Anonymous wrote:how does one get into playgroups?

I meet moms at activities I bring my charge to like music class or gymnastics...after befriending them they invite me to their playgroups. Also my MB is a member of a local mom's group but I go to all of the outings w/ my charge since my MB works full time.

how does one get into playgroups?

seasoned stay at home mothers are always friendly IF they have a good social network. if they don't than they tend to end conversations quickly once they find out im a nanny because they assume they have nothing in common with me and they are seeking other mothers in similar situations to be best friends with.

Mothers who work, want nothing to do with me. They view me as the help and again assume I have nothing in common with them. The worst is when they start to leave their children in my care so they can chat with other mothers. They assume that i will watch their children because i'm a nanny.

you will never know what kind of parents will be at these playgroups, so you might get lucky.

I'm always the only nanny at playgroups. It's not awkward unless you make it awkward.

I prefer stay at home moms. I probably have more in common with them because of my education and age.

Not in my city. Most mom and kid activities and playgroups these days are now called something else. Used to be mom and baby, then dads got angry for being excluded. So now it is something generic like adult and baby, hah. They expect it to be moms, dads, nannies, grandparents or who knows who else.

Moms (especially stay at home moms) are usually fascinated by my job and ask a lot of questions. My last job was twins and my current job is 4 kids (7 months to 7 years) so they are curious about why I have chosen this as a career. They always want to know about the specifics of my job and how I fit into the family. I've been a nanny for about a decade so I also get a lot of questions (especially from first time parents) about sleep training/potty training/discipline techniques. I love my career and charges so I really enjoy it.

How big is the playgroup that it's possible to be "excluded"?

It's pretty obvious that I am not my charges mother, so yeah it can be awkward and sometimes I feel excluded. I try not to dwell on it. Not only do I not have kids, but I'm still in school and more than 10 years younger than most of them so there isn't so much for us to bond over. I enjoy watching and playing with the kids.

It's fine. People usually think I am the mom until I tell them I'm not.

How do you feel about attending a playgroup where you are the only nanny.
Is it awkward. Are you excluded by the moms?