It sounds like the opportunity for the kid to go swimming arose at the last minute. Unless the outing involved driving and you don't typically drive the children, I don't think it is at all unreasonable for her to casually text you to bring your suit. It probably never occurred to her that you might object to spending a couple of hours by a pool on a hot day, and she didn't actually say you have to get in the water.

Now, if you don't want to get in the water or don't feel like you could fish the kid out in an emergency or would prefer to sit in the house all day, you should have told the MB that either when you got the text or when you arrived. She probably would have tried to accommodate your needs, even if it meant not using you again. Saying nothing to the MB and then posting on DCUM about something so dumb seems very passive aggressive and childlike.

G lad to know that I wasn't overreacting. background, I only babysit for this family a few times a month and the mom has repeatedly done things like this before. But, she is a recent widow and because of that I cut her a lot more slack. She has a high school daughter who I've really bonded with because I lost my dad while I was in high school.

I guess I'm going to talk to her the next time I babysit for her about the things I'm uncomfortable with. My MB is amazing and would never pull anything like this at all, nor would any of the other families I babysit for. Like I said before this is a pattern of hers that I need to nip in the butt right now.

As for the angry person above, I am a professional nanny and have over 15 years experience now. I command a good salary and am always told how amazing I am with the children. I take my charges to the pool all the time and they are 5 and 3. It's not a matter of me being lazy, it's just taking a child swimming is a huge liability and not to mention I was laid up half of last week with a knee injury and really needed to keep resting it.

Anonymous wrote:No. This is a normal nanny activity. If you have an issue performing basic activities, you should tell your MB so she can find a professional nanny.

Oh, wait, in your OP you admit to being an occasional sitter. Yes, if you think this is so much more responsibility, than you should say that upfront. It makes you undesirable as a candidate and lets a family know you are either timid, irresponsible, or lazy. Whatever the case, you are not right for the job and not worth the salary.

Not everyone knows how to swim. Just because you are a sitter (or a nanny), that doesn't change anything. If the family thought it was important that they have someone who can take their children to the pool (like if they go often in the summer and have a summer nanny), then they need to make sure who they hire fills that requirement, otherwise it is NOT a basic activity that the caregiver would be asked to do.

This would bother me because I don't swim and don't even own a swimsuit. So unless she wanted me to take him to the pool and have someone else jump in to save his life if needed, we wouldn't be going.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. This is a normal nanny activity. If you have an issue performing basic activities, you should tell your MB so she can find a professional nanny.

Oh, wait, in your OP you admit to being an occasional sitter. Yes, if you think this is so much more responsibility, than you should say that upfront. It makes you undesirable as a candidate and lets a family know you are either timid, irresponsible, or lazy. Whatever the case, you are not right for the job and not worth the salary.

LOL. I've never had an interview where the family asked if I knew how to swim. And I was never offered more money because of the fact I can swim. Take your own damn child swimming.

Exactly. And to your Mommy and Me classes.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. This is a normal nanny activity. If you have an issue performing basic activities, you should tell your MB so she can find a professional nanny.

Oh, wait, in your OP you admit to being an occasional sitter. Yes, if you think this is so much more responsibility, than you should say that upfront. It makes you undesirable as a candidate and lets a family know you are either timid, irresponsible, or lazy. Whatever the case, you are not right for the job and not worth the salary.

LOL. I've never had an interview where the family asked if I knew how to swim. And I was never offered more money because of the fact I can swim. Take your own damn child swimming.

Exactly. And to your Mommy and Me classes.

Anonymous wrote:No. This is a normal nanny activity. If you have an issue performing basic activities, you should tell your MB so she can find a professional nanny.

Oh, wait, in your OP you admit to being an occasional sitter. Yes, if you think this is so much more responsibility, than you should say that upfront. It makes you undesirable as a candidate and lets a family know you are either timid, irresponsible, or lazy. Whatever the case, you are not right for the job and not worth the salary.

LOL. I've never had an interview where the family asked if I knew how to swim. And I was never offered more money because of the fact I can swim. Take your own damn child swimming.

Anonymous wrote:No. This is a normal nanny activity. If you have an issue performing basic activities, you should tell your MB so she can find a professional nanny.

Oh, wait, in your OP you admit to being an occasional sitter. Yes, if you think this is so much more responsibility, than you should say that upfront. It makes you undesirable as a candidate and lets a family know you are either timid, irresponsible, or lazy. Whatever the case, you are not right for the job and not worth the salary.

It was a babysitting job you nit wit, not a nanny job with a salary. OP was going to babysit for a few hours and the mom told not asked her at the last second to bring her suit because she would be taking him swimming. It was presumptuous and irresponsible.

No. This is a normal nanny activity. If you have an issue performing basic activities, you should tell your MB so she can find a professional nanny.

Oh, wait, in your OP you admit to being an occasional sitter. Yes, if you think this is so much more responsibility, than you should say that upfront. It makes you undesirable as a candidate and lets a family know you are either timid, irresponsible, or lazy. Whatever the case, you are not right for the job and not worth the salary.

Does she even know if you can swim? Depending on how well she knows you, beyond it being a rude nonrequest, it strikes me as irresponsible. If my nanny/sitter were taking my child swimming, I'd want to be sure of her comfort in the water.

If I had just had a meal, I would not be getting into a pool that soon. Poor behavior of the parent.

Yes. If she set up plans for her son to go to the pool when you were watching him she needed to ask you before hand if you were comfortable with that. That would have allowed her to planned accordingly if you did not want to take the child to the pool. It does not seem like she respects you that much. My MB would never just ASSume I'd be okay with that if I had never taken child to pool before. If it's an occasional babysitting job I would just let it go until she asks you to babysit again, and when she does just bring up the fact that if she has plans made for the boy that you would like to know before so you can decide accordingly.

I can't imagine them not discussing with me first.

No, but then again I love swimming, was a lifeguard, and used to teach swim lessons. And I'm also the type of person who might be annoyed at the time, but then doesn't give it more thought. Obviously I mean this only for small things, not big things.

I had an occasional babysitting job today and right before I was supposed to leave the mom texted me that I needed to bring my bathing suit because I was going to take her son swimming. s a nanny, I've never had a parent tell me instead of asking me what she wanted me to do with her son. She didn't ask if I would be comfortable taking her young son to the pool. I was a little annoyed because taking a little one to the pool is a lot of work and a lot of responsibility. I ended up not saying anything and just bringing my suit, but the more I think about it, the more I'm bothered by it. Nannies, would this bother you?