Saturday, December 08, 2007

Nanny in action....OR NOT

Picture this:

Me, all flustered from running to volunteer at a clothing drive in a fancy Montessori school on the UWS. I arrive on time, early actually, school is out, but the the sorting wont start for another hour. So, I head into the parents room for a cup of coffee and a few moments to catch my breathe. A little girl stumbles past me, almost trips over her shoelaces, so I lean down to help her tie her shoes and glance up to see a nanny asleep, snoring, loudly on the window seat and a little girl sucking on some sugar packets.

Me: (to little girl sitting at sleeping Nanny's feet): What have you got there?

Girl: A cup of sugar

Me: You're eating it?

Girl: Yeah

Me: Its very bad for your teeth, I am sure your grown-up wouldn't like you eating that. (nursing school rearing its ugly head)

Girl: (she points to her nanny)-- She said I could. Now she is asleep. Ssshhh don't wake her.

Me: Is that your mommy?

Girl: No, my nanny

Me: Oohh, I don't know if she should be sleeping, her job is to take care of you and sleeping while out in public isn't safe for you.

Girl: But she is tired

-----Nanny is literally snoring!--------

Me: I think I am going to wake her

Girl: But she will still be tired.

----girl empties the entire 1/2 cup of sugar into her mouth.

Another little girl buts in to the conversation:

Girl 2: Nannies dont sleep

Girl: Why not?

Girl 2: ( in a very serious tone) Its illegal!

Ok, so I laughed, but I was still shocked.

I couldnt believe that a nanny literally slept on the job, at a private pre-school, in the common area.
What is going on?
She slept and the girl chugged sugar.......

This world of nanny-life in New York, just gets crazier and crazier!

1 comment:

gnarly nanny said...

zoiks... i would be incredibly shocked if that story didn't end up on that nanny-watch blog (whose name i can't remember)
sleeping... in PUBLIC? wow. i think just in general that's a bad idea, not to mention when you're obviously on the job.
you have to feel for the girl though, maybe she has like 2 jobs and her own infant at home or some such... did you see the movie 'paris j'taime'? theres a very moving short in it about a mexican girl in paris who is nanny to a baby in a priviledged (sp???) home who has to leave her own little one in a sub-par daycare.
=(
stuff like that really makes you think.