Mom Installs CCTV to Test Nanny after Noticing Bruises on Children – Story of the Day

Lina was a devoted mother to her little son and baby daughter and didn't want to leave them alone with a nanny. But circumstances forced her to do otherwise, and she never imagined she'd return home one day to find bruises on her children...

It was a bright Sunday morning, and Lina was sipping tea on her front porch while her husband, Tod, was working in the garage. With the pleasant weather and birds chirping merrily in the skies, everything seemed perfect with the outside world, but Lina's heart was anxious, possessing every other fear that a mother's heart could.

Lina had taken a break from work after her first pregnancy and was supposed to return to her job now. She adored her children as any mother would, but she didn't want to let go of her brilliant career. When she discussed that with Tod, he suggested they hire a nanny.

But Lina didn't want that. She knew their son, Jeremy, could be a handful at times, and May was... so small and young! Lina's heart skipped a beat every time she considered leaving her children in the care of a stranger, a nanny.

She was almost sure she would put her career on hold for the sake of her children. But one fateful day changed everything when they hired Bella, a young woman, as their children's nanny...

"Tod, the kids are very young and need me. I can give up the job," Lina had told Tod a week ago when they were discussing hiring a nanny.

"Come on, Lina," Tod had said. "I know you love your job. I appreciate your concern for our children, but Jeremy is a big boy and doesn't need his momma all the time! He's four!"

"And what about May? She's only two, hun. Leaving them with a nanny… I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"Look, Lina, I don't want you to be one of those women who give up their dreams for the sake of their husband and children… You get what I mean, right?"

"Tod! I'm a mother now! I'm more than just a woman who, well, cares about her career…"

Even Lina knew how she was lying to herself when she said that. She had always been a very ambitious woman who wanted to do much more in life than just raising her children. She wanted to make a name for herself.

But the kids arrived sooner than she and Tod had planned, and her motherly instincts wouldn't let her think about anything but the children. Besides, Jeremy and May were very mischievous, and she had to always be after them.

"Look, Lina," Tod had finally said. "I can't force you to return to work, but I'd like you to reconsider. So many families hire nannies, and the person will not be a complete stranger, honestly! We'll have their ID and any other information we need."

Being a mother is the most demanding job in the world that requires undivided attention.

Lina thought it over for the next few days, and the idea didn't seem bad to her. Maybe Tod is right. The kids will be OK. I'm just overthinking. We'll hire someone trustworthy. So many people hire nannies…

After contacting a few agencies and reviewing more than thirty profiles, Tod and Lina chose Bella's profile. She lived nearby, and they thought they could call her on short notice if such a situation arrived.

Bella visited Lina and Tod's house one Saturday morning. She was a brunette with beautiful blue eyes and a strange, charming smile, which made Lina uncomfortable, but she brushed it off as a product of her overthinking brain.

"Wonderful home," Bella said, extending her hand to Lina and then to Tod. "It's a pleasure to work for you, Mr. and Mrs. Woods."

"Nice to meet you, Bella," Lina said, forcing a smile. "Would you like to meet the kids?"

"Oh! That's why I'm here!" She grinned. "You have twin daughters, right?"

Lina and Tod fell silent.

"A girl and a boy," Lina said finally. "Two kids, yes, but a son and a daughter."

"Oh, how silly of me! I thought you had twin daughters!" Bella exclaimed. "I went to too many houses in the past few days and got confused."

"Oh, well, I... we think it's OK," Tod laughed, easing the tension in the room. "They're up there. Please follow me."

Lina stood there watching as Bella and Tod went upstairs to the kids.

What kind of a nanny is she?

How can you get mixed up with that kind of information? Can I trust her enough? I don't think this is right! I don't think she is right!

Lina's heart shuddered when she left for work on Monday, leaving the kids all alone with Bella. "Have a wonderful day, Mommy!" Bella waved goodbye from the front porch, May in her arms and Jeremy standing beside her.

"Have a great day, Bella! See you soon, kids! Don't trouble Bella too much, alright?" she said before she settled in her car and drove away.

On the way to her office and even at work, Lina couldn't take her children off her mind. Is Bella taking good care of them? What if she forgets about Jemery's meds? She didn't even remember I had a son and daughter, not twin daughters!

Lina's heart wouldn't stop racing until she knew her children were safe, so she called Bella every fifteen minutes to see if they were OK.

"Jeremy is allergic to dust, Bella," Lina explained over the phone. "Please don't take him to the playground, no matter how much he begs and cries! I'm sure he'll do something like that!"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Woods; it's all fine here. Jeremy and May are the loveliest children I've ever babysat. They are great kids, and everything is perfect!"

Great kids? thought Bella as she hung up the phone. My children love troubling me! Jeremy is so hyperactive that I thought he had a problem! Is she lying? Is Bella faking it and not looking after my kids? I told Tod this was a terrible idea!

A week passed. Lina could never fully trust Bella, but the kids were OK whenever she returned home. It seemed like Bella was a good nanny despite her silly memory problems and excessive praise for the children that Linda found hard to digest.

Was a storm about to arrive soon?

One day, Lina came home from work and went straight to see the children. She saw they were playing with their toys.

"Kids! Mommy's home!" she said, hugging them. That's when Linda noticed the bruise on Jemery's knee.

"What happened to you, hun? How did you get that?" she asked worriedly, looking at the bruise.

"Mommy, I…"

"Are you OK, May?" Lina's panicked and worried eyes checked May, and she noticed bruises on May's elbow.

"What happened, Jeremy? Did… Bella do this? DID SHE HURT YOU AND YOUR SISTER?"

"NO! Mommy… no… no," Jeremy stammered. "We… we fell, mommy! Yes, we fell while playing. Bella didn't hurt us!"

Something inside Lina's heart told her Jeremy was lying. Was Bella forcing the kids to lie? That night, Lina told Tod she wanted to fire Bella.

"I don't want her near my kids!" Lina fumed. "She's hurting our children, Tod! I saw bruises on Jeremy's knee, and she also hurt May!"

There is sometimes more to things than the eyes can see.

"What nonsense!" cried Tod. "How dare she touch our children?"

"Well... Jemery claims he and Bella tripped while playing. Can you believe that? They're covering for her!"

Tod fell silent, his arms crossed across his chest.

"What?" asked Lina. "Aren't you angry? She's forcing our children to lie!"

"Stop overthinking, honey," said Tod. "They could've been playing when they fell! You're casting unnecessary doubt on her!"

"Are you serious, Tod? You believe her but not what I'm saying?"

"Why would the kids cover for her?" asked Tod. "Just why?"

"Maybe she forced them? Maybe she threatened them?"

Lina was adamant that Bella was harming their children, but Tod didn't believe her. So what Lina did the next day was install CCTVs all over the house without telling anyone.

Tod had left for his office early, and the children were asleep then. Lina asked Bella to come over later that day and got the cameras installed. After all, she couldn't just let Bella hurt her children.

I will expose that woman! How dare she hurt my babies?

Tod will regret doing this! How could he not believe me?

Once Bella was there, Lina told her to look after the children, settled in her car, and went off to work. At her office, she switched on the camera footage on her iPad and began watching it.

She saw Bella playing with the kids and helping them with coloring... nothing out of the ordinary yet. Lina kept watching the footage, and around 4 p.m., she noticed Bella taking the kids upstairs to her and Tod's bedroom.

"What is she even doing?" Lina's hand went to her mouth in shock as she watched the footage further.

"Jesus! Is that what she's been up to behind my back?"

Lina couldn't believe her eyes. She rushed home after informing her boss of a family emergency. When she arrived, she ran upstairs to her bedroom and started crying.

"I'm so sorry, kids," she sobbed. "I'm sorry."

"Mrs. Woods, you're early today!" said Bella. "Oh no, we—we didn't want you to know…"

It turned out Bella was a dance teacher in the past and was teaching the kids to dance so they could surprise Lina on her birthday, which was only a week away. The kids had stumbled and fallen while dancing, hence, the bruises.

Bella had to take the children to Tod and Lina's bedroom because the music player was in their room. And Bella, Tod, and even the kids were in the plan together, but thanks to Lina's super anxious brain, she ruined the surprise for herself.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Lina said. "I suspected you. I shouldn't have… I installed cameras over the house because I thought you… you were hurting my children. I felt so embarrassed after watching the footage… I had to rush home! I was so stupid! I’m sorry!"

"Mommy! This was a surprise! You ruined it," Jemery said sadly.

"Oh well, it's not completely ruined!" laughed Bella. "We can still surprise her, kids! Let's not reveal our dance moves to Mommy, OK?"

Lina felt so embarrassed. She apologized to Bella again, who said she didn't mind any of it.

"If I were in your shoes, Mrs. Woods," she said, "I'd be equally worried. Being a mother is quite a job, isn't it?"

"Tell me about it!" said Lina shyly.

A week later, the kids finally showed their performance to Lina, who cried after watching it. The family and Bella ate lots of cake, too, laughed, and shed happy tears. And Lina realized she couldn't have found a better babysitter than Bella.

What can we learn from this story?

• There is sometimes more to things than the eyes can see. Lina was worried that Bella would be a lousy nanny for her children, but when she saw the truth, she realized how wrong she was.
• Being a mother is the most demanding job in the world that requires undivided attention. Lina was so concerned about her children that she had to install CCTV cameras all over the house.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who installed a baby monitor in her son's room and got scared when she saw a movement there.

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