Raising a child is incredibly exhausting, no matter how much you love being a parent. For that reason, being able to hire a nanny for some extra help can be a real lifesaver. But just how much should they actually be expected to take on?
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One couple brought their nanny along on vacation and expected her to work every single day for a week straight. So when she asked for one evening off, they flat-out refused and insisted she stick to their agreement. The internet, however, had a serious reality check ready for them.
The couple brought their nanny on vacation with them and expected her to work for seven days straight
Image credits: magnific (not the actual photo)
When she finally asked for just one night off, they shut the idea down and told her to stick to the deal
Image credits: magnific (not the actual photo)
Image credits: A**holezconnoisseur
Caring for children as a nanny can be physically and mentally draining
It seems a lot of people underestimate just how demanding nannying can be. Sure, it may not involve working through endless spreadsheets or doing heavy physical labor on a construction site, but it does mean being responsible for children for hours at a time. And looking after little humans is no small feat.
After all, the job is nothing like Mary Poppins. There is no snapping your fingers to make every mess clean itself or breaking into a cheerful song to get the kids to behave. Instead, nannies have to plan activities, prepare meals, calm down meltdowns, break up arguments, handle scraped knees, and somehow keep everyone in one piece without a single drop of magic.
Doing that day after day can really take a toll. In fact, a 2007 report from the US Department of Health and Human Services found that personal care and service workers, a category that includes nannies, had one of the higher rates of major depressive episodes.
As harsh as that sounds, domestic staffing agency Family Helpers says it is not all that surprising. Nannies often work long hours in isolated environments with very little adult interaction. They may constantly be on the go, leaving little time to take care of their own needs, eat properly, or exercise.
Many also find it difficult to ask for time off because they know it could inconvenience the family. For live-in nannies especially, drawing a clear line between work and personal life can become a daily struggle.
Image credits: Drazen Zigic (not the actual photo)
When nannies travel with a family, they are still working rather than enjoying a holiday, which means they deserve fair working conditions and proper time off
That’s why families need to remember that a nanny is still an employee and deserves proper working conditions. The same applies when they travel with the family. The parents may be on vacation, but the nanny is still there to work, so they need clearly defined hours and proper breaks rather than being on call from morning until night.
In this case, the couple insisted they had treated their nanny fairly. They paid her double her usual daily rate and covered her flights and accommodation.
Readers, however, pointed out that she was working far more than her usual eight hours, so the pay may not have been quite as generous as it sounded. They also noted that covering an employee’s travel costs is simply part of bringing them along for work, rather than some special bonus.
Suzie Zeldin, director of operations at nanny agency Smart Sitting, suggests that families should be very clear about when a nanny is on and off the clock during a trip. That way, the parents know when they can fully relax, while the nanny knows when the responsibility is theirs. It also helps stop an eight-hour shift from turning into a 12 or 13-hour one and gives the nanny proper time to rest and recharge.
That makes plenty of sense. After all, no parent wants someone completely drained and exhausted looking after their child. The couple in this case seemed to believe that paying extra meant they had bought constant availability. Readers were not convinced that keeping someone on call around the clock was fair, no matter how much they were being paid.
Do you think the couple was wrong, or should the nanny have stuck to the agreement she accepted? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Image credits: marymarkevich (not the actual photo)
Readers online decided it was time to give the couple a brutal reality check
