I also think the 3 year old may have mis-heard but it does not hurt to talk to the nanny. I was speaking Chinese with a classmate of mine in graduate school when another girl nearby (who was black) gave us a dirty look and asked us why we were saying "nigger" all the time. The classmate and I looked at each other and finally realized the word we were saying "ne ge" which means "that" in Chinese sounded very much like "nigger."

Be done! Take it from a mother who didn't listen to her intuition. When a child says "she called me...." she is letting you know something.
I know what the word means and it sounds like you need to have a talk with the nanny.
I would also ask your child how she feels about the nanny. No leading questions... just open ended. Hopefully she can give you an idea of the care she's receiving.

Anonymous wrote:^ who gives a crap, stop making excuses for inappropriate, unprofessional behavior. Child care providers should not be cursing in front of children.

YES!

Oh please, 00:35, there's no room for misunderstandings on DCUM. She used the word puta, BURN HER AT THE STAKE!

^ who gives a crap, stop making excuses for inappropriate, unprofessional behavior. Child care providers should not be cursing in front of children.

I would discuss it with the nanny. I can imagine several ways how this could have been a misunderstood/misinterpreted situation. For example...
1) she could have been saying "Filho da Puta" (which is same as son of a bitch) and she could have been saying it to someone else or to an event (like getting burned or something) and your daughter picked up the word.
2) if she is of a hispanic country, they say "que hijo de puta" for pretty much anything from disdain to excitement to outrage and surprise. Like say someone starts singing and you never knew that person would sing that well, it could be used "que hija de puta, look at the VOICE SHE HAS!!!".

I have a hard time believing any sitter/woman would directly look at a little girl and honestly call her puta.

Anonymous wrote:Are you positive it wasn't PITA not PUTA, Could it sound the same coming from a 3yo?

I say PITA ( pain in the ass) to my partner sometimes but mean it in an affectionate way, not in a mean way.

If someone called my child a PITA, they would be out of a job.

Are you positive it wasn't PITA not PUTA, Could it sound the same coming from a 3yo?

I say PITA ( pain in the ass) to my partner sometimes but mean it in an affectionate way, not in a mean way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three year olds say a lot of things. I have one. Based on what I read it is normal for this age to say things which are not necessarily true. It can simply be that your daughter misunderstood what your nanny said. Definitely makes sense to get the story straight and talk to the nanny before making any decisions like that

howwoulda 3year old know that word unless she heardit from the presumably Brazilian/Filipino nanny? not exactly the word you hear on the playground or on tv.

To be fair, I live in an area with a very large hispanic population and a lot of Spanish speakers, so it would not be unheard of for a kid to hear such words on the playground. Puta is a pretty common insult in Southwestern US and Mexican Spanish. In fact, I have heard some very colorful words from the two-year-old little ones I teach in both English and Spanish.

That said, OP, I would definitely have a talk with your nanny, especially if you are not aware of any other ways she might have been exposed to the word. It sounds like a definite red flag, especially since you already have concerns about the nanny's interaction with your daughter.

Yeah but chances are the OP doesn't live in a highly populated spanish area and her kids aren't usually in that "part of town".. I think i'd talk to your nanny OP.. whether she said it to your kids or around your kids it's still NOT okay.

OP- did you ever talk to your nanny to find out what happened?

Anonymous wrote:^ even if I call you a dumb bitch in a joking way and laugh about it, it's still swearing.

like I said you do not seem to get it but that's fine. Luckily you are not my nanny

Wow...sounds like she's reached her breaking point.

No,no,no this is very bad name in Spanish,don't accept that.
Jus say get of out my house ,puta...

^ even if I call you a dumb bitch in a joking way and laugh about it, it's still swearing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three year olds say a lot of things. I have one. Based on what I read it is normal for this age to say things which are not necessarily true. It can simply be that your daughter misunderstood what your nanny said. Definitely makes sense to get the story straight and talk to the nanny before making any decisions like that

howwoulda 3year old know that word unless she heardit from the presumably Brazilian/Filipino nanny? not exactly the word you hear on the playground or on tv.

3 year olds can not come up with curse words without hearing them from somewhere first. I believe the nanny cursed at her, but at the very least she used the word in front of her which is also not ok.

the 3 year old might have heard the nanny use that phone in a phone conversation with someone else. I mean we use that word in Italian. Some times me and my close girlfriends would use that word in a jocking way on each other. This word can have totally different implication when used in a different context with different intonation among friends.

So you think cursing in front of a 3 year old is acceptable?

Looks like you are missing the point I am trying to make. It might not have been cursing given specific context it was used in.