‘She keeps stepping on our children’s pranks’

Image: Getty Images

You have children who behave so well with the babysitter that they go to bed on their own and don’t make a sound. And you have these children.

Not an ounce of regret

Wendy (41) is married and mother of Kai (9) and Faye (5).

“It was a beautiful summer day and my husband and I were having a wedding, so we asked our 16-year-old girl next door to babysit. It was the first time she came to babysit during the day, but we were sure Isa could handle that; After all, Kai and Faye adore her. The day before we had set up the pool in the garden and with the confidence that they would have a nice day we left.

Until Isa called a few hours later. Kai had pulled the plug out of the pool and our synthetic turf field had turned into an undulating waterbed. Isa was completely panicked. My husband raced home quickly and saved the day and gave Kai a good kick. His only comment on his action: ‘I wanted to scare Isa and I succeeded.’ He even looked triumphant.”

It’s not like that

Aliyah (35) lives together and is mother to Jazz (8).

“Since we learned that Jazz has autism, a lot of puzzle pieces have fallen into place. His anger when he thinks the details of anything are wrong, especially the bedtime ritual. Then everything has to go according to a fixed pattern, from going upstairs to the last good night kiss and the crack on which the door should be.

Our nanny Joya (15) dared, out of sheer ignorance, to deviate from that pattern and leave the door too wide open, and she knew that. Everything had to be done again according to Jazz, and while he was almost in bed, the ritual started all over again. He repeated that three times, the next time Joya was there even four times. Since then she can never really do when I ask her to babysit. I doubt that is really the case.”

My sister has been kidnapped

Linda (33) lives together and has daughter Renée (5) from her previous marriage. Her wife has son Senn (9) from a previous relationship.

“Renee and Senn are two hands on one stomach. Very beautiful, that’s more than we could have dreamed when my wife and I started dating. It’s just sometimes difficult that they like to forge evil plans together, with Senn as the creative brain. We know their tricks by now, but no matter how we tell our babysitter Ellen (40) to be alert to their actions, she often falls for it.

A few months ago, the children were playing outside – they are allowed to play unsupervised in the courtyard in front of our house – when Senn ran in panicked: Renée had disappeared! He said he saw a man and Renée talked to him and he couldn’t find her after that. Ellen completely stressed, of course. She searched half the neighborhood, called several neighbors to help, and called us at work. Just as she was about to call the police, Renée emerged from her hiding place in the attic. Believe me, Senn and Renée were the only ones who found this very funny.”

A special allergy

Marjolein (44) is married and mother of Noa (7), Siem (5) and Lyn (3).

“The first time Suze (16) came to babysit for us, Noa convinced her that he and Siem were allergic to toothpaste and were therefore definitely not allowed to brush their teeth. Suze thought it was strange that they had toothbrushes, but she believed it, poor dear. The boys had fun for days on end, I texted Suze the next day that our boys are clowns and that she should not believe anything they say.”

Golden calf earned

Kris (38) is single mother of Kick (10) and Fiene (8).

“As a single mother, a good babysitter is worth gold. I thought it was terrible that Kick and Fiene drove two of them to despair in just a few months. Not listening, running around the house in total hysterics, never going to sleep – what the nanny told me when I got home was really embarrassing.

“They drove two of them to despair in a few months”

I found a new babysitter again and threatened Kick and Fiene with hell and damnation if they turned things upside down again. So they took a different tack. Their father’s divorce hadn’t exactly gone smoothly, but most of the children hadn’t learned about it. So I didn’t have the impression that they suffered much, at least not when I was at home.

Until the nanny came and the kids literally cried from the time I left until I got home four hours later that they missed their dad so much. The babysitter thought it was terribly pathetic and looked at me rather strangely. But as soon as she closed the door behind her, there was no longer a tear. “Laugh, right?” was Kick’s comment. I was furious about their acting.”

How helpful are they

Inge (39) is married and mother of Thom (10), Gijs (8), Sem (6) and Luuk (1).

“Very nice, three brothers who ‘help’ with the care of their brother. Especially when they told the babysitter that Luuk’s diapers had to be inside out or else he would get a rash on his buttocks. The nanny was inexperienced – I’d realized that four boys would be a challenge, but we sat up – and did what the oldest three said, because they can be very convincing. Only after she had to change Luuk three times did it start to dawn on her that she was being tricked.”

You can no longer participate

Bodine (39) is married and mother of Julia (6) and César (4).

“I’ve known my kids longer than today, so I told our new nanny Jaylinn (15) to be super strict with them the first time. It’ll be all right, she promised, and we left around four in the afternoon. At half past five the phone rang. Or maybe one of the neighbors had a spare key, because Julia and César had decided they thought the nanny was stupid and locked her out. I was ashamed.”

Also read: This costs a babysitter on average >

Is this a robbery?

Josje (36) is single mother of Puck (9) and Krijn (4).

“It’s just not funny to get a call from the neighbors asking if everything is okay while your kids are at home with the nanny. While I was having my second mojito with my – incidentally very nice – date, Puck and Krijn were screaming so loudly at home that the neighbor was worried. She honestly thought there was a violent robbery or something like that going on at our house. Since then I still take the kids to my parents when I have a date.”

Those are our rules

Dilan (40) is married and mother of Metehan (7) and Khadija (6).

“Being Muslims does not mean that we impose our faith and way of life on others. And certainly not to our nanny Juliette (18). My surprise was therefore great when my husband and I found her on the couch when I got home with one of my headscarves on. She also apologized for entering without a headscarf earlier that day. Joke from Metehan, who had told her that no woman should stay in our house without a headscarf. So embarrassing.”

We live like savages

Janneke (44) has son Harvey (2) with her boyfriend, from a previous relationship she has Fenne (8) and Teun (7).

“It was strange that Fenne and Teun had convinced our babysitter Kimberly (21) that they never have to eat with cutlery. Kimberly was afraid we would take it as criticism if she asked us about this, so she said nothing and thought her own. We only found out after she had babysat for us four times and had been scrubbing the tomato sauce from Fenne and Teun’s hands time and again. I was ashamed to death.”

The big switch trick

Caroline (37) is married and the mother of the twins Hidde and Bram (8).

“As a twin mother, I now know a thing or two about the jokes that children can play when they look exactly the same. Even my parents sometimes struggle to tell our boys apart, so it’s no surprise that our nanny Gea (60) gets confused. Twice a week she babysits for us after school and Hidde and Bram have made it a sport to fool her.

“They have now made it a sport to fool the nanny”

Recently Hidde was not there because he was playing with a friend and then Bram went outside after he had had a cookie and then came in with the announcement that he was finished with the friend in question and wanted a cookie. Result: a double portion for him and Gea who still has no idea.”

Where is that party?

Mariël (48) is married and mother of Willem (9) and Jacob (8).

“Our nanny Leonie (20) found the boys so sweet when the two of them were busy drawing and crafting at the table. She realized that they had made twenty invitations for a party for all the neighboring children. Not that they had actually delivered them when they were playing outside. And so at 5:30 the doorbell rang and child after child showed up on the doorstep expecting a smashing disco and pizza party.”

Mom and Dad come back!

Manon (35) lives together and is mother of Milan (7) and Feline (6 months).

“My boyfriend and I went out for a night and brought Feline, who was one month old at the time, because she was breastfed. She was that easy and would sleep in the car all night, we knew. That way we could have a nice meal. For Milan we had arranged our nanny Nina (14), something he normally likes a lot.

But that night he was furious that he wasn’t allowed to come and his baby sister was and he decided to make it loud and clear. From the moment we left until Nina called us desperately two hours later, he was screaming and screaming at the door and kicking it. We quickly went home and decided to ‘get used to his sister’. I especially felt bad for Nina, who had felt so powerless.”

This article can be found in Kek Mama 03-2022.

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