One Rule For Mums And Another Rule For The Nanny

It doesn’t take much for a cranky mum to have a go at the nanny just because the mum is the boss.

I am a nanny, not a weather expert. It is very difficult to forecast the weather in Winter. It is cloudy on most days in Melbourne and this makes it look like it is about to rain. We have had plenty of rain lately but unfortunately the clouds don’t always mean rain.

As a nanny, it is my job to take my charges out to play in the park. Some parents prefer their precious little ones to be taken out twice a day. They believe the outdoor play will wear the children down. This way they can have some peace and quiet if the children end up going to bed nice and early. Some parents make me feel like I am taking their dogs out for a walk instead of their kids. Some of them are also insistent so that they don’t have to do this ‘chore’ when I am not there. I don’t mind taking the children to the park at all. It is my job after all.

The task is made harder because I can’t forecast the weather. Sometimes I wait a little to see if it is really going to rain before going out but I also sometimes wait a little too long and the rain finally comes pouring down, ruining my opportunity to go out at all. Whose fault is that? The nanny is at fault, of course! New parents may wonder why I can’t go after the rain. Let me tell you, nannies have other things lined up to do during the day as well. Now, imagine wheeling a precious little Aussiemite to the playground and then getting caught in the rain whilst on the way home. Being a dutiful nanny, I should have remembered to put the plastic waterproof shield over the pram to prevent the poor child from getting soaked. Whose fault is it if the plastic waterproof shield is nowhere to be found and the child ended up getting wet? The nanny is at fault again, of course!

When I was looking after Mathilde when she was a young toddler, her cranky mum complained a few times if I didn’t take her out when it didn’t end up raining. The truth was that I sometimes waited too long for the rain to happen or to pass. When we were caught in the rain on the way home from the park on two occasions, I was asked why I took her to the park on such a rainy day. This cranky mum wanted Mathilde to go to the park daily but provided no waterproof shield for the pram to keep her little girl dry if it rained. She complained that the shield was too cumbersome to use and kept it in her SUV instead. Mary Poppins always carried an umbrella but if I carried one like hers it would still be difficult for me to shield the child while she was sitting in the pram, while I pushed her from behind.

On two occasions, I arrived for work on rainy days to see this cranky mum wheeling Mathilde home from the shops. The child was wet. The first time this happened the cranky mum said that the rain just came from out of nowhere. The second time this occurred the cranky mum had the audacity to explain that it was an unexpected, silly little mistake, but Mathilde enjoyed it. After probably judging my facial expression, she went on to tell me that this was an okay bit of fun for her, because she is the child’s mum, but she expected a little more from me because I am a nanny.

So, is a nanny neglecting her duties because her young charge got wet, while a mum is considered to just be having a little bit of fun with her young child if the same thing happened? Is there one rule for the nanny and another rule for the ‘ever so caring’ mother?