Disbelief
Elaine never imagined she would see or hear what she did when she installed those security cameras. It never occurred to her to treat anyone else in such a way as Madeline did.
However, the facts could no longer be denied. Each of the seven nannies left because of her daughter in less than seven months.
Where It All Began
The life of Elaine seemed perfect to her. The couple had two beautiful children together and were happily married.
Her world was about to be turned upside down when trouble arose in paradise. Elaine would have to deal with the consequences of the couple’s destruction.
Trouble Lurking
In the three years since Cody was born, Elaine’s life has changed drastically. Her husband and she were getting into more arguments, and it looked like they had reached the end of the road.
Despite her husband’s demands for a divorce, Elaine held out hope that they could fix things. The entire course of her life changed on that night.
In The Blink Of An Eye
Her husband agreed to split everything they owned in the divorce, which was swift and peaceful. It was only the children he wished he didn’t have to deal with.
As if they weren’t his children, he gave Elaine full custody of the two. She was left with more problems than she could handle after he disappeared.
Lonesome
In the wake of a decade-long marriage, Elaine was all by herself. To that point, she had been a housewife and a single mother to two toddlers.
It wouldn’t work anymore. In the absence of child support or alimony, she would be forced to fight for her and her children’s survival. It would not be an easy battle.
A Pair
Elaine had two toddlers, Madeline, who was five, and Cody, who was three years old. Everyone they met was kind to them because they were sweet kids.
Elaine thought so, at least. It wouldn’t take her long to learn the truth. As soon as she did, she would have to take drastic measures to prevent things from getting worse.
Plan Of Action
Elaine began her job search despite the fact that she had children to take care of. It wasn’t easy for her since she only had one job on her resume and had not worked for ten years.
She finally got a break when a new marketing company hired her. In order to work, she had to find someone to watch the children for her.
Calling For Help
Elaine called her parents first. It was always a pleasure for them to spend time with their grandchildren.
In addition to calling her sister, she also called her mother. In order to protect her interests, she wanted to cover all her bases. She got a lot of problems instead of solutions, but she wasn’t able to solve them.
It would be necessary for her to come up with something else quickly.
Helpless
Because her parents weren’t up for all that excitement, they couldn’t watch the toddlers. In the event that anything went wrong, it wasn’t like they could chase them down.
Additionally, her sister disliked kids a lot. Taking care of her nieces and nephews on a daily basis was pushing those limits for her.
Calling In For Help
She had no choice but to trust her friends, so she did so. Asking a few of the girls to share the duties, she called up a few of them.
Her hopes were that the extra heads wouldn’t pose a problem since many of them had children of their own. Unfortunately, that also wasn’t the case.
Not A Chance
The handful of friends that were single didn’t want to spend their days looking after a couple of toddlers.
And the ones that had kids of their own had no intention of dealing with the extra stress.
This put Elaine in a real predicament, especially since she had only so many free days left. If she couldn’t come up with a solution, she would have a whole new set of problems to deal with.
Work Was Starting
The company had given Elaine a month to get her affairs in order, and the deadline was much closer than she would’ve liked.
Two whole weeks had already passed, and she was no closer to finding a solution. But if she didn’t have one by the time she started working, she might end up losing her job.
It Was A Full-Time Job
During the interview, Elaine informed the company that she had two small children. And they made their opinion very clear.
They didn’t want someone part-time, and they weren’t offering half-day positions. So they expected Elaine to be there whether there was a problem at home or not. She wasn’t too fond of the idea, but it was the only offer she had.
Flustered
With one week left, Elaine was starting to feel the pressure. She was no closer to finding someone to look after the children, and that was making her panic.
But there was still one option left. And even though Elaine wasn’t too fond of the idea, it might’ve been her last hope. So she decided to take the chance.
Her List Hope
Elaine advertised for a nanny. She offered a higher salary than most, with the hope that she would find someone reliable and trustworthy.
But it wasn’t the nanny that she had to be worried about. Her problem was much closer to home, and it would only rear its nasty head once she was out of the house
Nanny Number 1
After a ton of interviews, a woman came in that instantly captured Elaine’s attention. Her name was Lucy, and she had the look of a woman with a ton of experience.
There was an instant connection between the pair. And Elaine hoped that Lucy would be the woman she was looking for. She had a limited amount of time left, and if this worked, she would be settled.
She Was Perfect
Lucy told Elaine a bit about herself, and her story was impressive. She has worked for multiple families in the five years she’s been in the industry.
And the best part was that she had legitimate references for each of the houses she had worked in. Plus, most of her experience included working with multiple children.
Hired
Impressed, Elaine hired her on the spot. She was supposed to start working the following Monday. It would be Elaine’s first day of work, so it seemed like the perfect day.
Both women were delighted to have come to an agreement. And Elaine could finally let go of the biggest thing that was holding her back from her newfound career.
The First Week
In the first few days, Elaine was incredibly nervous about leaving her children alone with a total stranger. But she quickly realized that things were going incredibly well.
Her son adored the new nanny, and her daughter didn’t have much to say about the change. So she stopped worrying about it. But she was in for a rude awakening.
The Second Week
In the second week, things seemed to be fine, except for the few days when Lucy seemed very happy to be leaving. Elaine found it odd but thought that the nanny might have plans, so she brushed it off.
Up until that point, there were no complaints coming from either side, so Elaine never expected the message she got a few days later.
Her Resignation
On Friday afternoon, Elaine got a message from Lucy stating that she was resigning from her position. She asked Elaine to have her paycheck ready when she got home.
Elaine was shocked beyond belief. There was never an indication that things were leading to this. The message had caught her completely off guard. But she did have one question.
The Reason
Elaine asked Lucy what happened to make her resign. The nanny was very vague with her answer, but she did mention that it had something to do with Madeline.
This confused Elaine even more since her daughter had never caused any problems before. Because of that, Elaine thought it was just an excuse Lucy used to quit.
Nanny Number 2
Not giving it a second thought, Elaine spent the weekend calling up one of the other candidates on her list. She was hoping that Kim was still available and that she’d be willing to start on such short notice.
Luckily, everything worked out as planned, and on Monday, Kim started with her duties as the new nanny
Two Whole Weeks
It started exactly the same way as it did with Lucy, and it ended the same way too. Kim was there for two whole weeks, and after that, she abruptly resigned.
Concerned with the circumstances, Elaine asked her what had happened. But this time, she was not expecting the response she got. It was something that had her scratching her head
That Didn’t Last Long
As soon as she asked what happened, the blame was put on Madeline. And Kim was a little ruder about it than Lucy was.
But she still didn’t give any actual details to go on. She just blamed Madeline’s behavior and stopped talking after that. It was very confusing, especially since Elaine had no idea what was happening while she was gone.
Nanny Number 3
But Elaine turned back to her list nonetheless and hired nanny number 3, Ruth. Sadly, things didn’t work out with her either.
It was exactly the same story. She started on Monday, and by the following Friday, she resigned. Once again, Elaine asked about the reason for her departure, and her answer was exactly the same
Nanny Number 4
Nanny number four, Tina, followed exactly the same route. And at this point, Elaine was starting to get concerned.
She was starting to wonder if there was any truth to what the nannies were saying. But without any details, she couldn’t come to any conclusions. And thus far, all of them refused to tell her exactly what had happened
Nanny Number 5
When Elaine hired Amy, her nerves were shot. She was looking at her phone every five minutes, dreading the text she was bound to receive in two weeks.
But it didn’t matter how hard she tried or how much she offered them to stay. Every second Friday, she received a text with their resignations and their reasons
Nanny Number 6
By the time nanny number 6, Daniella, arrived, Elaine was a nervous wreck. All she wanted was to find someone that would last more than two weeks.
But sadly, the same thing happened again. At around lunchtime on Friday, the resignation was waiting. This time, Elaine demanded an explanation, but the girl didn’t want to talk about it
The Last Straw
That night, Elaine couldn’t sleep. She was so worked up over the whole nanny thing. She was replaying every instance in her mind, trying to find out what on earth was going on.
But she couldn’t come up with any conclusions. None of the nannies wanted to talk, so she had only one option left if she wanted the truth
Installing Cameras
With the help of her friends, Elaine managed to get enough nanny cams to cover her entire house. This would lead her to the truth. She was sure of it.
But was she ready for what she would see? Or was she just so fed up with nannies that she needed an answer, regardless of what it was?
Nanny Number 7
With her patience hanging by a thread, Elaine hired one more nanny. Paula was an older woman who had children of her own.
Elaine prayed that the motherly instinct the woman showed would be enough for her to push through whatever it was that the other nannies faced. But once again, that wasn’t the case.
The Usual Game
The whole situation played out as it did with Lucy. On Monday morning, Elaine introduced Paula to the children before rushing to work.
At 6 pm, she got home, the older woman was in a fantastic mood as she said her goodbyes, and she left. And when she arrived the next morning, everything was fine.
First Week Was Fine
The entire first week played out that way. But on Friday evening, there was a shift in Paula’s behavior. She looked exhausted, and she couldn’t get out of the house fast enough.
Elaine thought she was just tired since taking care of two toddlers wasn’t the easiest thing. But since she had seen it so many times before, she was starting to worry
Second Week It Collapsed
By the end of the second week, everything collapsed. There was one difference this time, though. Instead of the texts she had gotten used to, Paula waited for her to come home, and the two of them had a lengthy discussion.
What Paula said shocked Elaine to her core. In the past few months, she had thought of every possible reason, but that one.
She Didn’t Want To Believe It
Paula told Elaine that Madeleine was an angel the first week, but after that, she turned into a little terror.
Paula had no idea where she picked up those kinds of insults, but just like everyone else, she wasn’t willing to put up with the way the little girl was treating her. She said the only way she would stay was if Madeline was disciplined properly.
Could It Be True?
Elaine didn’t want to believe what the older woman had to say. But she couldn’t help but wonder if it was true. Could that be why the other nannies left?
She thanked the older woman for her patience but refused her offer. Before she let anyone go through what she heard, she needed to find out if there was any truth to the matter.
There Was Only One Way
What nobody knew was that Elaine had the security cameras installed. She had kept it hidden from the nanny and the children because she needed to see the truth.
And after what she heard, they were her only hope of finding the answers. She would never blame her child for something so awful without evidence at hand
Reviewing The Footage
After putting the children to bed, Elaine pulled out her laptop and reviewed the footage that had been captured over the last two weeks.
What she saw shocked her to the core. It was so bad that she wanted to accuse the cameras of lying. But there was no way she could deny what she saw.
Shocking Evidence
On the very day, Paula resigned, the footage showed her putting Cody to bed for his lunchtime nap. Madeline was jumping around and screaming at the top of her lungs.
Paula tried to calm her down, and that was when the claws came out. She threatened the nanny, and when that didn’t work, she demeaned her
They Were All Telling The Truth
Elaine couldn’t believe what she was hearing. But she could understand where the nannies were coming from.
If she was being talked to like that, she would resign as well. And even though she wasn’t willing to believe them at the time, she had to admit that they were right. Madeline was the problem, whether Elaine liked it or not
Her Child Was The Problem
Her daughter would be a total angel the first few days, but after that, her attitude changed. That was why the nannies were so exhausted by the end of the week.
That’s why they didn’t want to address the issue. It was all because of the way Madeline acted and what she said to them when she didn’t get her way.
The Things She Said
So what exactly happened? It all started when Madeline was given an order. When that happened, she threatened to get the nanny fired.
And when that didn’t work, she actually said, “I don’t have to do what you say. I pay you.” It was the most demeaning thing a nanny could ever hear. And for each of them, it was the last straw.
It Was Unbelievable
But they weren’t the only ones who wouldn’t tolerate such behavior. Elaine didn’t raise her daughter that way, and there was no way she was going to let that kind of talk continue.
She would put an end to it, one way or another. Sadly, she was forced to take a route she wasn’t planning on taking
Talking To Her Daughter
The first thing Elaine did was confront her daughter with the evidence of her behavior. She asked Madeline what was happening with the hope that they could find a peaceful resolution.
But what her daughter said left her speechless. It was also what pushed her to take the drastic action that she ultimately took. There was simply no other way
Stunned By The Response
When Elaine brought the subject up with Madeline, the girl just shrugged and said, “What? It’s true. We are paying them, so I don’t have to listen to what they have to say.”
Elaine was devastated when she heard those words leave her daughter’s mouth. It was the last thing she expected. But now that she knew where she stood, she knew what needed to be done
It Was Beyond Disrespectful
Elaine explained that what Madeline did was not only crossing a line but that it was also incredibly disrespectful. But the toddler didn’t seem to care.
She actually seemed proud of the fact that she managed to chase seven nannies away with nothing more than a few words. Her mother, on the other hand, wasn’t pleased at all
It Couldn’t Go On
Since Madeline showed no remorse for her actions and actually believed that she was in the right, Elaine had no choice but to punish her for thinking the way she did.
Sad as it may be, the toddler’s behavior had gotten out of hand. And it would only get worse if it wasn’t stopped in its tracks
The Punishment
So how did she punish her child? The first thing Elaine did was enroll the toddlers in kindergarten, so they had someone to look after them while she was at work.
But it was her second action that was the most drastic one. Since Madeline couldn’t stand her nannies and Elaine couldn’t take off work, all activities had to be canceled
No More Fun
There would be no more play dates with her friends. No more swimming lessons that she adored so much. And no more fun in general.
Madeline and Cody would be dropped off at kindergarten every morning, and they would be picked up when Elaine finished work. And since she had so much on her plate, the weekends would become home days
Behave Or Lose
It was a harsh punishment, to say the least. But at least that way, Madeline would realize that she couldn’t get her way because her mother was paying for someone to look after her.
And that realization started setting in pretty quickly. At first, Madeline thought that Elaine was just joking, but the facts became clear when she missed her best friend’s birthday party
A Lot Of Complaints
After that, the complaints came pouring in. Madeline moaned about not seeing her friends and missing out on her swimming lessons.
But it was Elaine’s response that nipped the complaints in the bud. “You should’ve thought about that before you chased off seven nannies,” her mother said. At the realization of what she had done, Madeline quickly apologized
It Was The Only Way
But her apologies fell on deaf ears. Elaine knew her daughter well, and she knew that the behavior would return if she didn’t stand her ground.
It had only been a few weeks, and there was no sincerity in Madeline’s voice, which meant she was just saying what she thought her mother wanted to hear. It was just another trick to get what she wanted.
Feeling Bad
However, that didn’t mean that Elaine didn’t feel incredibly bad about the situation. Every time her daughter approached her with those big teary eyes, she felt herself cracking a little more.
This was hurting her as much as it hurt her daughter. But Madeline didn’t give her another choice. If she had just behaved, they wouldn’t have gotten to this point
Turning To Social Media
But the pressure was getting to her, and Elaine was starting to wonder if she had made the right choice. So she posted her story online and asked the netizens what they thought of her punishment.
It only took a few hours for her inbox to fill up with responses. But it wasn’t exactly what she expected.
Mixed Reactions
The netizens were torn in their responses. Some said that the punishment was fitting, but others didn’t agree with them. They thought that Elaine was going too far with teaching her daughter a lesson.
But there were two people who stood out above the rest. And what they said left lasting impressions on the single mother
Advice From A Babysitter
The one person whose comment really touched Elaine was a babysitter. She stated that Elaine would have a bad reputation in the babysitting community after what happened.
She said that this kind of news spreads fast in their circle, so Elaine will have problems when looking for a nanny in the future. But she also said that Elaine didn’t handle the situation properly. She should’ve discussed adequate punishment with the nanny.
Expert Advice
The second person whose comment stood out was a child behavioral expert. And what she had to say had Elaine feeling even worse than she did before.
She started by saying that the main reason children act out in such a way is because of the way the situation makes them feel. It was likely that Madeline acted out because she felt abandoned
Only One Can Be Blamed
The expert also said that there was only one person who could be blamed in this situation, and that person was Elaine.
She was so focused on adapting to the life they were forced into that she didn’t pay attention to her children or their needs. Instead of listening to their silent pleas, she dumped them on someone else and moved on with her life
Startling Discovery
Elaine was devastated, especially after she got some new information about introducing a nanny to a child. She never followed the proper routines, and because of that, her children suffered.
If she had just dealt with the situation in the proper way from the beginning, none of what they went through would’ve happened. It was a harsh lesson but one she would never forget.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.