In more recent months, the stigma against parents that hire nannies has reared its’ ugly head again. It began with the allegation that Caroline Kennedy withdrew her nomination to take the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton because she failed to pay the nanny tax. It continued with the withdrawal of Nancy Killegrew and Tom Daschle for the same reason. The outcry against these politicians has re-established a long-held stigma against parents that hire nannies - that only the rich and famous hire nannies, and that their failure to pay the nanny tax is symbolic of their attitude that they are better than the rest of us hard-working, poor folk.

There’s been a lot in the news these days about parents that don’t pay the nanny tax. Whether it’s Nancy Killefer or Caroline Kennedy the outcry from many is loud and clear: If they can afford a nanny’s salary then why can’t they pay the nanny tax?!

Nanny-finder websites have become the norm and a widely-used vehicle for parents to find a nanny to care for their children. Full of warm and fuzzy photos of young women playing, feeding and laughing with young children, these websites subtly attempt to appease a parent’s greatest fear – how do they know they can trust this nanny. Will she do right by their child? At the very least, will she not cause harm?