Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of you don't seem to realize that if you're home, it's damn near impossible for a nanny to do her job. With every little squeal from your kid, you come running to reward that behavior. What's the point? If anything, it may result in your having to find yet another nanny.

Few parents can afford to pay a nanny enough to put up with that.

This.

I live-in exclusively, but I make it clear that either I'm working or not. When I'm working, I don't care what my employers are doing... as long as the kids don't hear or see them. As long as the nanny is clear on expectations, and the parents agree to stay out of the area where nanny and kids are, it isn't an issue. If the parent wants to be out with the kids, that's fine, I can either be off or do a few other tasks.

I've had one employer who did come running every time a child started to scream, but we agreed ahead of time that she would. She couldn't handle the tantrums her children were throwing, so she stood out of their line of sight to watch me handle them and learn how to deal with them. I also taught her how to recognize the signs and cut them off before they began (starting about a week later, when the kids finally realized that I don't give in).