I too was greatly disturbed by the behavior of the little girl. One thing I noticed that was different from SuperNanny is that Jo will run a commentary, telling the parent what to do and say while the misbehavior is going on. On this nanny 911, the nanny stayed off to one side and even when the child was getting physically abusive, she did not interfere...different styles I guess...

As someone who lost a parent at a young age (I was 15 when my mother died unexpectadly and out of the blue from cancer and I was joined to her at the hip my whole life) I couldn't believe that little girl.

If I would have tried for one minute to act like that towards my dad he would have turned me over on his knee and let me have it! The reason she did this is because she COULD!

A child can only go as far as we let them go. The mother was thrust into this role because she never did dicipline before.

I guess I was lucky. My father was the diciplinarion but he was also very loving. Even though my mom was the nurturer of the house, my dad always told us kids he loved us, played with us, always knew how to have fun with us.

I remember after she died and all the relatives and friends had all gone, he told me "well, it's just you and me now." That made such a difference because we were able to talk about her, cry, reminice, whatever we wanted together.

I only hope that more parents will learn how to be both loving and strict at the same time.

As far as a reply to an earlier post about the mom trying to talk to the girl instead of just listening and holding her being wrong. That's really not fair. It's almost impossible to know what to do to help someone grief-stricken. Everyone reacts differently when something like this happens. I turned to an emotional wreck and still to this day, love to remember all the things my mom did with me when I was a kid. My brother was the opposite. He lashed out and was extremely angry. That night some friends had to hold him down because he wanted to go out and kill someone because it wasn't fair that there were murderers on the streets but his mother was gone. Then my older sister who was married and had a child at this point took on the "motherly role" and tried to be strong in front of me. Now that I'm a grown adult and married she's finally able to cry with me about mom but while I was a kid she just wasn't able to do that in front of me.

So no, I do not think that the mom was wrong, she was just trying to do the best she could. However, when that little girl almost pushed her down the stairs I could not believe that Nanny Deb didn't step in. The mother could have been killed and then she would have been an orphan...

--Donna :~)

I saw this one and I said that is just rude. If I were the parent it would be No TV, No NOTHING until that attitude is changed. I would take away all their toys and put it an unidsclosed location and tell them you'll get it whenn you change your attitude. I bet that would do it. They would have No toys for a whole week and after that week I would add one thing if they acted good but if they did a tantrum it would be back to one week without everything.

Donna, I was thinking about what you said in response to what I had posted and I realized (and really did already know it) that there is no "one right way" to respond to grief. It's just too easy to be the armchair quarterback, so to speak, and that's what my comment really was. (kind of like knowing all the answers when you're watching a game show at home without all the pressure) And I can see how if the mom is struggling with her grief plus the behavior of her kids that she would maybe not quite know how to deal with her daughter's drastic changes in mood and behavior. (which are natural in kids dealing with grief or really anything in life!)

Funny how people can watch the same thing and have a completely different interpretation. Most of the fathers seem to want to help but are unsure how to help, and when they do are often criticized. The nannies presence often seems to liberate the fathers, as they always seem more willing to go along with what they(the nannies) are suggesting than the mothers.

DRONES

I've noticed that about the fathers too. It seems they are usually the most reluctant at first but once they realize it works they jump in full force and really make a change. It amazes me how many times it is the mother who wanted to call and then she is the most resistent. I guess it's hard to have someone coming into your house telling you what you are doing wrong, even if you know what they are saying is true, but I have a smaller amount of sympathy since they invited the advice.

I must say that it is encouraging to see the fathers getting more involved with their kids. You really do need to have both parents involved instead of one doing it all and the other just hanging around. And having someone to back you up makes it so much better!