Yes unfortunately. I had one charge that I cared for basically from birth. I adored her as a baby and even as a young toddler, but as she got older and the discipline from her parents became less and less effective, she began to seriously irritate me. She was manipulative, whiny, and demanding, and her mother thought it was adorable. I gritted my teeth and stuck around until she went to preschool, but that job almost made me question whether I even wanted kids for myself.

Anonymous wrote:A 4 yr old boy. He was an asshole. There I said it. His parents were pompous assholes too

Well you know what they say about the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. At 4 he was just mimicking his parents. What did he/they do that was so bad?

A 4 yr old boy. He was an asshole. There I said it. His parents were pompous assholes too

Anonymous wrote:Could you elaborate OP on what it is that makes you feel this way?

I.e., acting out, not listening to instructions, etc.

I have had kids that have had their issues, mostly behavioral, but I end up loving each child in the end.

I just love kids.

Good luck to you OP!

Some kids have so many issues, and if the parents don't say a thing about any of it, the nanny can feel overwhelmed. I've done a number of trial periods like that, and if the family seems to have realized there was a problem and didn't see fit to let me know ahead of time, I don't stay. It's a trust and communication issue for me, because I do things differently when I know there are behavioral/emotional issues.

Could you elaborate OP on what it is that makes you feel this way?

I.e., acting out, not listening to instructions, etc.

I have had kids that have had their issues, mostly behavioral, but I end up loving each child in the end.

I just love kids.

Good luck to you OP!

Yes, it happens, OP. For me it was my last trial period with a toddler girl just last month. It shocked me as well as I have always been a sort of "Pied Piper" with kids and have never disliked any child before in my life. But I did (and still do) dislike this miserable, whiny little girl. I did not accept the position when offered at the end of the trial week.

Sounds totally human to me. I wouldn't stress too much about it. You don't have to like everyone.

Most of my jobs have been with families with one child only; I've started when the child was 2-4 months old, and usually stay 2-3.5 years until they start preschool. Obviously with a young infant, there isn't much personality yet, and especially at first there is often (not always) some crying and frustration (with taking the bottle, sleeping, etc), but still, there are always good moments (smiles, laughter, etc), and I have always been fond of my charges and formed a good bond with them, which has gotten stronger through toddlerhood. I've worked in this manner (starting with a young infant, staying for 2-3.5 years) with five families.

However, there was one child out of the five I worked with in that manner, that I really did not like. In the first few months I kept telling myself "this takes time, give it more time..." And then I started saying things like "he's a fussy baby but he'll turn into a pleasant toddler, I've seen it happen before..." But no. Fussy baby became super high needs super annoying toddler. I'd tell myself "he's going through a phase, be patient, give it time..." But these "phases" were lasting literally years. I stuck it out for 2.5 years; I should've quit much sooner in hindsight. I was not happy working with him, and even though he seemed to enjoy my company, I know that especially the last couple months with him, I just wasn't as patient with him as I could've/should've been because I was just so sick of dealing with him.

I hope I never feel that way about a charge again, but if I do, I'll quit right away, because it's best for everyone involved. (I do a share now and I really enjoy both of my charges.)

I've had several kids that I met for trial periods (1 week to 1 month) and I simply said that it wouldn't work, and most of the time it was because either I wasn't allowed to establish any discipline or discipline was so inconsistent that the child was always confused about what was ok and what the consequences might be.

I've only had one child that I liked at the beginning and grew to dislike, but that was due to emotional issues that the parents weren't willing to see and they wouldn't find him someone to help. I felt sorry for the kid, but he became very violent towards his sister and me, so, yes, I grew to dislike him.

Yes. Some personalities just don't mesh.

I actually came to dislike a 17 month old girl once. It was, of course, her parents fault for never disciplining her and giving her whatever she wanted but I just couldn't bond or even abide this child. I quit for her sake. No child deserves a nanny who doesn't like them.

I disliked a charge too, and gave it 4 months and quit. It happens. Sometimes personalities don't mesh and that's OK.

I've had 1 charge years ago that I hated. I absolutely couldn't stand her. I quit a few weeks in. She was the meanest human I had ever met and she was 4.

She just might be a pill. Some children are.

This is the first time I have ever experienced simply not liking a child in my care. I only care for her a few hours a week and I have already given my notice. But I am a bit shaken by the fact that I simply did not care for her.

I hope this is not a symptom of burn out. I have a full time job with a great little guy I have had since his birth so I am obviously very bonded with him and love him. But have always done weekend jobs with other kids and have always liked them or found them adorable, sweet, funny, etc. But the little girl (toddler) in the position I am leaving is just not likable for me at all.