The Nanny Search Gets Brutally Honest on Craigslist

The nanny search can be tough (just check out all the desperate Craigslist ads), but as we all learned in The Nanny Diaries, the nanny job is even tougher. One Upper East Side mother, Rebecca Land Soodak, recently spelled that fact out when she took her search to Craigslist, a move that has now landed her in the NY Times.

Her ad described her four bundles of joy as a pain in her ass, and it got the mommy message boards a brewin' with conversation. She also noted that if the applicant suspects "all wealthy women are frivolous, we are not for you. I do not want to hide my occasional Bergdorf shopping bag.”

Soodak is a painter and writer (she admittedly wouldn't mind a book deal) and is married to the owner of Union Square Wines & Spirits. The couple own the six-story building they reside in, and the lucky winner of the nanny job, Christina Wynn, will get her own studio apartment in it (along with $430/week). According to her Facebook page, the 25-year-old UVa grad has degrees in Psychology and Religious Studies--and her updated job description is: "Keeping track of 4 busy Manhattan kiddos and attending classes in between."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on August 28, 2008 2:29 PM

Comments [rss]

silverdart

This woman needs help(and I DON"T mean nanny-type). Oh, and her "Art" sucks, my kids did better paintings in grade school,in fact, my daughter had one of her paintings displayed in the Worcester Art Museum, when she was 10 years old!

alank

Her painting of the nude little girl is disturbing.

robingee

#5 - no joke! UGH!

1kid2luvinMD

Are you people crazy? What's so wrong with her telling the ugly TRUTH about her life, even if it involves her kids? I guess it's ok to say "my husband is a pain in the azz" but not ok to say that about your kids? How many of you have kids? You mean to HONESTLY tell me that you've never, EVER thought at one time "d@mn, these kids are a pain in the azz?" I'll be willing to bet that at least 85% of your parents did!!!

I have one child and I work with kids all day in an elementary school and believe me when I tell you, kids can very much be a pain in the azz, even if they are yours! Get over yourselves! If you really want a shocker, check out truemomconfessions.com. If it were up to the people on this board, there wouldn't be any people on the planet since all people were pain in the azz kids at one time in their lives!!!!!

Tard

wow, I had to register and comment after reading about this waste of skin. Four kids that you really don't want to have anything to do with. Here is an idea quit your dayjob as a painter because it is on the same level as a high school artist that is just starting to experiment with alcohol. Spend the time connecting with your kids and learning some patience and compassion for others. People like this b!tch make me sick. I hope her kids realize what a pos she is and are nowhere to be found when she is on her deathbed and are caring for their own children the way a good parent does.

schizofriendly

This is the itinerary one's life takes when one's every minute is consumed with the morbid terror of one's own irrelevance.

Troll

She's forty something. It's her new nanny that's 25.

wowthatsucks

25 and 4 kids already

Jerky

She needs to stop having unprotected sex and start eating....

surlybroad

I want to know why this woman has FOUR children. ugh!

NannyState

I wonder how many times she's attempted to exchange her kids at Bergdorf's.."by mistake".

Pull My Finger

If a nanny will not take it in the third input she is not qualified.

dooWOP

I guess trust funds aren't utilized too often out in the Midwest...

mihow

Well, we know what she's not doing when she's not watching her kids, she's not eating.

Troll

Better yet, lets caption those images, Bubba! "Don't cry honey, you were dragged to this adult event and you'll like it! Pretty soon you'll be grown up enough to drown your own kids cries with a glass of wine, too."

Bubba

http://www.rebeccalandsoodak.com/opening.html

Take a look at image 32 and image 33. I think one of the twins is crying...

Bubba

#13:

Is that you Mrs.Soodak????

La Leone

Checklist for those WANTING a to be a cookie cutter member of the idle rich

(Sorry, feeling scathing today...)

-Move to Upper East Side. CHECK. Longest standing symbol of elitism, radically different than other sections of NYC known for diversity on many levels.

-Hire nanny. CHECK. Chances are overwhemlingly so that you are white, so hire a Black, Hispanic or other minority if you're a traditionalist. White nanny if you're a "radical" UESider.

-Obtain country home. CHECK. No if's and's or buts - it's necessary to escape the "hectic" city lifestyle on weekends.

-Give to plenty of charities. CHECK. Hell,

it balances/justifies shopping binges and gives a chance to dress up and socialize @ charity balls.

- Study one of the "Classic Arts" to be well-rounded. CHECK. If you choose to paint make sure your "style" is either classically tradional or seemingly primitive.

-Fight being stereotyped as the person who leads the lifestyle you've chosen for yourself. CHECK.

-Go braless at one's own art open just in case paintings fail to garner enough attention...CHECK. (see link) Priceless!

http://www.rebeccalandsoodak.com/opening.html

I could go on and on but starting to feel guilty...:(

TN

A painter and a writer? If she doesn't have a real job, why doesn't she just take care of her own kids?

Because she's jealous of the single women she sees everyday in the city and secretly wishes she was one of them. At least she can pretend that she's one of them when someone else is taking care of her children. If she was a good painter/writer, she would have a job. What she does is more of a hobby to keep her away from reality and I can't really say I blame her with 4 children.