If you have kids, you understand how much trust you put into a nanny.
After all, your child is the most precious thing in your life, and you are leaving him or her to someone else to take care of while you’re away. And while most parents worry about what would happen if something were to go wrong while they were away, that’s the extent of most fears.
However, there may be more to worry about than originally thought. Stories about nannies and babysitters abusing children have surfaced in the news, and it’s giving parents second thoughts about leaving their children with strangers.
Whitney Matney, a young mother living in Springdale, Arkansas, who was going to law school in 2014, needed to hire a nanny to look after her child when she was in class.
Her daughter, Raylee, was 1 year old at the time and the love of her life. Matney simply wanted someone to be able to watch her child and keep her safe while she was away. But things didn’t go exactly as planned.
When Whitney and her husband, Chris, put out ads looking for a nanny, she got a response from a former high school classmate.
Since she wanted to make sure that her former classmate was capable of taking care of her child, she called references and even ran a background check on her. The background check came back clean, and one of her references even “raved” about her.
Although Raylee seemed to take to her new nanny right away, as soon as the nanny started the job and Whitney and Chris left the house, Raylee began acting strange upon their return. Whenever one of her parents would return, Raylee would run to them, crying and screaming. Obviously, this worried the Matneys, so Whitney decided to set up a nanny cam to find out what was really going on.
After the first day that the nanny cam was set up, Whitney knew something was wrong.
Before she even watched the video, she noticed that it was turned toward the wall. This set off a red flag that the Matneys just couldn’t ignore.
That’s when she watched the video on the nanny cam. To her shock and horror, the camera had caught the nanny both spanking the young girl and shaking her violently.
Right after she watched the video, Whitney said that she was filled with rage.
She called the police and took her daughter to the emergency room. Luckily, Raylee did not suffer any permanent damage. But who knows what would have happened if Whitney hadn’t set up the nanny cam when she did?
Shortly after Whitney called the police, the nanny was arrested.
Now, Whitney is working to create a child abuse registry that will help parents find out if the nanny they are considering hiring is safe and reliable.
If you have a child and are looking for a nanny or babysitter, it’s important to do your homework beforehand.
Criminal background checks, looking at sex offender registries, and searching through the nanny’s social media accounts are all great places to start. But even though Whitney did all of that, she was still surprised.
Experts say that it’s a good idea to stop in during the nanny’s shift if at all possible.
You can then see how the child is reacting and what the nanny is up to.
It’s terrifying knowing that your children could be hurt by someone who is supposed to be watching them and taking care of them. Luckily, Whitney and Chris Matney didn’t find out about their nanny nightmare too late.
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