I linked to this story last week but its concluding paragraph is so good I thought I’d do it again. Nanny gets the axe in hard times. The article profiles the hard times befalling several beloved nannies but here’s the one that I think may help explain why some people have so little sympathy for Bernie Madoff’s and other rich victims of Wall Street’s many frauds:
The family that hired her on a full-time basis in 2004 is now using her only sporadically, when Addie, 5, and Alexa, 3, are sick or when their mother, Suzanne Sirof, is under the weather.
Ms. Monterrosa, a single mother of two who earned $600 a week, says she is desperate for work because she is falling behind on her car insurance and rent payments. Her mother, a housekeeper, has also seen her work days curtailed.
“I can’t afford to buy my own children shoes,” Ms. Monterrosa says, wringing her hands. Weekend excursions to Denny’s and Chuck E. Cheese’s with the two teenagers are a thing of the past, she adds.
‘Second Mom’
A stay-at-home mother whose husband is a litigation attorney, Mrs. Sirof says that Ms. Monterrosa was a “second mom to my kids.” Ms. Monterrosa was there when she suffered a bout of depression and when she went on spa trips or outings to get Botox and Juvéderm injections, says Mrs. Sirof.
But a few months ago, the family decided they couldn’t afford Ms. Monterrosa anymore and let her go.
Mrs. Sirof’s daughters took the separation badly. They inquired incessantly about “Vita,” as they called her. Normally a lively child, daughter Addie became sad and withdrawn. A doctor Mrs. Sirof consulted suggested renewed contact with Ms. Monterrosa.
“I try to have Alba come once a week,” says Mrs. Sirof. She says she feels “horrible” about laying off Ms. Monterrosa. But there are some perks she isn’t willing to give up. “Nothing deters me from my Botox treatments.”
Atta girl, Mrs. Sirof. Ms. Monterrosa’s kids shouldn’t be eating at Chuck E. Cheese (transfats) or wearing shoes (exploited third world workers) anyway, and you own kids’ disappointment and hurt at losing their real mother will more than made be for by the sight of glorious, radiant you, all Botoxed up and ready for the Holidays. Merry Christmas!
For What It's Worth 
Sounds like the “second mom” was really the person who acted like the “first mom”….
Botox ???
Isn’t that the first step on the road to Jocelyn Wildenstein?
During hard time families should look at nanny sharing. It is when two families can share a nanny both families having a nanny part-time.Check out http://www.nannies4hire.com for your nanny. We hired our current nanny from their site and love her. We couldn’t have found a better match for our family.