Nanny: $200K, quality time with mom and dad: Priceless

Maybe you saw the WSJ article about the $200K a year nanny?  Maybe not.  Oh, and no, I'm not joking.

Some British nannies are being paid up to $200K/year, plus room and board and even a car.  Teachers are in demand (as they should be).  According to the article, there is big demand for teachers turned nannies to help with increasingly demanding schoolwork.  I've heard complaints from friends paying upwards of $50K a year, but that sounds like a real bargain compared to the $200K a year some are willing to pay nannies to care for their children.  Does the value and skill level of the nannies go up along with the price?  I mean will a kid be walking and talking at six months (eesh), know three different languages by elementary school and be the most well-mannered kid on the planet if one can afford a higher priced nanny?  I hope so!  How do you track nanny ROI...parents have their ways (business idea?  hmmm).

One "manny" mentions that the wealthy parents give too little time and attention to their kids.  He said, “There is as much neglect at the top end of the market as there is at the bottom.  The children are materially well off but emotionally neglected. These mums and dads are never there and they assuage their guilt by paying other people to look after them as much as possible."  The hard-working friends I know who aren't stay-at-home moms/dads still give plenty of attention, time and love to their kids, in fact as much as they possibly can.  They sacrifice promotions at work, social lives with friends, quality time with their significant others, etc. so that they can be with their children and be the best parents possible while still maintaining their careers.

We all do what we have to do to be good parents and good employees/employers.  Finding the balance is the key in everything.  Nannies play a pivotal role in many parents' and children's' lives, but they are not a replacement for parents.

Toni Braxton once said, "I'd lose my mind if I heard my kid call the nanny Mommy."  You might be able to put a price on childcare, but you can't put a price on TLC and memories between a child and his/her parents.