No doubt the success of the television show Supernanny has inspired other nannies to tell tales about their employers’ foibles. Exhibit A: The director of a Maryland-based nanny agency that provides childcare to The Rich And Powerful in Washington, D.C.:
"In Barbara Kline’s new nonfiction book, White House Nannies, her account of finding nannies for Washington’s rich and pretentious, the parents are as deliciously horrible as you would want them to be. "They call her Bethesda agency and start off by describing how important and busy they are. ‘By the way, Barbara, I run an empire,’ says one. Or they have their chief of staff call: ‘I represent a very prominent family.’ Eventually, after listing all their titles and every advanced degree, they toss in a phrase or two describing their children: ‘eight-year-old brilliant twins, a four-year-old gymnast, and a brand-new baby girl who can already sing on key.’
[…]
"[I]f a dispute arises months after Kline has placed the nanny in the home, the clients are back on the phone demanding someone else: ‘You know, Barbara, if I’m not happy with a watch from Cartier, they take it back and give me a new one.’
"Yes, says Kline, who started White House Nannies 21 years ago, someone actually said this to her.
"She won’t say exactly who."
Moral of the story: Even the temporally omnipotent must watch what they say to their servants. After all, the servants may one day decide to write a book.
(Nod to HMS Blog for the link.)
You get the feeling that these parents would never accept their child being sent to the “naughty spot”.
We love the Super Nanny! The kids on the show make ours seem pretty tolerable, and the parents make us look sorta competent by comparison. Plus, she’s British!… so you know she knows what she is talking about.