Bridget Elks couldn't understand why she couldn't keep any babysitter for longer than a week. They never explained why they were quitting either, which made it even more strange.
She couldn't understand how her son Kirk and daughter Marie could be such a hassle. So, she decided to install a security camera to find out what was going on. And she saw on the footage shook her to the core.
She Installed Security Cameras
When Bridget hired the seventh nanny, Meg, she installed security cameras around the house to see how her kids interacted with the nanny.
She was sure her children weren't the problem. Maybe the babysitters she had hired before weren't experienced enough for the job? Bridget could've never imagined that her daughter would be the real reason behind the babysitters quitting.
Meg Quit After 10 Days
Just like the previous nannies, Meg gave Bridget her resignation letter just ten days later. She told her she was having "family issues," but Bridget didn't believe her.
That evening, Bridget decided to watch all the footage from Meg's first day at her house to her last. Her heart started pounding as she watched the video. How could this be possible?
She Couldn't Recognize Her Own Daughter
In the first few days, her daughter behaved well towards her nanny and her brother. But by the end of the week, Bridget couldn't recognize her own child.
In one of the videos, she heard Meg ask her daughter to hand her the baby's diaper bag, to which she replied, “You can’t tell me what to do! I’m the boss of you!” But, this wasn't even the worst part.
"I'm The Boss Of You!"
Every time the nanny asked Marie to do something, like wash her hands or do her homework, the girl would scream and refuse.
The day Meg resigned, she asked Marie to please be quiet because her baby brother was sleeping. “I’m the boss of you! I’ll get you fired!” the girl shouted.
She Didn't Listen
After watching the footage, Bridget sat her daughter down and explained that she had to respect other people. She showed her the footage from the security camera, but Marie didn't care in the slightest.
“We pay her. I’m her boss,” Marie replied.
It Was Her Fault
“She is the reason that her sitter quit, and until I can find someone new, she won’t get to do the fun activities that her sitter took her to,” Bridget vented on a parenting group online.
“I was furious with my daughter and let her have it. She had several things taken away from her, and she didn’t do anything remotely fun until recently," she continued.
No More Playdates
She continued: “I also stopped arranging playdates for her and the friend who treated her nanny terribly (they don’t go to the same school), so they don’t see each other at all anymore.”
But, what did other mothers think of her decision?
Reactions
“Her actions impacted someone enough to make them quit a job they were being paid to do. She has soiled her reputation as word spreads fast within the babysitter community if a child treats their caregiver like that,” one mom commented under her post.
“I imagine this wasn’t three isolated events but more like it was happening way more frequently, but those three times were when the babysitter was at her last straw.” Then, one babysitter voiced her opinion.
One Babysitter Shared Her Opinion
“I babysit some kids in the rich part of town, and they have friends like Ops kids friends. In the beginning, the kids tried to treat me like that," she wrote.
"I had a chat with the parents and said they can deal with it on their end, but if they wanted me to keep watching the kids, I'd be dealing with it on my end too.”
The Parents Supported Her Punishments
“I was lucky that the parents supported my punishments. It definitely helps when the problem is tackled on both sides as a United force, but kids will be kids, and what works for one won't work for all," she continued.
Then, a professional shared her opinion.
Vicki's Opinion
“It sounds to me like she was unhappy with the situation, the fact she had a sitter in the first place,” Vicki Broadbent, founder of the blog Honest Mum, said.
“Maybe she wasn’t feeling like her needs were being met (e.g., she might have felt she wasn’t being listened to, had lost all autonomy over even the smallest of decisions, clashed with her personality-wise, or most likely, was feeling a little abandoned by her parents in this scenario,” she wrote.
A Bigger Problem
Vicki explained that while most single mothers need help with childcare and are not "letting their children down" when they get a nanny, it may have been understandable for her daughter to feel alone.
Vicki pointed out that Marie might not have properly explained to her daughter why she needed to hire a babysitter for her.
It Wasn't Entirely Her Daughter's Fault
Vicki explained that it's important for parents to always explain to their children why they had made a certain decision.
So instead of waiting for her daughter to accept the babysitter, Bridget should've explained why she had to hire one.
Make Children Feel Loved
“Reminding them how emotionally safe and loved they are, is key too… I personally hated having a nanny and later babysitters as a young child,” Vicki said.
“I wanted to be with my parents at all times, which is completely normal and natural, and although it was explained to me that they needed to work, therefore, I needed sitters, it didn’t make life that much easier for me.”