FWIW, we are out of the house quite a lot, but MB has one day a week she is off work and stays home and she often takes her son to the same activities I take him to and, in our small neighborhood, meets other moms who've seen me out and about with him. Their reports are always glowing (of course, because I take my job seriously), but it should be reason enough for any nanny to be on their best behavior whether they're at home or out in the community - people talk and will report what they see, good or bad, if they have the chance. |
If you don't trust who you're leaving your child with, shame on you. How can a mother take that kind of risk with her own child?? I just don't understand that kind of mentality. |
I'm so tired of hearing this same thing, usually by women who choose to stay home with their children. If that is your choice I think that's great. But you have no right to judge what someone else does. You obviously haven't read the previous posts all that well either. NO ONE has said they are choosing some random person off the street that they don't trust. Those of us using cameras are still doing all the background checks and leg work to make sure we are picking someone we think is trust worthy. But unless you have a magic crystal ball how does anyone know who they can trust completely? And how does it hurt in ANY way to have a little backup. Even though this has been said a thousand times apparently some people aren't getting it. The point of the cameras is NOT because I don't trust my nannies to not abuse my kids. It's because I don't know them well enough to know if they are good with MY kids. They may have been great with someone else's kids but just don't click with mine. If the kids are too little to tell us how do we know? Most people are on their best behavior when their boss is around but who knows how they are when we aren't there. I KNOW my kids were safe with every nanny we ever had but I'm not paying someone just to keep them safe. I want to know they are being well cared for and also having fun with someone who genuinely likes them and enjoys taking care of them. I tell the nannies before they start working that we have cameras, I don't think it's fair to keep them a secret. I only really use them at the beginning to make sure they are good with my kids and then I stop looking at them. No nanny has ever had a problem with them and they usually tell me they've worked for lots of people with cameras before. So now that you've read my post, give me one good reason why I shouldn't have cameras. |
How about the fact that you're so defensive over a comment made by an anonymous stranger, and it shows how deep down you're not truly comfortable with the real reason you use the cameras. I don't know what that reason is, but you do, and you aren't comfortable with it clearly. |
No I'm actually just really tired of how judgemental people are on here and how quick they are to put down other people. I think it's because they can hide behind the anonymity of this forum. It's fine to have different opinions but the way they are expressed are often very unkind. It's not specific to this thread but often times someone innocently asks a question because they honestly want advice and some others will immediately jump on them and sometimes pretty viciously. I think most people on here have good intentions as parents so maybe we should all try to be a little more open minded about how others do things, even if it's different than the way we would. |
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All employers have to say is, "We reserve the right to have and use cameras at any time during your employment."
At that point, nanny knows the possibility of being cammed exists, and she can choose whether or not to take the job. Then that fact is put into the nanny work agreement, and signed by all parties. And employers should never underestimate the power of a drop-in, of neighbors sharing their POV on nanny, or of taking a little time off and taking their child(ren) to their normal activities or of just checking in with teachers at school on occasion. With the proliferation of horror stories about "nannies" who abuse, neglect, and maltreat their charges, anyone who knows they're around a nanny is liable to watch her very closely. Of course, generally speaking, the best nannies are often assumed to be their charges moms, so parents shouldn't be freaked out if the response to their questions the first time they show up at kid activities is, "Why are you asking about little Maclaren? Who are YOU?" |
Let's see-how about because it is completely unethical to film someone without their knowledge? That good enough for you? |
How about you read what I wrote before you answer. "I tell the nannies before they start working that we have cameras, I don't think it's fair to keep them a secret." |
I wonder why the nannies here are so defensive about the idea that their employers want nannycams. If you don't have anything to hide, you shouldn't care. |