My Daughter Was a Nanny—But She Was Fired When Her Secret Was Exposed

A nanny’s job involves a lot of responsibilities. You’re basically a second parent to a child. So, being paid well is a must when it comes to child care. In Sara’s story, we see a struggling nanny trying to get by, but one mistake exposing her secret ruins everything.

Sara’s story as told from her mom’s perspective.

Dear Bright Side,

My daughter, Sara, worked as a nanny for a 4-year-old named Megan. The toddler barely spoke and repeated anything she heard. One day, Megan’s mom came home and heard her daughter say, “Dogs come here, go with people, want dogs, play with them.”

The mom was confused and called Sara to ask, “What is she trying to say?” Sara had to tell her the truth that she’s been making extra cash by dog walking on the side during her nanny working hours.

While the children had their nap time, she would go to owners, take their dogs, walk them, and go back home, where Megan likely spotted them. The owners would then pick them up from the house.

The mom fired her on the spot. But Sara desperately needs her job back, because she’s been paying all the bills. I don’t know how we can appeal to the mom and try to convince her to give Sara her job back.

Karen S.

Try to reason with the mom.

Hello Karen, thank you for sharing your story with us. The first thing you’ll want to do is approach the mother. You can call her or send her any form of letter letting her know that your daughter needed both jobs to pay the bills. If she mentions that Sara should’ve made her aware of the second job earlier, then you can apologize and say that she didn’t want to risk losing the job.

Don’t push too hard.

If the mom still seems skeptical, or she’s not being understanding of the situation, then it’s best not to push too hard. Once you’ve given all your persuasive points, you’ve said all you can. Otherwise, it could backfire, and the mom could talk about Sara to other moms and ruin her chances of finding other nanny jobs within the community or neighborhood.

Look for other options.

Don’t rely on the mom too much and expect her to take your daughter back. Instead, encourage Sara to look for other jobs right away, even if it means finding one in a different industry. She could also consider roles in the education sector, such as a teacher assistant.

Working two jobs or more is a difficult feat that not everyone can do. Sara did her best to support her mom and herself, and that in itself is respectable. Meanwhile, other people are more inclined to refuse supporting their parents, like this daughter refusing to help her retired mom.