Do we show our domestic workers enough respect?

It’s been a big moment for Nanny Power.  When Amy Poehler accepted her Time 100 award, she thanked her children’s nannies.   In the recent article deconstructing the motives behind Obama’s mother’s trip to Indonesia—widely thought to be a formative experience for the future president—the author implied that access to affordable childcare and domestic help abroad may have been a factor.  Royal Wedding buzz noted the prominent presence of William’s former nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke. (Some even suggested that William was attracted to Kate because of her resemblance to Tiggy—and that Prince Charles was drawn to Camilla because she looked like his own nanny.)  And this week’s T magazine featured a piece about a young woman who’s dedicated herself to the rights of nannies and domestic workers.

To me, the question isn’t so much why nannies are getting so much attention at the moment, but: What took us so long?

Continue reading »

Tweet

9

Pin It

A babysitter or a regular ol’ nanny just won’t do anymore–not if you have nearly $4,000 burning a hole in your pocket and you’re looking for a nanny from 19th Century provincial England.

The Absolute Best Care Learning Center has just opened in New York to serve “students serious about ‘nannying’ as a profession who want the top jobs that can pay more than $60K a year.” For nannies who are already employed, the school hopes that families will shell out $3,500 to send their childcare providers to the seven-day course.

Here’s my favorite bit of indispensable training nanny managers will receive, taken from the school’s press release: “When dad had a bad day at work, learn to make his ‘comfort food’ – his mom’s mashed potatoes- and call his mom to get the recipe.” If Mom had a bad day at work, confine her to bland food and bed rest, which has been curing ladies of hysteria for centuries.

“Nanny managers” will also learn to ask those tough questions about your family’s habits, such as, “Is texting allowed? Are pop-tarts an ok snack?” I worked as a nanny for years, and somehow never thought to ask the parents whether it was all right that I fed the kids four pop-tarts a day. If only I’d been certified, that family could have saved a bundle in dental costs!

Then again, you could keep the 3.5 k and just talk to your nanny about your family’s needs.

Photo: stltoday.com

Tweet

0

Pin It