12 Nannies Who Could Write a Bestseller With Their Adventures

If you think being a nanny is just about snacks and storytime, think again. These real-life stories from babysitters and caregivers will blow your mind. From unexpected requests to emotional twists, these moments are so unexpected, they feel like something out of a Netflix drama. Whether you’re into family drama, plot twists, or jaw-dropping life moments, this is the kind of stories you won’t stop reading.

• He was mid-tantrum, red-faced and thrashing, screaming for his mom. I knelt down, held his arm gently. “I’m here, Max. I’m here.” He stopped.
  Stared at me. “You are Mommy,” he whispered.
  I laughed nervously. “No, sweetie, I’m your nanny.”
  He blinked.
  Then added, “But Daddy said you’re going to be Mommy soon.”
  And just like that, I realized why his mom stopped making eye contact with me weeks ago.

• They told me they were hiring a second nanny part-time. She was polite, professional—asked a lot of questions. A week later, the dad asked me if I’d noticed anything “off” about her.
  Turns out, she was a private investigator hired by the mom’s ex-husband. They were in a custody battle, and I was unknowingly part of it. I left that day.

• The mom didn’t work. The dad was “between jobs.” Still, they insisted on paying me more than I asked for.
  One day, I found the 13-year-old girl crying. She confessed she was the one paying me, from a college account her grandma left her. Because, she said, “You’re the only calm in this house.”
  I quit the next morning. And returned every dollar.

• 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

• One afternoon, the mom told me she needed a “small favor.” She was in a legal battle with her sister over their father’s will. She asked me to say I witnessed a conversation between them.
  It never happened.
  When I said I couldn’t, she calmly said, “Well, think about whether you still want to be in this country.” I reported her.

• 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

• The 9-year-old was quiet, neat, polite—and always had missing homework. The teacher blamed me, the parents blamed him.
  One day I caught him folding worksheets into tiny pieces and tucking them under the dog’s bed.
  I asked why. He said, “If I get bad grades, maybe Dad will stop expecting me to be perfect.”
  I started helping him with assignments, secretly. Two months later, he got a B+ and his dad finally said, “Good job.”

• The parents were bodybuilders and had one daughter. I don’t even know what her name actually was because I heard them call her so many different things.
  Anyway, this kid would lose her mind unless I played cartoons on TV and consistently fed her cheese. I would usually try and distract her with any other snack, but she would only eat cheese. The parents encouraged me to give her all the cheese she wants. “She’s going through that stage where she only eats cheese,” they said.
  I was seriously concerned for this kid’s health. For 2 years, I only ever saw her eat cheese. She was constipated almost every time I babysat. One time I ended up feeding her an entire block of cheese in 2 hours and refused to babysit for them after that. © norberthp / Reddit

• After babysitting for a family for 12 years, they let me go because “the kids are older now.” No drama, just goodbye.
  2 years later, I got a call at midnight. Their teen had gone missing after a fight. They asked if I could come over, he had left a note saying he trusted only me. I found him at the library.
  We still talk every month.

• When I was 23, I worked as a nanny for a wealthy couple. Their 5-year-old son, Joe, would always say that he had been separated from his real mom, who secretly visited him at night. His dad would laugh it off, and I dismissed it as a child’s imagination.
  19 years later, I saw Joe, now 24, on the news. I was in complete shock. It turns out that what he used to tell me was true. I froze when I found out he had written a book about his experience, and it had become a bestseller.
  In it, he revealed that his powerful father had taken full custody of him and kept him away from his mother. She had resorted to visiting him in secret—at school, and even in the garden of their home. His book was written to raise awareness and fight for mothers who are forcibly separated from their children.
  I couldn’t stop crying. I still don’t understand how his mother managed to sneak into the garden—I never once saw her. But I wish I had believed him. More than that, I wish I had done something to help him reunite with her.

• 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 worked for a young couple. Their child had delays. They refused to accept it.
  When a school asked for developmental reports, the mom handed me pre-filled paperwork. All I had to do was sign. The child couldn’t speak, couldn’t follow basic instructions.
  They just wanted someone to blame if she didn’t get into the “right” kindergarten. I refused. The next day, all my belongings were packed in boxes.

Caring for a child is already a challenge, but it gets even more complicated when the child isn’t your own. Jodie recently shared her story with us after things took a tense turn at home. She admitted to hiding her stepson’s passport to prevent him from joining her family’s Disney trip. What happened next sparked a serious family fallout. Read the full story here.