In October 2002 I decided I wanted an adventure. I had just returned from working
summer camp in California and I was not ready to slip back into my bayou shoes just yet. So I
started to think about different things I could do. I knew I loved working with kids so on a whim
I applied with NY Nannies an online company that helped place nannies with family in NYC and
the surrounding area. Well I was accepted as a nanny and then was interviewed by a couple of
familys but in the end I decided on a family with a 5-month old daughter. The mom was a
psychiatrist and the father owned a tire empire . The had a vacation home in the Berkshires, a
family home in Long Island, and an apartment in the city. I made a year commitment to the
family and moved out east in November 2002. I arrived in Connecticut and was swept away to
the family's vacation home. The family seemed nice enough as we smiled and introduced
ourselves. Every where that we drove along the way to their house looked like a Christmas
village. I was so excited to start my new life as an east coast girl. The next day the mother sent
me to go shopping for some winter clothes for myself . I needed a new coat and some snow
boots. She told me I could use the Mercedes anytime I wanted. I was driving into town by
myself in the Mercedes (sorry previous to this i had no car so i was excited) I rolled all the
windows down even though it was cold and blared Gun and Roses. This Bayou Girl Had never
seen it so good.
I started my job the next day. My duties were yo take care of the baby while the mother
would saw clients. The Baby was great she was a normal 6 month old. I would read to her
we would roll around on the floor. What more is there really?
The first confrontation: The mother approaches me after my first day is finished and says she
doesn't think I am challenging the baby enough. I was confused on how to challenge a 6-month
old.... I was singing, reading, counting, machine. So I smiled and said I would try harder. The
next day I tried harder talking to the baby like she was an adult,drilling those ABC's, really
pushing her to learn all that she could at 6-months old. That day the mother decided that she
did not want to feed her baby breast milk anymore she thought goat milk would be a better fit.
So we drove for 4 hours up a hill to a goat farm were she purchased goat milk. I kept thinking if
my mom could see me now...my mom who was probuably giving us sips of cool-aid at that age.
The Next confrontation: The Mother approached me after a long day of challenging the
baby. She said that she would really appreciate it if I would take out my piercings. I had my
tongue and eye-brow pierced. Now I had told the mother during the interview that I had
piercings and she shrugged it off like it was no big deal...so i was really surprised when she
approached me. I told her I would have to think about it because it was part of who I was. She
told me that she didn't want me to have piercing when we move back to Long Island because it
was very conservative,upscale neighborhood. I though about it all night and then I thought of
my $600.00 a week salary and I decided I could do without my piercings. As i took my tongue
ring out the next morning I cried. I remembered the day I went get it pierced with my friend
who visited from Scotland it was a bonding experience. I went to another day of challenging the
baby as a un-pierced nanny.
Two days latter the Next Confrontation: The mother approached me saying she was
concerned that my hair color was drawing attention to me and the baby in town. Now I have to
admit I am a girl who had had blue,green,pink, and purple hair at one point in my life,but at the
time it was a low key auburn. She was also concerend about the way I was dressing to take care
of the baby...I would wear jeans and a t-shirt or a sweater depending if we were leaving the
house that day. So she took mt to the Polo store (yes I said it the polo store it was like i was
slapping my former self in the face). After an hour i had new preppy wardrobe appropriate
forthe country club...it was like playing dress up. On the way back I stopped at the drug store a
picked up a box of Plain Jane Brown Hair Dye. The next day I woke up un-pierced,in a pink polo
shirt ,wool plaid pink and green skirt, and penny loafers, with brown hair...I was sick to my
stomach all day long. We left for Pittsburgh to spend the weekend at some relatives of the
mother. When we arrived and I was put in a room the size of a very small walk in closet. that
night we had dinner and the bread basket was being passed around. When the basket
approached me. The mother announced that I didn't need any bread and passed it over me. I
turned bright red and after dinner went straight to my room and sobbed. The mother came and
found me and said that she thought I would be much happier if i lost 50 lbs. Well that was the
straw that broke this Cajuns girls back. I told her that this was not working out and i gave her
my two weeks notice.
We drove back to Pittsburgh and they never talked to me. As soon as we arrived they asked
me to leave immediately. I was shocked. I called my mom and she told me that i could not fly
home right now becasue if the price of flights. I would have to wait a week to get a reasonable
rate on a flight. Luckily I had a friends who lived in Connecticut so I called her with my sob story
and she said that I could stay there until I could get a flight. I packed up as much as i could and
the rest of my stuff that I couldn't bring with me I brought to Good Will. . The mother never
talked to me and I didn't get to see the baby before i was rushed out of their home.I was
dropped off at the bus station with three huge suit cases. The father threw them out the car into
the snow and muttered good luck and sped off. (here is were the sad music swells) I was trying
to move my luggage from the piles of snow and then it stated to snow and then everyone... i fell
down into the snow. I had to pay some guy to help me take my luggage into the station for me.
When I arrived in Connecticut my friend took me out and got me drunk ...really really
drunk...she also forced me to eat fried food and dessert.We toasted to my curves...we mourned
for my losses my hair color my piercings. The next day I left a message with the agency
Iworked for so I could formally complain about the family and how I was treated. I was still a
little sad so my friends decided to cheer me up by bringing me to the mall of adult stores. It was
so much fun ,but some were between the harnasses and the handcuffs my phone rings. Its the
nanny agency. So thinking they can see were I am I duck down behind the swings and whips. I
explain to them what happen and how I was treated by the family. In the end they took the
family's side because they have the money...and i was a disappointment because i wasn't a thin
un-pierced Mary Fuckin Poppins. So I spent the next couple of days with my friend we went to
NYC and just had a ball. And then I moved back down the Bayou and I am living happily ever
after.
