Anonymous
Post 04/27/2013 10:20     Subject: personal errands on the job
Anonymous wrote:I am an MB, and I completely disagree that a professional nanny does not take kids on personal errands.

My very awesome nanny has, with my encouragement, taken my children all kinds of boring places, like to get her oil changed, to get her shoes, to make a deposit at her bank, to mail a package at the post office, and to pay a bill. What a professional nanny does is turn it into a learning experience for the child. Explain how things work, what appropriate behavior is, and why we need to do boring things to keep our lives running smoothly. Allowing my nanny to do these things pays off for me. I have another adult reinforcing proper public behavior even during boring errands. My kids do not see my nanny as the fun-all-the-time one and me as the boring, responsible one. Most importantly, they learn about day-to-day stuff that I am not teaching them because I am running those errands for myself at lunch time so I can have fun with them in the evenings and on weekends.


Couldn't have said it better. I am blown away by both nannies and MB's who are horrified with errands during the work day. My twin charges and I tool around the city all day sometimes, just to be out and about, seeing new places (even ones as exciting as Wallgreen's) and interacting with new people. My boss gives me Starbucks cards or leaves me money to grab some items from Target, never once have I felt the slightest bit uncomfortable picking up a personal item...and would be looking for a new job if I did.
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2013 10:14     Subject: personal errands on the job
Anonymous wrote:Malls, book stores, and coffee shops should not be nanny/child destinations. There are libraries, parks and Rec centers all over the country that offer activities that are age appropriate and stimulating for young children. This coming from a veteran nanny, the only stores I go to with charges are grocery (for family), hardwear & garden centers, and pet stores. I do pick up things for myself if I'm already there by parents request. Please find more stimulating things to do with your charges than malls & coffee shops!


How is a bookstore not an appropriate place to take a child? Personally I feel that promoting literacy is one of the more important aspects of my job as a nanny. The kids should know that books can from different places rather only appearing on the doorstep in an Amazon box. I want them (as do all the employers I have ever worked for) to understand and appreciate the value of bookstores.
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2013 09:33     Subject: personal errands on the job
I am an MB, and I completely disagree that a professional nanny does not take kids on personal errands.

My very awesome nanny has, with my encouragement, taken my children all kinds of boring places, like to get her oil changed, to get her shoes, to make a deposit at her bank, to mail a package at the post office, and to pay a bill. What a professional nanny does is turn it into a learning experience for the child. Explain how things work, what appropriate behavior is, and why we need to do boring things to keep our lives running smoothly. Allowing my nanny to do these things pays off for me. I have another adult reinforcing proper public behavior even during boring errands. My kids do not see my nanny as the fun-all-the-time one and me as the boring, responsible one. Most importantly, they learn about day-to-day stuff that I am not teaching them because I am running those errands for myself at lunch time so I can have fun with them in the evenings and on weekends.
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2013 09:13     Subject: personal errands on the job
Anonymous wrote:The point being there are better places FOR CHILDREN to go than the mall, but I guess you all love to shop and love your coffee, and well screw what's best for children!


It's also healthy for a child to realize that they are not the center of the universe. That the people who care for them also have needs and desires of their own. As well as learning how to behave and interact in more adult social situations. The world is not kid-focused and they will need to learn to live in it. Stopping for coffee on the way to/from a kid activity is not screwing what's best for my charges.
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2013 09:07     Subject: personal errands on the job
The point being there are better places FOR CHILDREN to go than the mall, but I guess you all love to shop and love your coffee, and well screw what's best for children!
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2013 07:06     Subject: personal errands on the job
My charges love the hardware store! On bad weather days, we may visit the mall. It has a play area, train that we ride and a movie theater.

I love children, but trying to shop with kids under 5 is a giant pain in my ass. When we go to a store/mall, it's to shop for the family or entertain the children. I prefer to shop for myself in peace.

Anonymous
Post 04/27/2013 02:49     Subject: personal errands on the job
Anonymous wrote:Malls, book stores, and coffee shops should not be nanny/child destinations. There are libraries, parks and Rec centers all over the country that offer activities that are age appropriate and stimulating for young children. This coming from a veteran nanny, the only stores I go to with charges are grocery (for family), hardwear & garden centers, and pet stores. I do pick up things for myself if I'm already there by parents request. Please find more stimulating things to do with your charges than malls & coffee shops!


Wait, wait...wait. So, since the bookstore is "unsuitable for children," we should take them to the hardware store instead?!? "Okay, little Johnny, no books for you, but here are NAILS and a DRILL. Be all you can be, Johnny!"

Clearly, you don't need to be sensible to consider yourself a veteran nanny. Oh, and it's "hardware," not "hardwear." If you're going to be educating children (even if its mostly on power tool safety), please do it correctly.
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2013 01:24     Subject: personal errands on the job
Anonymous wrote:Malls, book stores, and coffee shops should not be nanny/child destinations. There are libraries, parks and Rec centers all over the country that offer activities that are age appropriate and stimulating for young children. This coming from a veteran nanny, the only stores I go to with charges are grocery (for family), hardwear & garden centers, and pet stores. I do pick up things for myself if I'm already there by parents request. Please find more stimulating things to do with your charges than malls & coffee shops!
i don't know what sad little run down town you live in but in my mod sized west coast city many coffee shops have regularly scheduled kindie music performances and the mall 5 blocks from my house has kid crafts and entertainment the first monday of the month. Last month a man came with several types of reptiles, the previous month was a puppet show by a local entertainer who does all he rown writing and singing and makes he rliving performing. The month before tha tgymboree came and did a class. We have made mothers day crafts, thanksgiving an dhalloween projects etc. Mayb eyour hole in the wall city doesn't have nythin gof value at the coffe shops or mall, but don't expect other nannies charges to miss out on great opportunities that also suppor tlocal businesses.
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2013 23:51     Subject: personal errands on the job
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think for many of these parents its not about sheltering the kids from things they assuredly do with them themselves, its making sure the nanny isn't having any enjoyment on their dime and is catering only to their child and family's needs. It's really quite sad how far some will go. No malls because she could shop, no coffee shops because she could drink coffee, no parks because there's a bench and other nannies, etc. these are the parents that want nanny at home dancing around like a monkey all day or cleaning their house.

How many insecure Mbs are secretly jealous of the nanny? (Those are the ones doing the passive-aggressive micromanagement.)


Just to be clear, it was a nanny who wrote the post about staying away from malls, bookstores and coffee shops. A lot of MBs responded to this post saying the OP was overreacting. I'm an MB and I have encouraged my nanny to take the kids to the mall. They have a great play area. In addition if she stopped in a store because she needed to pick up something while we was there I'd have no problem with it either. My nanny has, on multiple occasions, asked if I minded of she stopped at CVS or Target when she was out with the kids and I have always told her it was completely fine. I do appreciate that she tells me and it helps us have a trusting relationship but because I DO trust her, I also wouldn't care if I came home and saw a bag and she told me about it after the fact.

My point is there are lots of MBs who would have no problem with any of this just as there are some nannies who chimed in to say they'd never take the kids they take care of to the mall.
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2013 18:34     Subject: personal errands on the job
Anonymous wrote:I think for many of these parents its not about sheltering the kids from things they assuredly do with them themselves, its making sure the nanny isn't having any enjoyment on their dime and is catering only to their child and family's needs. It's really quite sad how far some will go. No malls because she could shop, no coffee shops because she could drink coffee, no parks because there's a bench and other nannies, etc. these are the parents that want nanny at home dancing around like a monkey all day or cleaning their house.

How many insecure Mbs are secretly jealous of the nanny? (Those are the ones doing the passive-aggressive micromanagement.)
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2013 18:22     Subject: personal errands on the job
I think for many of these parents its not about sheltering the kids from things they assuredly do with them themselves, its making sure the nanny isn't having any enjoyment on their dime and is catering only to their child and family's needs. It's really quite sad how far some will go. No malls because she could shop, no coffee shops because she could drink coffee, no parks because there's a bench and other nannies, etc. these are the parents that want nanny at home dancing around like a monkey all day or cleaning their house.
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2013 18:06     Subject: personal errands on the job
I weep for the future with how sheltered some of these kids must be. No bookstores? No malls or coffee shops, ever? I have to say, I'd rather my nanny take my kids to any one of those places (especially the bookstore!) over plopping them down in front of the TV any day of the week.
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2013 17:38     Subject: personal errands on the job
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Malls, book stores, and coffee shops should not be nanny/child destinations. There are libraries, parks and Rec centers all over the country that offer activities that are age appropriate and stimulating for young children. This coming from a veteran nanny, the only stores I go to with charges are grocery (for family), hardwear & garden centers, and pet stores. I do pick up things for myself if I'm already there by parents request. Please find more stimulating things to do with your charges than malls & coffee shops!


Book store?? One of our favorite places to go!! I encourage reading with my charges and looking through books at the bookstore is a huge treat with them! It is very stimulating and educational. We keep lists of books they are excited to read together in the future, it keeps the, excited about reading!
And a stop at the coffee shop (coffee for me, milk for young charge) is a nice break when we are out and about and something she looks forward to once in a while. Seeing "real world" places is educational and stimulating.


Ditto!! I care for 3 young kids and we love the bookstore! They offer a great story time at our beautiful Barnes and Noble. They have a wonderfully kids section with trains for the youngest to play with while 4 yr old and I find books she would be interested in reading. Most book stores have large areas just for kids!! Why would this be a bad destination?!? It's fun, age appropriate, engaging, and educational...
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2013 17:34     Subject: personal errands on the job
Anonymous wrote:Malls, book stores, and coffee shops should not be nanny/child destinations. There are libraries, parks and Rec centers all over the country that offer activities that are age appropriate and stimulating for young children. This coming from a veteran nanny, the only stores I go to with charges are grocery (for family), hardwear & garden centers, and pet stores. I do pick up things for myself if I'm already there by parents request. Please find more stimulating things to do with your charges than malls & coffee shops!


Book store?? One of our favorite places to go!! I encourage reading with my charges and looking through books at the bookstore is a huge treat with them! It is very stimulating and educational. We keep lists of books they are excited to read together in the future, it keeps the, excited about reading!
And a stop at the coffee shop (coffee for me, milk for young charge) is a nice break when we are out and about and something she looks forward to once in a while. Seeing "real world" places is educational and stimulating.
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2013 17:30     Subject: personal errands on the job
Anonymous wrote:Malls, book stores, and coffee shops should not be nanny/child destinations. There are libraries, parks and Rec centers all over the country that offer activities that are age appropriate and stimulating for young children. This coming from a veteran nanny, the only stores I go to with charges are grocery (for family), hardwear & garden centers, and pet stores. I do pick up things for myself if I'm already there by parents request. Please find more stimulating things to do with your charges than malls & coffee shops!


You are aware that some malls contain actual sectioned off play areas, right? They're usually for toddlers or very young children, as far as I've seen, but I do believe I've seen one that had equipment that older kids might enjoy for a bit. It's not like just sitting on a bench, aimlessly walking, or shopping. It's stimulation and interaction with other children. The same you would get at a park.