A mother playing with her son in Carl Schurz Park (perhaps you remember the location from its star turn in Harriet the Spy?) was disturbed by a nanny's behavior. It seems that the nanny, in playing with her young charge, was too enthusiastic, and the woman was inspired to write in to the blog where people like to bitch about other people's nannies. You know, isawyournanny.blogspot.com? Anyway, the woman basically accused the nanny of being retarded. Nice!

Spotted on several lampposts in the vicinity of the Starbucks at 7th Ave. and Garfield Place in Park Slope.

Recently, Trish Hall, who handles House & Home, Dining and Real Estate at the Times, claimed that, in addition to catering to the super-wealthy, "we also look at less expensive options because it is very important to us to reach a range of readers, those at all income levels and in many geographic regions, with different kinds of tastes and interests." An article in today's House&Home section ought to prove Trish right once and for all. It's about how readers at all income levels—well, okay, just the highest ones, actually—in many geographic regions—of Manhattan—deal with that obnoxious lady who exiles her nanny and crying infant to the hallway of her "glassy new high-rise" so she can shower in peace. "Physical proximity amplifies and distorts the behavior of others, and can make even innocuous activities seem offensive," the report concludes. Well, at least the 15 Guatemalan immigrants sharing a one-bedroom in Bensonhurst can relate to that part.

The first thing you should know about ex-Madonna nanny Melissa Dumas's book proposal, which recently sold and then un-sold to Crown when the smart bunnies at that esteemed publishing house realized that they would rather drink a venti mug of hot lead than deal with Madonna's lawyers, is that it's not like other book proposals. For starters, most book proposals don't have a bizarre clip art montage featuring the iconography from Mary Poppins.

Melissa Dumas may live, but for the moment at least, it appears that she won't be allowed to tell. The former nanny's memoir Live To Tell, about Madge's "home life," which had been announced earlier this week as having sold to Lindsey Moore at Crown Publishing with plans for a crash publication in September, will not go forward. Crown doesn't give a reason for their release of the rights, but an English tabloid speculates that Madonna's lawyers maybe, possibly have something to do with it. Ostensibly, Dumas will be moved to find another buyer for the secrets she has learned, and until then, they will burn inside of her.

Continuing the outsourcing theme with the domestic affairs of our more affluent friends, it hadn't occurred to us to wonder what would happen if nannies themselves started getting selective about whose little bastards they'd deign to wheel around the 'hood in this year's Bugaboo Frogs. Racist irony after the jump.

From Craigslist: