Timothy McSweeney's Header Image

RESPONSES
IN AN INTERVIEW
FOR A NANNY POSITION
THAT WILL ALMOST
CERTAINLY SINK YOUR
CHANCES OF GETTING
THE JOB.

BY JAY DYCKMAN

- - - -

"Drawback? Hardly. Bipolar disorder is like getting two nannies for the price of one."

- - - -

"Yes, of course, teaching proper conflict-avoidance and resolution techniques is imperative to any proper upbringing and is of foremost importance in my approach. My own personal method? Well, certain studies have found—huh? No, I don't remember their names. Certain studies have found that long afternoons in front of the television watching People's Court more than accomplishes these goals. I mean, you saw last Friday's show, right? That skank Tanya is such a liar. She knows her roommate Nancy would never have intentionally left that aromatherapy candle burning on her dinette set had there been any risk of charring. And that receipt didn't prove jack."

- - - -

"I think bilingual education can never start early enough. A young child's mind is like a sponge. So recreational time will be conducted in both English and Klingon."

- - - -

"I personally favor the French view that it is a mark of cultural sophistication for young children to imbibe wine. And I hate to drink alone."

- - - -

"Look, I don't want to quibble over this. Take my word, narcolepsy is fully protected by the ADA. Besides, I highly doubt other nannies could provide similar spontaneous opportunities for your child to apply real-life survival tactics."

- - - -

"Six kids? Oh, not at all. I prefer large families. That was the problem with my last family, the Jenkinses. They only had three kids. Yeah, we barely cleared 50 bucks a day. Apparently, most subway riders are turned off when parts have to be repeated. And, frankly, no one was buying Tiffany Jenkins as both Liesl and Gretl von Trapp. Man, what a disappointment that one was. Any fool would know it's 'auf Wiedersehen, goodnight,' not 'off easy days, goodnight.' We worked on it for hours and she still butchered it. Oh, on that note, how many of yours are blonds?"

- - - -

"I completely agree. Exposure to a variety of cultures is very important. And that's why I'm a fan of the OTB. It's diverse, but never in that pretentious, look-at-me kind of way."

- - - -

"I've explained this several times. The shaking was part of the game. The telling was not."

- - - -

"At-home productions of classical theater are really a trademark of mine. I firmly believe every child should be exposed to the genius of Shakespeare. Which, of course, made that incident with the Moore family just so unfortunate. Well, between you and me, I think the Moores are just a little slow, if you know what I mean. Everyone knows that boys played the girl roles in traditional Elizabethan theater. And, oh, the cheekbones on little Bobby Moore. A stunning Juliet, really."

- - - -

OTHER McSWEENEY'S FEATURES:

- - - -

Responses in an Interview for a Nanny Position That Will Almost Certainly Sink Your Chances of Getting the Job By Jay Dyckman
Now I Question Everything
Don't Read This or You Might Get Poked in the Eye With a Dagger By Darby Larson
Covering Teen Wolf: One Coach's Guide By Pasha Malla
Alternate Endings to Famous Literary Works as Written by a 15-Year-Old With a Grudge By Paul Krumholz

- - - -

MAIN PAGE   |   ARCHIVES

 

Memories of Amanda Davis

 


Red dot denotes content that is new today.

Black dot denotes newish content.

McSWEENEY'S STORE

SUBSCRIBE TO:
McSWEENEY'S
THE BELIEVER
WHOLPHIN

FUTURE McSWEENEY'S BOOKS

THE AMANDA DAVIS HIGHWIRE FICTION AWARD

INVITE A McSWEENEY'S AUTHOR TO SPEAK IN YOUR TOWN OR COLLEGE

McSWEENEY'S MONTHLY MAILING LIST

McSWEENEY'S-RELATED EVENTS AND VARIOUS TOUR DATES

ORDER INQUIRIES AND ADDRESS CHANGES

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
FOR BOOKS
FOR THE QUARTERLY
FOR THE WEBSITE
FOR WHOLPHIN

McSWEENEY'S INTERNSHIPS

CONTACT US

- - - -

LETTERS TO McSWEENEY'S

LISTS

McSWEENEY'S PREDICTS

McSWEENEY'S RECOMMENDS

NEW WHOLPHIN FILM

DAN LIEBERT, VERBAL CARTOONIST

JOKES BY BRIAN BEATTY

REVIEWS OF NEW FOOD

DISPATCHES FROM MOSCOW

SO YOU WANT TO BE PRESIDENT?

DISPATCHES FROM THE ANACOSTIA

THE WINNER'S CIRCLE WITH ERIC FEEZELL

BEN GREENMAN'S FAKE CELEBRITY MUSICALS

DISPATCHES FROM A HUMANITARIAN JOURNALIST

DISPATCHES FROM IRAQ

SHORT IMAGINED MONOLOGUES

PHILIP GRAHAM SPENDS A YEAR IN LISBON

STAINED TEETH: A COLUMN ABOUT WINE

DISPATCHES FROM THE NAPOLEONIC WARS AT THE MET

KEVIN DOLGIN TELLS YOU ABOUT PLACES YOU SHOULD GO IN EUROPE

SONGS OF ENEMIES AND DESERTS: LIVING WITH THE SUDAN LIBERATION ARMY

LAWRENCE WESCHLER'S EVERYTHING THAT RISES: A BOOK OF CONVERGENCES

THE CONVERGENCES CONTEST

ABOUT WHAT IS THE WHAT

ABOUT BOWL OF CHERRIES

ABOUT COMEDY BY THE NUMBERS

ABOUT JOHN BRANDON'S ARKANSAS

LETTERS FROM AN EARTH BALL TO, OR CONCERNING, SEAN HANNITY

DISPATCHES FROM ADJUNCT FACULTY AT A LARGE STATE UNIVERSITY

ADVICE FROM A PERSON WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY

DISPATCHES FROM THE NBA ENTERTAINMENT LEAGUE

JOHN MOE'S POP-SONG CORRESPONDENCES

B.R. COHEN'S ANNALS OF SCIENCE

INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE INTERESTING OR UNUSUAL JOBS

OPEN LETTERS TO PEOPLE OR ENTITIES WHO ARE UNLIKELY TO RESPOND

DISPATCHES FROM A PUBLIC LIBRARIAN

MICHAEL IAN BLACK IS A VERY FAMOUS CELEBRITY

DISPATCHES FROM ROY KESEY, AN AMERICAN GUY MARRIED TO
A PERUVIAN DIPLOMAT LIVING IN CHINA


STEPHEN ELLIOTT'S POKER REPORT

- - - -

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL