I'm a nanny and I have to rant! I am working extended hours today with one of my families, and the kids asked to play with something from the craft cabinet. So, I open the cabinet, which is usually a disaster, to find that their mom had finally organized it. I commented that it was nice and clean to the kids, and the oldest one (6 years) responded that their mother said I had messed it up and if I didn't keep it clean this time then she wasn't going to let me go in there anymore. This kid is brutally honest, so I believe her 100%, and I know the mother will say anything and everything in front of the kids even when I am there. Granted, I only have the kids 2 days a week for about 6 hours a day. And, the youngest, a 4-year old boy who I have while the 6-year old girl is at school, doesn't like to do crafts, so we never even open the cabinet. I maybe open that cabinet to get out a coloring book once every 2 weeks.

Anyway, my problem is that if their mother is saying these things directly to her kids, what else is she saying about me in front of them, and better yet, not in front of them? I have never received a lot of respect from her in the 2 years I've been working with her kids, and our relationship is rather distant at best. I have thought many times about leaving this family and finding another family that will respect me more, but I know the kids would be devastated if I left. They've become really attached to me because I actually play with them and listen to them, which their parents do not. I will be leaving once this baby is born in August, but I am seriously considering leaving at the end of the school year instead of continuing through the summer.

Has anyone else had issues like this as a daycare provider, nanny, or babysitter? I would have a conversation with her about it, but she honestly never gives me the time of day to chat, even if it's about her kids. Any advice?

Thanks in advance.