I remember vividly the first day that "Dawn" came to our home.我是通过母校的保姆服务找到她的，a prestigious women's college.While many of the Brooklyn mommies I know choose to employ older,more experiencednannies–- Jamaican or Trinidadian no-nonsense ladies who line the park benches at the nearby playgrounds and chat amongst themselves — I had the revolutionary idea to find a college girl–someone who'd be more like a "big sister" to my kids.She would have no problem getting down on the floor to play with them,but could also be someone I wouldn't mind having extended conversations with as we took day trips to the beach and the zoo.
道恩穿着端庄的衣服出现在我家，floral print dress.She was so shy and deferential,I wondered if we'd get along.她在考虑医学预科，我们同情在女子学校找男朋友的危险。一切都很好，直到她和我们在一起的第四天或第五天，when she showed up at my house in what can only be described as a pair of tiny,露臀短靴。道恩向我解释说她刚从运动中回来，but that did little to help me reconcile the presence of purple lycra in my living room.不仅仅是运行shorts,these purple booty shorts actually had ruching up the sides,with strings that tied at the tender place betwixt her gluteus maximus and her no-no zone.
立即，I knew that any complaint about this outfit would paint me as an old,嫉妒的哈格。Of course I didn't want a younger version of myself running around my house half-naked,reminding me that next to her I was like Amy Poehler in贱女— a woman past her prime,trying so hard to be a "cool mom." In reality,I'm happy to be my age,我爱我生下的孩子，我不可能再回到20多岁的时候，even if it would mean fewer grays and higher boobs.
“发送图片！”一个男朋友开玩笑说。"I didn't realize there was now a uniform for babysitting," another male friend chided me.But maybe there should be,我想。突然，I was having a serious "What's the matter withkidstoday" moment.
再一次，一个衣橱里堆满露乳沟的衣服的人真的会叫另一个女人出去穿一件看起来像是免费的衣服吗？Carmen Electra Aerobic Striptease DVD?对，我的女朋友说。这是一份工作，不是社交电话，and I had every right to expect Dawn to come to work in work-appropriate clothes.但我对道恩说这件事的希望使我畏缩。我真的需要告诉一个常春藤联盟教育的女人，带着她的胡哈秀或者从衬衫上掉下来的乳头来上班是不好的吗？提出这个问题的外交途径是什么？"Dawn,I appreciate your celebration of your womanhood,but I think I can see the outline of your labia minora,and that's not working for me."
I wasn't worried that my husband would fall for an up-talking,almost-teenager,但我也不需要为他提供免费的楼层表演。One afternoon,we both watched in awe as Dawn bent over to pick up my son and her bountiful 20-something breasts nearly spilled out of her top."I don't want to see that in my home," my hubs muttered to me later that night.我不必担心他把犹太律法（或伊桑·霍克）强加给我，but I knew that this could not continue.
In the end,我们把紫色的短靴包装好。我想成人的事情应该是坐下来，穿着紧身短裤，向她解释这是一份真正的工作，and that she needed to come dressed in a comfortable and covered-up manner.In the end,I decided that she should have known better.
I tried another保姆from my alma mater's service,下一个是如此内敛，以至于我问她一个直接的问题时她才真正开口。Still,她来面试时穿着一件背心，袖窿剪得很低，我几乎能看到她身上所有的粉红色。lace demi-文胸.Was this a babysitting job or the freakin' Victoria's Secret Fashion Show?我想要一个保姆，她会成为我女儿的好榜样，not teach her how to rock the side-boob.
And so I know that means that I should probably be a mentor to these young women,too.听着，姑娘们，here's my advice: You know how you want to make sure you look good every time you leave the house because you never know when or where you might meet someone?同样的事情也适用于你的职业生涯。Dress in a way that shows respect for your employer.Ask her questions.Google her name.她可能不在你的行业，但我敢打赌她有朋友。成功是困难的，so don't mess up on the things you have control over,like showing up on time or dressing appropriately.(If you're coming to my house,an oversized gray Champion sweat suit works great.)
尽管有些人仍会说我不赞成这件几乎一丝不挂的衣服是因为我自己。insecurities,in the end I decided that what the babysitter wore mattered because one day my daughter is going to be a young lady who dresses herself–and if she gets anyslutty时尚理念，好，我要他们从我这里来。
