When lay people might think of nannies, they might think also of Governesses, Mary Poppins, Glorified baby-sitters or any other number of things. Mainly, what people think, and what people should think, is this: Caretaker of Children. Unsettling enough, though, there has been a rising trend in the downplay of this notion.
Now people don't just want "nannies" they want someone who can "occasionally" clean the bathrooms, or "every once in a while" cook a dinner for four. But instead of "occasionally", read; every week, or instead of "every once in a while", read, every night. People who hire nannies no longer want nannies, they want housewives.
I consider myself to be a very progressive liberal and feminists, but something just isn't quite right when one woman (and yes, I realize I do have a tendency to blame only 1/2 of the facet problem) deems herself above doing things that she would never consider doing herself, but obviously need doing. For instance, wanting toys put away in a certain order, in a certain shelf, in a certain closet but never doing it herself over the weekend. Wanting all the floors in the house to be swept and mopped every single day (true experience) but never doing it herself over the weekend. Making requests for dinner without ever having cooked it herslef.
Let's face it: Housework is not a glamorous job and most people think it's demeaning, not to mention easy, which it's not. I think the main thing people fail to realize about the house and kids and the whole shebang is that they don't and cannot take care of themselves fully and responsibly until they are about fourteen (this includes cooking on oven) and even then by that point you've seen them do so many downright stupid things you wonder if you can ever trust them around open flame again. But children need round the clock, daily care 24/7, and that in and of itself is a full time job. Just ask any new time mom.
New time parents love their children so much that they are blissfully ignorant that the job of taking care of their precious little angel, is, in fact, just a job to many. So maybe this--and the fact that domestic work is severely under appreciated and recognized in our society--is why so many mothers don't think it's any big deal to ask a woman to not only take over motherly duties periodically during the week but to also throw in those other housewife duties. After all, we are in a Sisterhood right? Why shouldn't one woman want to help another woman in the race to promote all woman kind?
The sad truth of the matter is that while one woman is progressing her career thanks to the full-time motherly duties relieved of her by her help, that woman in turn is sacrificing her life for a child and a responsibility that isn't even hers.
Think about it. How many listings have you, as a nanny, seen as advertised, "long term applicants only" or, "looking for at least a 2 year commitment." I saw one posting that wanted a girl for 2-4(FOUR!!!!) years! That's somebody's college education! It's one thing to make a year-long commitment to a family. It's important for the child to have stable figures in his/her life (hmm, now, that couldn't possibly be the parents now could it) But to ask someone to stay beyond that, I think, is not only shirking your responsibility as a parent, it's being selfish, insensitive, and turns a blind eye to the infringement of the advancement of somebody else life.
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