the authors of the nanny diaries are alumnas (alumnae?) of NYU, and my school!
can i count the times ive taken a race-based class (a cultural studies course of some sort) where someone feels the urge to tell a story about how their nanny practically raised them and how their nanny knows them better than their parents. this one girl in my class, in response to why she was taking an african-american english class (linguistics, not literature) was because "all my maids and nannies back home speak black (not even black english!) and i want to be able to understand them"
its a clear race/class divide, visible at NYU and surrounding neighborhood. especially on a nice afternoon in washington square park, you will find many a nanny, mostly west indian, asian, or south asian descent, tending to their wealthier, white or asian charges in the playground. i want to know who's playing nanny to the nanny's kids?
i worked at an elementary school my first two years of school in the village. many times, i had parents and nannies alike ask me whose nanny i was, assuming that my permanent tan reflected my status. of course, i got the embarassed, giggly "oh im so sorry i had no idea!" many times. then i worked at a middle school, and i got the same thing. what is the cut-off age for having a nanny?
also, college nannies are temporary, by semester, no more than 6 months or so. and i think nanny, babysitter, au pair become interchangeable, when clearly theyre not.