I could've calibrated my words slightly differently! However, most “normal” people don’t hire household help. One of the parents usually stays at home. If both parents work, children are taken care of by members of their extended families. Once children are old enough they go to Detskyi Sad. So, most people don’t need to bring strangers home and don’t allow outsiders to influence their children. It seems only the rich, lazy, and failed parents do that like some expats here.
As far as making a career out of wiping expat kids’ butts, that’s what President Putin probably did to become Russia’s president! Very exciting, prestigious and promising careers! All of those women driving around Moscow in luxury SUVs and sports cars they also probably make their living by wiping kids’ butts. It’s understandable when parents want to go out and extended family is not available (rare cases) they ask their neighbor or an acquaintance to “WATCH” their kids to make sure they are safe while both parents are briefly away. That job best suits a college girl who wants to make a few extra bucks or an old lady bored to death at home. It’s not a career! Later when kids grow up there may be a need to supplement their study load with a private tutor in a specific subject be it a second language or music, but that’s not what nannies and household help are all about. In other words some rich people admit their failure as parents by hiring household help thus creating a role model for their own kids who in turn will fail as parents themselves! --- On Sun, 8/23/09, Michele A. Berdy <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Michele A. Berdy <[email protected]> > Subject: Expat List fun with stereotypes > To: "expat" <[email protected]> > Date: Sunday, August 23, 2009, 1:37 PM > > > > > > > > > I usually don’t get involved in the expat > list > spitting matches, but this one floored me. An expat wrote: > “After 6 years we > have parted from our Nanny even though she was a part of > the family, but > unfortunately our son was outgrowing her ability to keep up > with him and his > needs. So here we are looking for a new Nanny... somebody > who comes well > recommended... English knowledge a plus, but not at all a > must. A good education > makes sense as she has to be able to challenge and > stimulate our son also from > an intellectual point of view.” > > > Then Andrey makes up that “some expats > assume > that well-educated and stimulating Russian women must be > ecstatic about the > possibilities.” (I’ve read the above several > times and I don’t see anything in > there about ecstasy.) Then he makes up that it’s a > “dead-end and humiliating > job”, and he makes up that it’s a job that > “pays hardly enough to survive in > > Moscow .” (How > do you know how much they pay, and why are you sure that > it’s a dead-end job, or > that it would be humiliating, Andrey?) And then, having > made all this up and > created a horrible straw man, Andrey damns foreigners (all > foreigners? some > foreigners?): “What gets me is how foreigners have no > qualms about trying to > exploit other people.” > > What gets me is how some people make up stories > to hang their stereotypes on. Andrey, here's some > friendly observation and > advice: In every national and ethnic group there are a few > rotten apples. But > it's a good rule of thumb to make sure the apple is > rotten before you start > making accusations. It's also generally a good idea to > keep the accusations to > one person and not generalize to entire nations. > > > Sorry; end of Sunday sermon. > > > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ > Expat mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.lists.ru/mailman/listinfo/expat > http://www.expat.ru/forum/ _______________________________________________ Expat mailing list [email protected] http://www.lists.ru/mailman/listinfo/expat http://www.expat.ru/forum/
