nanny envy

(NAN.nee en.vee)

n.

Feelings of envy directed at one's nanny because of the amount of time she or he gets to spend with one's children; feelings of envy directed at women who have nannies. Also: nanny-envy.

Example Citations:

The financial iniquities of the childcare system and the high cost of nannies, particularly in London, are an exacerbating rather than a definitive factor here. It's a decidedly more personal thing; indeed, nanny-envy can sometimes teeter over into nanny-spite or a visceral nanny-hatred — especially, it would seem, if the nanny is very young and attractive.

— Rod Liddle, "Women who won't," The Spectator, November 29, 2003

Thanks to the subsidy, she could afford to hire a temporary nanny to stay with her baby while she was ill, and Ms. DiCarlo liked the nanny so much that she hired her permanently. "My friends now all have nanny envy," she says. "It really makes my life a lot easier."

— Ritchenya A. Shepherd, "Backup nannies to the rescue," The National Law Journal, August 9, 1999

Earliest Citation:

Many working mothers seem so busy talking about their guilt, ambivalence or nanny envy, they neglect to mention what their husbands, partners and employers should be doing to make their lives easier.

— Rosemary Neill, "The mother of all martyrdoms," The Australian, March 8, 1996

Related Words:

afflufemza

baby-lag

manny

milk brain

nanny bubble

nanny car

nanny-cam

sleep doula

Categories:

Psychology

Lifestyles

Pregnancy and Parenting