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I just want Mary Poppins
By ella | April 18, 2006
I fired the nanny. She kept saying she couldn’t come, often with only a couple of hours notice. Today she called at 11.30 saying she couldn’t come (at 2.30). But, she said, she could come tomorrow instead. No, I said, that’s no good because I ask you to come on Tuesdays because I need someone to look after the children on Tuesdays. But you don’t work, she said as if that gives her carte blanche to come whenever she feels like it. I do work, I said (although sometimes I sleep because, hello, I have a newborn, I’m exhausted and I’m paying you to look after my children and what I do during that time is not really of ANY concern to you) but that’s not really the point, I want you to come on Tuesdays because that’s when I need you and that’s what we agreed.
So, after some deliberation, I fired her.
Maybe she found me impossible to work for. She wasn’t doing what we agreed which was to be a mother’s help (she is more in the babysitter league than the qualified nanny league), empty the dishwasher if it needed doing, pick up the baby if he was crying and I was busy with one of the other children, entertain the older two, cook them supper and bath them (and not all at the same time, for God’s sake, which sometimes I have to do) and generally just be an extra pair of hands. Instead I was preparing supper for her to cook (because she found even basic cooking a stretch - anything more than fish fingers under the grill at any rate), emptying the dishwasher because otherwise she wouldn’t load the dirty dishes from the boys’ supper, thinking of and preparing activities for her to do with the children because after the first few times here she stopped making an effort to take them to the park. I did sometimes get some sleep and she was worth every sullen moment because frankly I would have sold my soul for sleep in those early weeks. But she hasn’t come the last two Tuesdays and when she called again this morning I’d had enough. She came highly recommended, although I really can’t see why, and I was so glad to have her because she is the only experienced part-time nanny/babysitter in this small corner of this county. Not having her leaves me with the inability to get anything done week after week (today I was going to sort out a new broadband provider, walk the dogs and give the baby a bath - hardly life-saving stuff but stuff which is near-impossible to do with three children under five at home) and as the baby got older I entertained visions of putting my feet up with a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper one afternoon a week. It seems not to be. There is no-one else to employ in her place, the downside of living in a very small village in the middle of nowhere. I will cope but it will be that little bit more stressful. The two projects I was hoping to get on with (my mental break from the children) will have to wait. It’s not the end of the world, so why do I feel a bit like it is?
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Categories: Too Many Children
8 Comments
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You are NOT being unreasonable. You did the right thing firing her, and I hope you find someone else who is amazing and willing to do their job properly!
Ok, I know very little about England’s geography, but if you are near Basingstoke, let me know. My little sister married a Brit last summer and is living there with very little to do. She has her work permit, but no job as of yet. She is quite intimidated by all you British people lol! I suppose I might be too. Anyway, I hope you can find a good nanny/sitter!
She really needed to go. Good move!
You did the right thing because she was just adding more stress to your daily life.
Is there any family day care close by that you could take your older children to a couple a times a week? Or some kind of mommy out program through a church or other institution? There might be some other option; there’s GOT to be!
Definitely not unreasonable. And if she’s the only experienced babysitter type person then I’d go for an inexperienced babysitter type person - can’t be worse after all! (I know people in Salisbury who might know someone if you are anywhere near that bit of Wiltshire)
I’d have fired her too!
(Thanks for the link!)
Sounds like she sucked. Why should you pay someone to stress you out. I have a babysitter now that you described to a T. I need to get off my butt and fire her too. Then I am left though with no days of freedom. Horrible predicament. Maybe you could find some school kids to maybe help you after their classes? Would that work? That is what I am thinking. At least to have someone to entertain them while I can take a break. I feel your pain!
That’s too bad but it sounds like she needed to go. I worked as a mother’s helper for one of my high school teachers one summer. She was 7 or 8 months pregnant and was on bed rest. She also had a three year old and a large dog that I looked after. I also cooked and and mowed the lawn and I think she even had me caulk the tub for her once. Come to think of it, she didn’t pay me nearly enough! Anyway, I was young, but a hard worker. Perhaps you could put an ad in your local paper or a notice up in a nearby church parish or something and you could find someone young with lots of energy who loves kids and will show up when they’re supposed to. Good luck to you!