Nanny Says Parents On The Playground Expect Her To Keep An Eye On Their Kids Once They Realize She's On The Clock
Unless you're the parent paying the nanny, you should throw that expectation out the window.
Impact Photography | Shutterstock Most parents would never expect a random mom at the park to watch their child while they left and ran an errand. But what about a random nanny?
Tiny Sparks, and nanny and content creator, admitted that once moms on the playground learn she's not a parent, but a paid caretaker, they expect her to keep an eye on their kids free of charge.
The nanny said that parents on the playground expect her to watch their kids once they realize she's on the clock.
Sparks recounted in a TikTok an experience with the last family she nannied for. The 2-year-old child had blond hair, not unlike Sparks, and because she was 24 at the time, other parents assumed she was the little girl's mother.
EmiliaUngur | Shutterstock
"The first few times I saw them, we interacted normally," she recalled of the other moms at the park. Yet everything changed when they overheard a phone conversation between Sparks and the child's actual mother.
The mom happened to arrive home early, so Sparks called out to the little girl, saying "Hey your mom's home for lunch, let's go have some lunch with her." She said goodbye to the other moms and left.
The next time she saw them; however, the tone of the group changed drastically.
When they arrived back at the park just a couple of days later, the other moms were gathered together, whispering and looking in Sparks' direction. Finally, they sent one mother over with a request.
"Hey we were thinking about running out for coffee real quick, would it be alright with you if you watch the kids for us?" the woman asked Sparks. "Just a little bit, 20 minutes at most just to go get coffee."
Nicoleta Ionescu | Shutterstock
Sparks was not surprised by the request, admitting that once parents find out she's a nanny, the question eventually comes up.
"They find out you're the nanny and they think that because you're on the clock, you're automatically their nanny," she said. "Your kid is interacting with theirs and as a byproduct, you're responsible for both in their eyes."
Of course, Sparks was not employed by these parents and made it clear that she would only be responsible for the child she was nannying. "Sorry, I have agreed with my employer that I am to take care of no child other than theirs while I am on the clock," she told the mom.
Parents should not expect a nanny they do not employ to watch their children.
There are so many things wrong here it's difficult to keep count. First of all, nannying is a job that people get paid to do. It's entirely unfair to expect a nanny you happen to see at the park to watch your children free of charge, even just for 20 minutes.
Evgeny Bakharev | Shutterstock
It is also a huge liability for the nanny who has been tasked with taking care of and ensuring the safety of a child. Assuming responsibility for more kids is a huge risk. What if a child got injured or had an emergency while the other moms were gone?
Lastly, the parents truly knew nothing about this nanny other than the fact that she was a nanny. They did not vet her or ask for her qualifications. For all they knew, she could be a kidnapper or predator. It's certainly not safe to leave your child with someone you don't know outside of occasional interactions at the park just so you can get your caffeine fix.
At the end of the day, nannies aren't responsible for all the children of the world — they're responsible for the children they get paid to care for.
Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.