Sexism has been much in the news of late, at least on this side of the pond [damn, but I hate that phrase.] So when you read Judith Woods' account in the UK Telegraph [I know, I know] about her ecstatic visit to a speed-dating session with a bunch of mannies, just try reversing it: imagine how obnoxious it'd seem if a bunch of dads were kicking back, chatting about which hot, versatile French au pair is gonna replace mommy.
My Big Buddy is a manny agency in North London, and though Woods makes an obligatory--but still insanely sexist--nod to taking care of girls, the company seems almost entirely geared to providing a man around the house for boys. And moms. Because the dads are all off working in the City.
I'm still pining for Ross when Jake arrives - and I'm bowled over again. Jake runs, walks, cycles and plays all the obligatory sports. He's also doing an MA in International Relations, is a snowboarding instructor and qualified personal trainer - but, best of all, he fixes things around the house.Then there's this:When Jake's not transforming young couch potatoes into veritable runner beans, he's capable of putting up cupboards, mending fuses - the works. He's just like a husband, only better, because he actually does these things (rather than talks about doing them) and then goes home to his own house every night.
While the Big Buddies may not all excel in traditional prissy nanny skills such as laundry, they do know how to communicate with boys, which most mothers would rate considerably higher than perfectly pressed bed linen.1) Laundry isn't prissy; it's drudgery, and if I'm paying someone $20/hr to help around the house, I'd rather have them do the laundry and let me run around with the kids. 2) What what, nannies do the laundry in England? Are you serious?
How I met the manny of my dreams [telegraph.co.uk via jjdaddy-o]
Nannies in the UK usually do kids' laundry (and kids' cooking). Au pairs would do household laundry but not nannies.
[sweet. so unless you have a laundress, why not get the mannies to do the same? -ed.]
A manny huh? Now this is new. I haven't heard anything like this before. :D
Thanks for the article. Your's are a refreshing read everytime I visit here.
Now I'll go and clicky that link. LOL.