Full-time Nanny with SAHP - Why?

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-28-2004
Full-time Nanny with SAHP - Why?
1258
Tue, 02-10-2004 - 6:41pm
Something I've often wondered about, but never had the opportunity to ask. Why do SAHM or SAHD need a full time nanny, especially when they aren't working from home. I can easily see the need if the SAHP is a WAHP, but what is the logic for a full time nanny otherwise?

Any comments?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 02-17-2004 - 12:25pm
I don't see what difference it makes to the children or to the parenting relationship what the parents are doing in their time away, precisely.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 02-17-2004 - 12:27pm
There are worse things in life than large college loans. Kinda focuses one's attention on studying to know you're going to have to do well enough to get a great job. . . .
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 02-17-2004 - 12:32pm
Since when is what the children "prefer" a big issue for you, though? If children do not suffer because of quality othercare, they do not suffer because of quality othercare, period. And I agree with you that they don't. The grownups' preferences are entitled to equal time as the childrens', in my book, whether or not the grownups in question earn $.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 02-17-2004 - 12:37pm

I give a lot of thought and weight to my childrens' preferences.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Tue, 02-17-2004 - 12:38pm
Wow, that's what the world needs more of. Parents like you who concentrate on funding their children's college educations over EVERYTHING ELSE.

Do you realize how completely absurd that sounds?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 02-17-2004 - 12:38pm
Okay.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 02-17-2004 - 12:42pm
No, actually, what is absurd is trying to make the larger world a

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Tue, 02-17-2004 - 12:54pm
I think it also depends on what kind of nanny you are looking for. I too live in the Minneapolis area but have never had reason to price out a full-time nanny. The nannies I have employed on a part-time basis were always paid $10 to $11 an hour and they were always college students. I have friends with nannies but have never heard of anyone getting paid more than about $14 an hour. (But truthfully, I am not privy to the financial dealings of too many WOHMs who use nannies...) Perhaps it is different when you are gone all day and you want a person who has an impressive resume. When you SAH and you are pretty much present aroung the house much of the day, hiring a college student for $10 an hour to drive kids to preschool and watch a kid while you go in to work on the art appreciation program at the elementary school, doesn't seem like too big of a stretch.

I personally think it is great that you paid your nanny that much. I think most child care workers are underpaid.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 02-17-2004 - 1:03pm

"Perhaps it is different when you are gone all day and you want a person who has an impressive resume."


Not necessarily a stronger resume, but stronger all around than if the person was a mother's helper or around only a few hours a week.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Tue, 02-17-2004 - 1:03pm
I disagree. I don't think everything has to be in order at home for someone to go out and make a wonderful difference out in the world. If that were true, nothing great would happen out in the world. I can always find one more thing I should be doing here at home, making a homemade cake, spring cleaning a closet, playing one more round of Shoots and Ladders with junior, in order to avoid going down to the crisis nursery and working my shift or finishing the newsletter for our school district's gifted education association. Or better yet, since I haven't yet saved the equivalent of four four-year Ivy League tuitions, I had better skip the volunteering altogether and GET A JOB.

There is one thing to make sure you are adequately taking care of your family and another to be solely focused on the betterment of your family (as opposed to the betterment of the community outside or the world.) I feel we all have an obligation to help others beyond our family.

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