From: clare@nynexst.com (Clare Chu)
Subject: Re: Zoe Baird's Woes....
Organization: Nynex Science and Technology
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 93 15:58:42 GMT

In article <1k1ldcINNh1j@gap.caltech.edu> hough@seismo.gps.caltech.edu (Susan Hough) writes:
>
>Here I'm not so sure.  I've wondered all along if she was sticking by
>an implausible story because the truth was completely politically
>INcorrect.  I wonder if the truth wasn't that she felt she could
>get BETTER childcare from a South-American woman.  It is of course
>dangerous to generalize about such things, but I have a great deal
>of respect for mothers from Central & South American countries--children
>seem to be raised with a great deal of both love and discipline.  
>Extended family ties are strong, as is generational continuity in
>child rearing.  
>
>A less sympathetic extension of this theory is that an illegal
>South-American woman might be considered an especially good choice
>because she would be likely to leave.  But I discount the "slave-labor"
>aspect.
>
>If I could afford either a high-priced American Nanny or a Peruvian
>woman who would love my children like her own, I would have to think
>long and hard about it.  Actually, considering the likelihood of my
>ever getting appointed Attorney General, maybe I wouldn't have to
>think that hard after all. 
>
>Sue


  Actually you can find American women who'll fit the "South-American"
  model.  They are usually older Hispanic women whose kids have grown
  up already.  They usually take jobs like "home-caretaker" for the
  elderly and if you can find them, will gladly take care of a child.
  The thing is I think if you look at an agency, you'll find young
  white Americans who are listed.  It could be that there is some
  state-licensing for childcare (although in New York, it is only
  applicable for homes where more than x (?) number of kids are taken
  care of (x > 1)).  So if you look at an agency, you'll get a list
  of expensive child-care "professionals", the ones who try to max out
  their allotment (even squeezing in part-time kids).  Also the older
  woman usually doesn't want to take care of more than one, and will
  not register with an agency.  So you have to find them from your
  personal contacts.  They would LOVE to get paid the going rate that 
  these expensive "professionals" get, as they usually get less than 
  1/2 or 1/3 of it.  My my mother-in-law's mother (who was stroked out)
  had a caretaker come in every day, the caretakers used to spend more
  time playing with my son than doing their work (although after feeding
  and changing and washing an invalid they don't need attention).
  And when they heard how much nannies in Westchester County or
  daycare centers cost, all of them said they'd love to switch jobs
  and do childcare instead.  The only problem is that in their neighborhood
  the people can't afford to pay that much, and there is the transportation
  and problem of getting hooked up.

  So you don't have to go illegal, as there are plenty of legal Americans
  that come from that culture.  Your only worry is that they might
  spoil your child, although I guarantee you the kid will love all the
  attention, and learn Spanish at the same time.  Another thing, although
  I don't want to generalize, is that some of them were raised in an
  era where they don't do anything except take care of children.  They
  don't read books, play with computers, and spend most of their day
  cleaning and watching novellas.  They don't go out much either.  We
  had competition between my mother-in-law (who won) and my husband's
  friend's mother on who would get to take care of Tony.  The friend's
  mother lives a lot closer, but she deferred to my m-i-l because my
  f-i-l and her husband are good friends.

  So since Sue lives in L.A., and close to East L.A., it shouldn't be
  too difficult to find an American that fits the model that she's looking for.
Newsgroups: misc.kids