'Nanny Diaries' exposes less-than-dreamy side of working in luxury

All Things Literary

Every year my best friend and I roast in the hot sun, sit in uncomfortable lifeguard stands and sweat what feels like pounds of water every single day, all the while dreaming of what more lucrative summer employment must feel like. Oh, let me tell you, we have dreamt about our ideal summer job, and it is far away from the pool deck. Without question, we want to be on Martha’s Vineyard.

There, in the beautiful land of cool, summery Massachusetts, we would be nannies for all those wealthy socialite Manhattan families who have retreated for the summer months. We would live in gorgeous houses, wear J. Crew sundresses and party in nightclubs where celebrities have been known to frequent. In a perfect world, we would live the charmed life for three months — nanny by day, privileged party girl by night.

Then I read "The Nanny Diaries." Suddenly, my perfect world of lavish living with the New York Upper Class didn’t seem so, well, lavish. In fact, it sounded more like Hell on Earth.

Seeing that this book was written by two former nannies of the same type of esteemed family that I was so eager to serve, I would have to say, I had no idea what being a nanny in this society really entailed.

Nan, a child-development major at NYU, is struggling to pay her rent in a cramped studio apartment and decides babysitting would be her best bet for an acceptable source of income. Meet the X family, a stereotypical upper-crust New York family, complete with a Park Avenue apartment and a virtually non-existent husband. Mrs. X quickly hires Nan to care for her only son, Grayer, an adorable 4-year-old who immediately takes a liking to Nan.

Nan soon realizes, however, that her job extends far beyond caring for Grayer. Nan finds herself scheduling her own life around that of Mrs. X. From chauffeuring Grayer to French lessons and preparing his specially designed organic meals to staying up all night with him as he grows violently ill, Nan realizes she has assumed a maternal role in the X household. How is it possible, she wonders, that a woman who has no job, no responsibilities and no commitments whatsoever can have so little time to spend with her child?

As Nan subtly encourages Mrs. X to participate more in Grayer’s life, the tension between the two increases substantially. Mrs. X’s nose-in-the-air attitude and general disdain for anyone outside the realm of her social circle quickly rears its ugly head, and Nan is faced with a bitter woman who seems determined to make her life a living hell. Yet Nan’s strong attachment to Grayer keeps her in the job that she grows to hate more each day.

Is this what working for the rich and privileged is like? The unbelievable demands Mrs. X throws at Nan are downright ridiculous, and certainly not anything that a typical nanny is required to do. Then again, maybe I just know nothing about this side of life.

What I do know, though, after my friend and I both read this book, is that neither of us were quite as eager to jump on a plane to Martha’s Vineyard as we once were. We hope this book was exaggerated, because otherwise, our summer fantasy will never be the same.