[kinda strange thing happened on dd's facebook]

It sounds a bit odd, but if you have the settings to the highest I would put it down as a fluke and keep an eye on any other e-mails she gets. I am assuming your dd showed you the e-mail? I think that that shows a level of maturity and that she and you share a mutual trust over the internet. I would let her continue using it but emphasise that if there is anything she is worried about bring it straight to you.

 

I have my facebook set to the highest privacy setting and I KNOW that other people can't find me, either through searches or through mutual friends. I just don't show up (I have tested this rather extensively for various reasons).

 

Even if she saw your daughters name somewhere she shouldn't be able to see her e-mail address.

[my former nanny has 60+ photos of my kids on her facebook page. . .]

That impresses me. Facebook would just take down someone else's pictures based on another users request?

 

Don't get me wrong Calico -- I think they should come off, right away. It was not within her rights to have put them there in the first place. I was going to advise you to tell her to remove them immediately. I'm just surprised that Facebook would have the right to do this without any verification from the accuser/accused.

 

Let us know how it turns out. This is why people are so wary of Facebook and the like. :001_unsure:

 

The tricky thing with Facebook is that THEY actually own your pictures once you have posted them there, so yes they could remove them if you ask.

 

I would definitely ask (actually demand) she takes them down if they make you uncomfortable (and 60 plus pictures would certainly make me uncomfortable). I do have pictures of some of the kids I watched over the summer. They were taken at my going away party. But I would NEVER put them up online. They are for me to remember the kids by. That is all.

[Mother's Helpers - please offer tips for a newbie]

I haven't been a mothers helper or had one like you describe BUT I was once an au pair and for your daughters sake and the sake of the family I would say make it clear with the mother what she expects and also if the child (or children) have any special needs before the girls start. The family I worked for did not let me know that the little boy had ADHD before I got there. I would still have taken the job had I known but it left me wondering what else they had hidden from me. I think if there is a set of expectations laid clear from the start everyone will be happier.

 

With regards to the watching of tv, I do this with the children I watch sometimes but then I watch with them. As in I discuss what we watch with them, emphasise what is going on. For example one little girl has a favourite show with very moral stories to it. I'll watch one 12 minute episode with her and discuss whatever the moral was. I wouldn't do it the whole time I watch them though.

 

Hope that helps

[Anyone with short teens/When do they stop growing???]

I continued growing for more than 2 years. It slowed down but I still grew a bit more. If you are really concerned then have your pediatrician x-ray her wrists, that is the one place where they can see if a child is still growing or not. My sister had this done because my mum was concerned that she was so short (none of us are tall but my sister was very small). They realised that she still had a bit to go, but she did stop at 5"1/2' (the half inch is apparently very important)

[I LIKE teenagers! This past week we...]

I used to work with teenagers in my last job and my next job will hopefully be with them again. I find them to be inquisitive, engaging and often times very funny. I think their reputation has been pretty undeserved.

 

On my last day in my last job they were driving me to distraction by never being where they were supposed to be. I kept telling them off, only to at the end of the evening find out that they had been signing a card for me. Something they had though of all by themselves.