natalya:

  Natasha kogda  u menya est Xaltura, ya Mexam plachyu $10, za rabotu kotoraya ne trebuet otvetstvennosti i osobogo uma... A ti  bi ostavila svoego rebenka 'Komu-to'' kto gotov vse eto delat za 5 v chas?? eto seychas to, pri polnom upadke ekonomiki. V Fast food davno ne rabotayut za $5 v chas.. eto bolshoe zablujdenie.. 6.25 minimum+ kapayut raznie nakidki,+ Xoroshiy !!! health Insurance ( ya znayu chto pensioneri ustraivayutsya chto bi u nix bil Insurance), About Tax..Da oni viderayut Tax from pay check, no pri takoy zarplate, potom eto vse vozvrashaetsya !!... a za $5 v chas Nynya s Mashinoy i 2 goda opit s detmi.... Eto prosto izdevatelstvo...Kak govoritsya,kak svoi svoim, chisto po russki...Ili Po Evreyski mojet bit??

I would disagree here. I have heard of people paying $1100 for a live in nanny or for the one that comes in the morning and leaves in the evening. Of course a nanny does not abandon an infant to load the dishwasher. Things around the house are to be done when the child is napping. I don't think it is that unusual. Also, in most cases it is $1100 tax free, so a job at Mc Donalds would bring in much less, not to mention the fact that you are on your feet all day at Mc Donalds, whereas a nanny does get to sit down or stretch on a couch even for a little while, with the child or not. A nanny can also watch TV when the baby is sleeping (or not), snack or chat on the phone. It is not a job to be compared to fast food slaving conditions. Yes, there is no health insurance, but most people earning $5 an hour at McDonalds can't afford to pay the premiums, so they don't have the insurance that's *availabale* to them. And they do drive their own cars to the establishment, too.

How do you think all mothers manage to do the same things the nanny is being asked to do without jeopardizing their kids? Stay at home moms do take care of one or more children, cook, clean, do laundry, and load the dishwasher.