Would You Post This Nanny Ad?: Page 2

Would You Post This Nanny Ad?: Page 2

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Continued from Would You Post This Nanny Ad?: Page 1

•"If you are fundamentally unhappy with your life, you will be more unhappy if you take this job, so do us all a favor and get some treatment or move to the Rockies, but do not apply for employment with us.

•"If you are the type who doesn't notice crumbs on the table, skip to the next post, because crumbs are a deal breaker.

•"I have all sorts of theories on how to stack my dishwasher, and if you are judgmental about Ritalin for ADHD, or think such things are caused by too much sugar, again, deal-break city.

•"If you do drugs or drink enough so that you are grumpy in the morning and grumpier at night prior to that next cocktail, call AA, and peruse Craigslist childcare positions when you have a year sober. I'll probably be looking again.

•"If you suspect all wealthy women are frivolous, we are not for you. I do not want to hide my occasional Bergdorf shopping bag."

Mommy Says...

The gig pays $430 a week and includes free housing and stipends for living expenses. And because all four children are in school, the nanny won't have to work from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.

Soodak, a 40-year-old painter and her husband eventually hired Christina Wynn, a 25-year-old recent college graduate, to care for her kids: ages 12, 9, and 6-year-old twins. Wynn has never been a nanny before.

Soodak has received tons of backlash since placing her ad, and says she's even received death threats. "Many mothers have said I don't care about my children and nothing could be further from the truth," she says. "I live for my kids and they know that."

"Reporters have also implied I'm impossible to work for, however when I started getting negative press, all my former nannies wrote to give me their love and support," Soodak adds.

The ad, which remains on Craigslist, has stirred controversy on the Internet, making the rounds on parenting blogs, even evoking an article in the New York Times.

Tell us--is honesty the best policy when looking for daycare?

14 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

You know, at least she’s honest. She says what she expects upfront, and bluntly. No one can fault her for that! My kids can be a PITA too, as can all kids. LOL.

- Natalie

Posted 09/04/08 02:25 PM

i agree. if you take this job, you know what you are getting into from the start. imagine if most larger corporations started being more honest about what jobs actually entail…

- kimberly_s

Posted 09/04/08 02:44 PM

Yes, honesty is the best policy, right!

- foxymama

Posted 09/04/08 05:10 PM

As a former nanny, I have to applaud her for being honest upfront. It makes for a greater chance of expectations being met and less disaster. Bravo, mommy.

- Anonymous

Posted 09/04/08 11:01 PM

This is hilarious! My kids are a pain in the * too. I’m also a mother of four and I know her pain. How can anyone get mad over this? If I didn’t have “honest humor” I’d go nutty! People with one or two kids probably don’t get it.

- momoffour

Posted 09/05/08 07:06 AM

I like it, she’s straightforward and getting right to the point. She isnt’ sugar coating anything. As a single mother of 3 boys, I know that my kids are sometimes a PITA, but I still love and care for them.

- D Upson

Posted 09/05/08 07:07 AM

well I would say if I was looking for a job whether it be a nanny or anything else I would love to have the nitty gritty laid out to me before I accepted the possition. Honesty is the best policy and quite frankly her nanny will never be able to say I didn’t know that. or this is to much for me to handle or anything else to that effect because she was told what to expect at the word go!! I love this AD!!!

- awesomeAD

Posted 09/05/08 08:00 AM

I have to agree taking care of 4 kids is a big responability as far as the ad goes I give her a big thumbs up!!! If you don’t like the ad don’t read it and do not apply…As far as the dishwasher goes I’m very picky on this also I can not stand it not to be loaded right!!! You stick with your ad!!!!!!!!

- Gail

Posted 09/05/08 08:41 AM

If you have not clicked on the full ad, please go read it!! It is actually hilarious!!!! She has a wicked sense of humor and it comes through in the ad!!! She’s honest and upfront and once you read the full ad, you kinda get where she’s coming from! She’s done this before! I wish all job listings had this kind of honesty!! Way to go!

- Tanya M

Posted 09/05/08 11:32 AM

She just wrote what we all are thinking when we interview for sitters and nanny’s. I don’t want to trudge through 100 applications when a well written listing like this will weed out most of the dead wood to begin with. I might use this as a template for my next job listing. AS for the media, GO AWAY. I think Brad and Angelina are adopting space aliens. Go chase that story and leave the rest of us alone!

- SingleFatherof2

Posted 09/05/08 12:58 PM

LOVE this ad! I wish some of my former employers would have said straight up that they were unpredictable beatoches, whose mood varied w/the tide! It’s better to go with the devil you know!

- omgimacheermom

Posted 09/05/08 08:53 PM

I have been a pre-school teacher in the past, and done child care. I have raised 5 kids, 3 of my own and my niece and nephew. EVERYONE says, “Little Sally or Johhny is a perfect angel, you won’t have a moment’s trouble with him/her!” and then they are trying to dye the $6000 sofa grape juice purple in the first ten minutes after mom has left for the day! Kids are going to push the limits of every care giver to see just how far they can go. It’s human nature. So I’d rather have someone say to me up front, Hey, My kids are brats, I’m a pain in the butt and the pay isn’t the best but you’ll have a place to live, food and a steady job. Every other job tries to lure you in with Sunshine and Roses! At least they can’t be as bad as the two boys that held me at bay with a bee-bee gun from the roof of the house! It was the only baby sitting job I ever walked out on!

- Susan

Posted 09/07/08 02:26 AM

This post made it to our nanny forums in Australia! I agree its pretty funny, but as a Professional Nanny i’d never apply for a job with her.

- Nanny

Posted 09/15/08 08:13 AM

As a single father of 3 all I can say is kudos. :D

- Fjord83

Posted 10/07/09 07:03 PM