Are you team babysitter or team nanny? Do you know what the difference is between the two? Basically, they are both the same profession the only difference being that sometimes a "nanny" l__ives in.__ Both a babysitter and a nanny care for your child, a babysitter can perform her duties in your home or in her own home while a nanny usually comes to the child's home to care for them. For some reason, when we hear the term "nanny" our reaction is completely different than when we hear "babysitter."
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For example, when our friends tell us they are getting a babysitter we are all "good for you, you need a break!" but when our same friends tell us that they are getting a "nanny" it has a more negative connotation. We instinctively put air quotes around nanny and our voice goes up an octave and our reaction is more like, "Oh, a 'nanny' must be nice!" Complete unadulterated sour grapes.
I think maybe it's just a case of elitist terminology because honestly, unless your nanny is a live-in, what is the difference between a babysitter and a nanny? It's all just a perception issue. We've been conditioned to associate "nanny" with the wealthy who can't take care of their own children or prefer not to (i.e. a celebrity) but we associate a "babysitter" with a couple of parents who are working their tails off to make ends meet and need someone to help pick up the slack because they have to work. It's a subtle difference but one is an obligation to take care of your family where as the other one feels like a choice to not have to deal with them. It's really the same and who is anyone to judge why or why not a person has help caring for their children?
Still, have the conversation with any average mother on the street and refer to your "babysitter" as a "nanny" and I guarantee there will be an instant mental class separation. The haves have nannies and the have-nots have babysitters.
A friend said she was getting a nanny this summer and suddenly when she left the group was very whispery and gossipy about the fact that she was getting in home "help," but these are the exact same women who leave their children with babysitters or daycare. They think there is a difference between what they are doing and what she is doing. Isn't it all just apples and oranges?
Or maybe it's a case of jealousy because honestly, we've never had babysitters (other than Grandma) or a nanny but I sure would like one. In fact, I'd love to have one this summer so I could get my work done.
Image via Traveling Lunas/Flickr
