We recently shared apostwith stories from nannies who have worked for incredibly wealthy families.
Here’s what they revealed:
1.
“One time, I worked for a billionaire and his wife.
They had two kids who were 12 and 9 when I started to work for them.
The husband (billionaire) always spoiled them and tried to make me do everything with the kids.
The family lived in a four-story mansion and had maids for each child and parent.
That’s how it goes.”
Anonymous
2.
“I worked for a now retired NBA player.
He was very nice, but his wife was a nightmare.
The children were 3 and 4.
He was injured and did not play during my time with them.
He did a lot of golfing and had other business ventures.
She, on the other hand, did nothing but spend his money.
I lived in a small apartment on the third floor.
I was the first person the children saw in the morning and the last person they saw at night.
She didn’t cook, so I did because I loved to cook.
She had people who cleaned for her and did her laundry.”
I didn’t know anyone and sat in their 150,000-square-foot home all alone.
She was 24 and had no desire to be a mom.
The kids were paraded around like accessories.
I lasted a year and a half.
Last I heard, they divorced, and she remarried and had another child.
That marriage didn’t last either."
“I nannied for a working couple, but also, the dad was a trust fund kid.
The airfare and accommodations alone cost over $58,000.
They had two boys; one had awful behavior, and one was just spoiled.
The awful one grew to trust me, and we developed a good relationship.
The father had a temper and would do and say awful things, some of them directed at me.
The mother had a medical condition and spent a lot of time in bed.
When she felt well, she shopped.
I was paid well and given a credit card.”
“I was on-call at least 16 hours a day if I wasn’t physically there.
They rented me a beautiful apartment nearby and paid all expenses, including the furnishings.
I enjoyed seeing how the other half lived, but I can’t say they were happy.
All of them were in therapy.
It was an experience for sure, and I was happy for the opportunity to have the job.
I missed the boys and even one of the dogs when I left the job.
I would do it again.”
“I was a nanny in Switzerland and lived in a chateau on the fifth floor.
I had my own convertible car.
I would get in trouble for buying anything on sale.
Whenever the kids broke dinner plates, crystal, or any other china, I was there to blame.
I was done seven months later.
The people in the village told me I lasted the longest.”
“For seven years, I was a nanny for one of the wealthiest families in the United States.
They owned companies that make products we all have in our homes.
They had three jets and a second yacht that traveled with their main one.
The wealth was totally unlike anything you’ve got the option to imagine.
I was one of 147 people they employed to help throughout their homes, planes, and boats.
All that being said, they were the nicest, most down-to-earth family.
You would have never known their immense wealth if you encountered them on the street.
They knew every staff member’s name and kept up with what went on in their lives.
When I started, their son was 7 and their daughter 5.
Both could hold their own in any conversation.
I think it’s proof that money doesn’t always corrupt and that one can always be kind.”
“My great niece is a daughter of a Hollywood pop in of family.
Limos, nannies, chefs, etc.
They came to visit for an older relative’s birthday and stayed at a resort.
The two parents were encouraging her NOT TO play with the other children.
The OTHER CHILDREN were biracial and ‘ordinary’ kids.
I don’t think she even attends school anymore.
She and her mother fly around so she can ride horses in ‘events.’
She’s totally controlled by her mother’s fantasies.”
“I nannied for a wealthy family one summer.
It was a total mess.
The kids were brats.
They were teenagers but didn’t know how to do anything for themselves.
Even though they were brats, I also felt bad for the children.
They had no life skills because they always had live-in nannies doing everything for them.
I also remember feeling like I had never met kids so lacking in ambition or future goals.
I guess I’ll just stay here.
I like living here, and I don’t want to work.'
They had no hobbies, goals, or passions.
They sat on their phones in bed all day.”
“The parents were awful too.
They seemed to hate each other and definitely needed to get a divorce.
They fought constantly in front of the kids and me and spoke so badly to each other.
She went off on me that night for no reason.
I lasted two weeks after that.
Overall, it was an interesting experience.
It taught me about what money does to people and how to be a good parent.”
“I worked for a physician who was an admin in a large hospital system.
“I worked for a few super wealthy people in NYC.
I was the night-time nanny.
“I currently nanny for a ridiculously rich family.
They are the opposite of stereotypical rich people.
But they also constantly remind me how rich they are.
The parents were both lawyers and loaded.
Part of my job duties included picking the girls up after school.
They were taking her to get her navel pierced on her 12th birthday.
I pointed out that it was an important piece of paper and a big responsibility.
She was 11 years old.
They paid $15/hour, which was good money back then.
“I worked for a family from the UAE.
They had an incredible house in a wealthy California beach community as a vacation home.
The adults remained inside watching.
I got the gig.
He was my only charge as the other kids were older and well-behaved.
Fortunately, he was taught to be respectful and was a sweet kid.
And, they paid weekly and well.”
However, while working as a nanny, I befriended some au pairs from Germany in the neighborhood.
The parents made her buy a replacement.
Both parents were doctors.
I told them they should report their stories to the au pair agency.
They were both too afraid to do so.”
One Christmas, just before the holiday, the mom came into their three-story brownstone home crying.
I went to comfort her, and she said her husband’s brother had died.
I told her I was so sorry and asked if she and her husband were okay.
She told me, ‘I don’t care about that!
This is going to ruin Christmas with the distraction!’
“The rich are really different from you and me.
They knew a lot of famous people.
Together, they had a boy and a girl.
The children ate a pound of bacon each morning.
The boy took a hamburger for lunch every day.
The daughter would have tantrums and jump off high things when something didn’t go her way.
Her response was, ‘Oh, that’s how all kids are in Connecticut.'”
“Both children took bottles after kindergarten with their afternoon nap.
They were 5 years old.
The mother demanded that the bottles and nipples be sterilized.
I was also told to put them in diapers for their naps and apply lotion to their diaper areas.
His response: ‘No, they won’t because I know exactly what to say to them.’
I wanted out of the situation and left after three long months.
Sometimes, I wonder how they turned out.”
“During a gap year between college and university, I nannied for a family in Germany.
The children were a 13-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy.
Then, the son wet his bed every night.
“The girl was given a champagne reception for her 13th birthday, along with Barbie dolls.
Additionally, my bed was in the cellar next to the washing machine, so there was zero privacy.
I lasted two and a half months.”
Their mother died when they were toddlers.
They had a succession of nannies before and after me.
The youngest once asked if he could call me Mom.
I thought it best if he saved that title for his stepmother.
This was the first marriage for the stepmom and her first child (she was a later-in-life mom).
I cared for the children 24 hours a day, five days a week.
The baby slept in my room.
Both parents traveled frequently for their jobs, so it was mostly just the children and me.
The mother gave me re-gifted Christmas candy as my Christmas gift.
The children thoroughly enjoyed our meals together.
Sometimes, we would have a theme meal for fun.”
“I once overheard a conversation between the parents.
Neither parent could believe the great meals I cooked for the children on the budget they provided.
When he wasn’t traveling, the father would come home early to participate in the home-cooked meals.
When he was in town, I prepared dinner earlier than usual.
The children would sometimes ask why we were having dinner early, and I would provide a reasonable explanation.
Meanwhile, the baby was in the infant seat and watched all the activity going on.
Sometimes, the boys would sing, and I would dance with the baby.
They were always good students and thrived in a more ‘family’ atmosphere.
I asked her, ‘When will you let them be children?’
I left a piece of my heart when I went away.
The mother took revenge and gave me a bad reference when I found another good family to nanny for.
My life went on, and I got a job in the corporate world.
I think about the children now and then and have pictures of our happy times together.
I hope they are good men with families of their own now.”
These kids just want to spend time with their parents.
They don’t know their child’s favorite color and are surprised when I mention it.
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Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
