Apartment Quote by Leila Slimani
“A nanny is a woman who lives in an apartment, but the apartment is not her own. She raises children, teaches them how to walk, how to speak; she gives them food - but these children are not her children. So she is in a very ambiguous place.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Perfect Nanny, 2010
A nanny’s role is intimate yet ambiguous, caring for children not her own
In simple terms: Nannies love and teach children but aren’t parents
Key Takeaway
Recognize the emotional complexity of caregiving
Themes
caregiving
boundaries
identity
Mood
empathetic
reflective
Type
social
ethical
When to use this quote
- household employment
- parent‑nanny negotiations
- child development
- ethical dilemmas
Key Concepts
emotional labor
family dynamics
social class
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance professional duty with personal attachment?
- What boundaries protect both caregiver and child?
A Different Perspective
Nannies may lack legal rights and recognition
![“My father would never have come to visit, he detested Eva's [Braun] choice in a man and the fact [Adolf] Hitler had set her up in an apartment. To him it was deeply humiliating that she was living with a man at his own whim at an apartment he was paying for.” quote by Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2a7/gretl-braun-9500_apartment_my-father-would-never-have-come-to-visit_40016.jpg)
![“For instance, [Adolf Hitler] would never have spent the night at the Widenmayerstraße apartment. He visited it before we moved the furniture in, he visited maybe 4 times afterwards and he never spent the entire night.” quote by Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3c6/gretl-braun-9500_apartment_for-instance-adolf-hitler-would-never-ha_54634.jpg)