My housekeeper is vey religious and it’s causing issues

Beat me to it 🤓

Don't be silly. These comments are boring. Didn't you read the bit about the OP being overseas!? So many people on Mumsnet don't seem to realise that there is a life beyond the UK.

Best response

PS thank you for the cat tax. I had a random cat and an inherited dog until I suddenly had... 7 dogs.
Ignore those who don't want their children tainted with random proclamations of salvation. The children will cope if the housekeeper and nanny are kind. I had missionary friends who only hired evangelicals as staff. That was entertaining!
And yes, I was public sector (not diplomatic corps, I wish!) and yes I was expected to hire home help.

Did you struggle to read the entire thread? A couple of people were questioning OP for exposing her children to different "batshit" views and not being available 24/7 to her children and daring to have a career. OP herself has said this is essentially a lighthearted thread and that being the case, yes I do think there is scope for some tolerance and alternative viewpoints are typically welcome - even if there is a need to then discuss and counterbalance.

Why am I being attacked? I made a statement referring to the professionalism of nannies vs nurseries, in response to a pp who had mentioned nurseries.

I couldn’t have someone looking after my children who I didn’t like and trust, whatever the requirements of my / my husbands job were. If OP isn’t happy with the nanny she needs to make alternative arrangements one way or the other doesn’t she?

They sound like a nightmare.

I'd let them both go.

I wouldn't want that lunacy around my kids.

Good grief, training? Don't you know we are British and our public school education taught us to deal with all circumstances???

Anyway on a serious note OP, I have also lived somewhere with a housekeeper (but no nanny as I didn't have children, well apart from the orphan who turned up one day and didn't leave).

Just say "that's nice" and ignore. Nanny is in charge of children's things.

Where on earth do you live?? Ancient Egypt?

This, the downside of having staff in your home really. Just maybe Google assertiveness see if any online tips on how to manage these people if you're new to it.

I knew the religion before even opening the thread.

I knew the religion before even opening the thread.

🥱

@Claradiplomatique There were definitely bugged tennis rackets. But the trouble is, I look back now and think about things I saw and heard and think that they simply could not have happened as I remember them. I think lots got mixed up in my childhood imagination, in a very strange place and time to be a child (although I felt slightly vindicated when I visited the spy museum in Berlin)

Think yourself lucky that your domestic staff are just doing Jesus talk. Our nanny, driver and housekeeper reported to the state on our family conversations.

You’ve gathered a lot of information from my post that wasn’t there. I was merely responding to the pp and stating that it’s easier to find a more professional standard of childcare in nurseries than by employing local nannies. Whether or not this is of any relevance to the OP I cannot tell, as I didn’t think she had told us where they are or what they do. In fact, it’s not even the childcare that’s an issue to the OP is it, its the housekeeper.

I wouldn't dismiss either of them. Firstly, it would probably cause bad feeling locally and secondly the nanny might use the evil eye against me - just saying!

You really don’t have to defend yourself to the chorus of svolds. Its obvious that you can’t and shouldn’t do the work you both do without local help. The insistence that you should and that its better for your children that you do is just plain old xenophobia and British disgust of natives/servants/lower orders in your space.

You can be respectful of her beliefs whilst still maintaining boundaries. Bring her in for a meeting and make it clear that whilst she is entitled to her own opinions and beliefs, you do not appreciate her sharing her concerns about you, your children's toys/books, or your personal beliefs.

Respect needs to go both ways and at the moment she is not holding up her side of the bargain. You are her employer, what would you do if you line managed her in an office?

Based on my experience, as I said. Good nurseries tend to have blanket policies such as no phones on staff, cctv no or minimal screen time for the kids etc. A good nanny that actually engages with the children is worth their weight in gold, but it can be pretty difficult for parents to figure out whether they’ve got this type or not.

Depends where OP is and what age her kids are, but many expat communities have nurseries, often attached to the international schools. Tends to be a more expensive option than a nanny though, especially if you have more than one child.

Was the cat bugged? Literally, everything was bugged.