Would you be concerned if your nanny said...

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that she would feed your child soap if they didnt go to bed? This is what my DC (5years) told me that our nanny said last night. I know that she had problems settling the children last night so may have been stressed but I am still concerned if she said this as it's the sort of comment that children take seriously - obviously there's a risk that my DC is making it up or that she said it in lighthearted way.

IMO she was joking. I tell my kids all sorts of nonsence to avoid bedtime tantrums.

I would ask her about it though - in a jokey way - "nanny sometimes when the kids play me up at bedtime, I feel like screaming. DC said you were ready to feed him soap - please don't use the expensive one!"

I make threats of extreme and implausible violence to my children ("if you don'r get into bed I shall eviscerate you").

If the children bit about it, then that is an issue I suppose. But my children certainly don't take me seriously. How did your children take it?

feed soap? I would threaten to tie them to the bed!! joke btw

sure it was just said in zest, but maybe if your children are being a pain going to bed, a threat in jest may work

just ask her, say you never guess what DC5 said .....

Perhaps I am taking it too seriously and our nanny does have a dry way of making jokes but when my DC told me I said "oh X was just being silly to get you into bed, no=one will ever feed you soap" but he still seemed to think that she was serious and said that she is never silly! I say ridiculous things to the kids when I am getting stressed but I suppose I don't expect my nanny to do the same - double standards!

sure she didnt mean it

but maybe say to DD5,sure she didnt mean it BUT make sure you go striaght to sleep,and you will nwver find out

i would have made a joke of it to your son by saying oh well if you went to bed like you are suppose to then "nanny" wont have to feed you the soap!!

i am sure she said it in jest.

i used to proxy parent for the children and the 3yr old boy use to have a habit of getting up at 4am and thinking it was time to get up as light outside and rooster crooning so mum told him the big bad wolf was at the bottom of his stairs (children had a seperate floor) and if he didnt stay in bed til the alarm clock went off (at 7am) the big bad wolf would gobble him up.

it sure worked!!

She may have meant it in a threatening way; as in, "get to bed or I'll feed you soap" (cross fingers hope they listen now). But if they hadn't got into bed I doubt she would have actually have fed them soap?

I remember my dad threatening to feed me soap if I swore again and it certainly worked! I work as a nanny but not sure I would ever say something like that to one of my charges mainly for fear of the parents!

Either way if the nanny is having trouble getting you LO's into bed for whatever reason rather than worrying about what she might have meant (unless of course you think she might literally do something like that?) can you think of why your children may be finding going to bed so difficult.

Could it be they are waiting up to get to see you if so maybe you can reassure them that you will come home & see them at some point & that you always check in on them even when they are fast asleep but that they really must listen to your nanny. Or are they bored of their bed time stories? etc

My charges can be little terrors if they think their parents may be home soon and sometimes (if I thought less about what I said before I said it!) I feel like saying absolutely anything to ensure the parents didn't think their children were running rings around me.

Hope this makes sense? xx