Work Ethics

My sister is about to return to work after maternity leave, and has hired a nanny. I recently told her to "make sure the nanny knows not to go shopping with him".

I said this for a reason. The number of nannies who swarm The Gap, Ann Taylor, Bolton's, Banana Republic, Strawberry and other stores with generous sales racks is shocking. It always reminds me of a choreographed scene as the nannies root through the racks and the children dangle bored from their strollers. I can not imagine that the working moms of the Upper East Side are okay with this. I cannot imagine that at the end of a day the nanny is telling the mom that she spent hours at Sephora instead of Central Park. And I don't think they are buying anything, mind you. They are just...browsing. Shopping without purpose is a huge pet peeve of mine. I like to get in, and get out.

Anyway, my sister, ever the level-head said to me. "You know, I was thinking about that, but I mean..I shop with him. Why should I tell her not to?"

Which lead to a conversation of things that we would be fired for if we were actually hired help rather than the parents, had we been "nanny-cammed". They include:

1. Dropping food on baby's head while eating when he/she is in the Bjorn
2. Shopping for post-maternity wear at the abovementioned locations
3. Turning baby away from screen (or not) while watching Sex and The City and eating Tasti D-Lite
4. Checking celebrity blogs while feeding baby
5. Copious use of cell phone while walking with baby
6. Almost dropping baby
7. Not always washing hands before touching baby
8. Cursing under breath when baby cries after five-minute nap

And so on....

So what can we really expect from our nannies? My sister and I mused that perhaps it is different because this is a job they are hired to do. But don't we all goof off on the job? Ordering Fresh Direct? Checking US Weekly online?

Speaking of which, I better sign off RIGHT NOW.