Nanny is NOT a synonym for SLAVE

As most of you probably know- I've been working as a babysitter/nanny here in Toronto since about last July. I love my job, I love everything about it! I love working with kids, not dealing with customers, not having to fight with people to get days off, not doing a ton of work for a lot of pay- everything. Except the stupid parents.

Now hold on- the Callahans are not stupid. Infact I think they're the most reasonable parents I've ever met. I love them to death and I love their kids to death and that's why I've been fighting to find a way to stay with them for the summer. I'd so hate myself if I gave them up and then got some other job that I was misserable at when I could have been having a blast with them.

It's my search for the perfect other family that's been driving me INSANE. Parents who are trying to find a nanny take note: NANNY IS NOT A SYNONYM FOR SLAVE. Take this into consideration: the average housekeeper- weither with an agency or not- gets paid 65$ an hour. And they're just dealing with keeping the inanimate objects around your house spic and span. So why is it when you're looking for someone to care for your little darling 3 days a week- and you require everything under the sun, including First Aid and CPR, a police check, and experience like you've never seen before- you only want to cough up 10$/hr?! I am not being unreasonable by asking for 12- let alone 15, but here I am being realistic at 12 and you're humming and hawing over weither or not you think I'm worth the extra 2$/hr?! FUCK OFF- I don't want to work for you! Especially because for this rate- you want not only a full-service Nanny, you want a full-serive housekeeper too! NOT GONNA HAPPEN! You're not only to lazy to raise your own child, you're equally disinclined to do his laundry, clean up after your meals, and scrub the toilet. Well I'm sorry, but the doormat you're looking to employ is not me. I just don't roll that way! You are all the most unbelieveable bunch of morons! If you want to have a child, but don't want to raise it- you'd better have the green to pay your Nanny a proper rate.

That being said I think I have found the perfect family to fill in the times I can't be with the Callahans. Sara Thompson and her 8 month old little boy. She seems totally reasonable for a first time mom and I love parents who arn't off their rockers. Between the two of them I will be working full-time for the whole summer- especially if I can pick up a weekend babysitting job here and there.

And back we go to unreasonable parents. AGAIN parents take note: your child is not an angel. They are monsters. They scream and cry and throw fits when they don't get what they want. They tumble and fall- and no amount of watching them closely will stop that. They do evil things like flush Q-tips down the toilet and climb the shelves in the pantry- again, no amount of watching them closely can stop this. Especially if I'm also looking after your other kids/cleaning your house while I'm at it! So no, it's not my fault that Jr. fell and scraped his knee at the playground today- HE JUST FELL. I will not apologise, I will not beg forgiveness-cause it's not my fault! That's just the nature of kids! They get hurt, it's how they learn! If you'd been watching them they'd be no different! So yes he hurt himself and no it won't scar him for life or give him HIV- it just taught him that when I tell him not to run- there's a damn good reason for it! Also, the stories your child tells you after I'm gone are not necessarily true. I did not beat him or put him in his room all day with no food or water- he's just saying that cause he's pissed I found him snooping through my purse/ eating something he's not allowed to have/ mouthing off/being a snot in general and PUNISHED him for it. Yes, you're right- I did send him to his room or put him in a corner for 20 mins, or took away his TV/computer priviledges for the day. I'm teaching him that his actions have consequences- something he will never learn from you because you pay your way out of everything you do!

Also- what's with you wanting to only pay me for the minutes you're not around? I get it- you come and go- and no you don't really need me during lunch time but it's not like I can run out and get a seperate part-time job for the two hours you don't feel you should have to pay me cause you're there too. Here's the deal: If you want me from 9:30-noon, and 2-6, you have to pay me for the 2 hours in between there. I don't care if you consider that my "break"-it ought to be paid for! I am at your service- the fact that you boot me out of your house because you assume I have "errands" to do is not my fault! What errands may I ask? I can't go grocery shopping cause I have to be back at your place in two hours, I can't go home cause the TTC takes an hour to get anywhere so the second I get home I'd have to turn around and come back- and I can't take them to your place cause lord knows you'd faint if you saw all the junk I actually eat! GARG!

So that's my rant. Parents, please take into consideration how you would want to be treated if you were in our line of work. We didn't go into this because we have some ingrained need to serve you as though you're the queen of the castle, we did it cause we love children and feel that somebody ought to care for the little lives you neglect. So do some soul-searching before you hire a Nanny or babysitter- and if you plan on treating her like shit, at least pay properlly for the priviledge.