In more recent months, the stigma against parents that hire nannies has reared its’ ugly head again. It began with the allegation that Caroline Kennedy withdrew her nomination to take the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton because she failed to pay the nanny tax. It continued with the withdrawal of Nancy Killegrew and Tom Daschle for the same reason. The outcry against these politicians has re-established a long-held stigma against parents that hire nannies – that only the rich and famous hire nannies, and that their failure to pay the nanny tax is symbolic of their attitude that they are better than the rest of us hard-working, poor folk.
I’m not defending the errors and omissions in these cases. It’s the continuation of the stigma against parents that hire nannies that worries me. By creating the opposition of them vs. us the regular folk, we fail to recognize two very important issues:
- The more you pay for childcare is not a guarantee you’ll get better, high-quality childcare
- the market for nannies is unlicensed and unregulated – there are no government regulations assuring parents that nannies have met minimum standards to care for children
As long as the stigma exists, these very important issues will continue to be ignored. Families that hire nannies also need reassurances the person who applies for the position meets minimum standards – including being experienced and trusted not to cause harm!
Alyce Desrosiers, LCSW
Childcare Specialist for Families and Nannies