11 Nannies Who Faced More Twists Than a Hollywood Thriller

Being a nanny is never dull, but some experiences take things to a whole new level. From sudden dangers to mind-blowing twists, these stories highlight the wild, intense, and sometimes downright bizarre moments caregivers have faced. Each one offers a glimpse into a world where real life feels stranger than fiction, proving that even the most everyday jobs can lead to unbelievable adventures.

• At 17, I used to babysit a pair of twins. The mom and dad were secretive and quiet, but they paid very well. One night, they didn't return. At 4 a.m., I started to really panic. Then, I turned on the TV—and froze when I saw them. I discovered that they had been arrested for embezzling money from multiple companies. It turned out I had been working for con artists.
  
  I didn’t know what to do or where to take the kids. Minutes later, the police arrived. After asking me a few questions, they let me go.
  
  I never saw the parents again, but I know they went to prison. Still, I can’t stop thinking about the poor kids.

• When I was 13, I got a job babysitting for my neighbors. They had two little girls who were the easiest kids to look after. The mom and dad were super nice people. The dad was a nurse who worked mainly nights, and the mom worked from home. She would ask me to come over on Friday nights so she could go out and have some downtime. I quickly found out, though, that she was seeing other men.
  The first night I babysat, the mom informed me she would be home no later than midnight. Well, 4 a.m. rolled around, and I was woken up by noise on the porch. I saw her hastily kissing another man. She apologized for being late, paid me (she was $5 short), and I went home to my mom, who was upset that she had kept me so late.
  The same thing happened two more times. She’d promise to be home by midnight but would come home at 3 or 4 in the morning, each time with a different guy. And each time, she would short me a little of what I earned. My mom eventually put a stop to it and called her out for cheating on her husband. They ended up getting divorced not long after that. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was watching a 6-year-old girl and her sweet younger brother. We walked inside from the garage into the living room when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the little girl standing in front of the door with something suspiciously gripped behind her back. I turned to her, and she had a completely psychotic look on her face. Her lips were spread into this wide, creepy Joker grin, and her eyebrows were all crazy, Jack Nicholson-style.
  All of a sudden, she started laughing maniacally and raising a metal baseball bat over her head. She turned and proceeded to start beating the couch. WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP—these massive, loud, powerful strikes. You could hear the bat cutting through the air as she whipped it around so fast.
  The kid was both a competitive gymnast and ice skater, so she was STRONG. I had to wrestle the bat away from her while she kicked and screamed, “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,” at the top of her lungs. Yeah, QUITE the handful, that one. © grodygirlthoughts / Reddit

• I babysat a little boy who had severe emotional problems. One time, he ran away while I was upstairs playing with his sister. He went to the park down the block, climbed a tree, and refused to come down because he believed “no one loved him.”
  I was young and didn’t think about calling the police or anything. I just sat at the bottom of the tree and literally talked him down. I convinced him that I loved him and wanted him to come home. His siblings also helped by saying they loved him too. It was so scary. © mieds / Reddit

• I was a nanny for a year. I should have seen the red flag when I realized I was the 5th nanny for a 2 1/2-year-old girl... Doesn’t say much about how long the others stayed. Honestly, it wasn’t the child’s fault. She had two parents who had kids as accessories or because all their friends had kids.
  I had to keep a log of the “devil child’s” activities—how many tortellini she ate, how many minutes of TV time or outside time she had, how many ounces of milk the baby boy drank, when I changed his diaper, and what was in his diaper... you get the hint. The mom wanted to feel involved without actually being involved.
  I wasn’t allowed to use the word “no” because it was too negative. I wasn’t supposed to use negative phrasing such as “don’t throw that on the floor.” Instead, I was instructed to say, “leave that on the table.”
  I couldn’t send the child to her room because it was supposed to be a happy place. I had to place her in timeout, but, of course, what 2 1/2-year-old sits in timeout? So, I had to sit in timeout too. Lots of fun when you also have a 6-month-old to care for.
  The parents refused to go anywhere or do anything unless both of them were available, but I got to do the groceries with both kids in tow. I had to do “mommy and me” gymnastics with the little girl while the baby was strapped to me in a carrier. © Annami316 / Reddit

• Watching a family and had just put the kids to bed. I was watching TV and heard the garage door open, so I knew the parents had just arrived. The door opens from the garage, and in walks a 6’3″ man. I froze and was thinking that the kids and I were in danger.
  I guess the oldest kid was still awake and came downstairs and yelled out, ’Darrell!’ and went and hugged him. Apparently, this guy was living in the basement, and the parents forgot to mention it. When they did get home, they apologized profusely and gave me extra money. © Awdra / Reddit

• A couple of years into my nanny career. I was watching two little guys who I had every weekend. They were eating a snack happily. The toddler was eating crackers, nicely putting one in his mouth at a time, just like we’d taught him.
  I turned my back to wash a dish and suddenly heard nothing. He was quiet—the kind of silence toddlers just can’t do. I whipped around to see a choking child. My mind froze, but my body sprung into action.
  I quickly felt and listened for breathing—there was none. I gave him quick pats on the back—nothing. Then I pulled him out of his seat and performed the Heimlich maneuver. I even managed to aim him over the sink. His throat full of crackers flew out, and he cried for a minute. Then he looked up at me and said, “More fishies?” © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was watching 3 kids at the time, one girl and two boys. We were all playing a game, and I turned around for just a second. When I turned back, the youngest boy (5 years old) was gone. I found him in the living room trying to take all of the framed pictures off the walls. © heh88 / Reddit

• I once babysat three children: two boys and a girl. The girl was the youngest and was supposed to go to bed an hour before the boys. I specifically asked the parents if that was going to be a problem, and they assured me that it was how it always worked and she’d be fine.
  When bedtime came, the girl protested, so I tried all kinds of things—telling her I’d tell her a great story or trying to make it into a game... Nothing worked, and she started crying. After that, the two older boys completely turned on me, and all three of them became united against me. They told their sister that she didn’t have to go to bed. Then, all three of them started chanting, “WE HATE YOU, WORST BABYSITTER EVER,” while running around the house.
  I don’t remember how the evening ended (I think I blocked it out), but I do remember avoiding that family’s calls a bunch. © coughdrop01 / Reddit

• At 19, I used to babysit a little boy. His mom was super beautiful. She would leave the house at 7 p.m. and return before midnight. One night, she didn’t return. I was worried; she didn’t answer my calls.
  At 3 a.m., I turned on the TV—and froze when I saw her. Turns out this woman was arrested alongside a man described as a wealthy and successful businessman. I found out that she was his girlfriend, and the guy had been involved in a serious fraud scheme. The police had raided them while they were having drinks together.
  Fortunately, she was released after the authorities couldn’t find any evidence of her involvement. When I saw her again, she explained that she’d only been dating him for a few months and hadn’t known about his shady activities. The poor woman was heartbroken and remained genuinely devastated for months.

• When I was in high school, my best friend and I used to babysit these two kids together (1 and 5). The baby was asleep, and the older one was allowed to stay up until 9 (it was almost 8). He was a great kid, but my friend and I (we were best friends) wanted to watch TV and hang out, so we came up with this grand idea to change the clocks so that they all said 9, and he would think it was time for bed.
  It was easy moving them forward, but it was not so easy turning them back! Just picture us slinking around in the dark, trying not to wake the 5-year-old who wasn’t tired, just to change the clocks back. I think we finally got it all back to “normal” after 10. © sdeflor2 / Reddit

If you're looking for chilling workplace stories with unexpected twists, this one's for you.