Before I became an editor for Odyssey, I was stuck in a rut of cultural normativity. I come from an upper-class, privileged family who raised me with westernized ethics and traditionally patriarchal values. As I continue to progress as a writer, and as an editor, I'm learning that my values are a reflection of the class differences we've created as a society. It's interesting to see how how our collective opinions/upbringing differ so dramatically, but also how our stories can come together to offer perspective, honesty, and start conversations.

"Look at me, mo-" I paused, grimacing sheepishly. "I mean, Nanny Stacy."

Nanny Stacy smiled back at me, taking my hand and leading me through the gates of Disney World. I was—finally—almost as tall as the ticket counter. I was attempting to demonstrate my tremendous growth in height when I almost called her the forbidden motherly cognomen. I had a feeling she had grown used to it.

She was nanny number two or three. I don't really know how many nannies I had growing up, but I know it was more than four. I possibly had six, maybe even seven. Nanny Stacy was the only one I remember by name. The rest I identified by memorable facial features, like Big Eyes or Mean Face; The latter was named this based on her inherent lack of friendliness. Well, that and I didn't know how to say "b*tch" at that age.

Growing up, there was a culture embedded in my Orlando suburbia that I referred to as Stepford Nannies. They were a band of women dedicated to rearing the youth of the crème de la crème, divided into factions based on how long they'd been nannying. The longer their service, the more serious they were taken in the social cliques. In retrospect, it was quite funny; no wonder there are reality TV shows about nannies and their respective youths.

A lot of people remain skeptical about the practice of nannies. On one side, nannies allow the child to grow accustomed to a home setting and have the constant companionship of a caregiver. This allows parents to have active lives, not worry about the politics of drop-offs, pick-ups, school time and playdates, and allow time for parent-child bonding at the end of the work day.

Nanny care is also very risky. According to anthropologist Sarah Hrdy, not only is it unsupervised, which leaves room for significant error in regards to child management and medical care, but it is incredibly expensive. Additionally, it can cause a significant rift in the parent-child relationship because parents are not allotted the proper amount of bonding time with their children.

Alloparenting, the anthropological concept of systematic parenting through individuals both in and outside the biological caregivers, has been extremely successful in both human and primate parental hierarchies. These individuals, or "alloparents," are typically comprised of blood-relatives or caregivers. Although this may seem like a foreign and relatively ridiculous notion in the context of our heteronormative, westernized parenting styles, this system has been successful.

"Mothers able to confidently entrust helpless offspring to group mates’ care conserve energy, stay better nourished, and remain safer from predators and other hazards, leading longer lives with greater reproductive success," says Hrdy. "Because mammal mothers that have aid also wean babies sooner, many reproduce again sooner, and so give birth to a greater number of young over their lifetimes. More important, the extra help ensures the young have a better chance of survival."

So what does this mean about nannies? The cultural practice of alloparenting has been successful within the familial constructs of the Eastern Hemisphere, but nannying has been branded with the social taboo stamp by the stay-at-home mothers of America.

Furthermore, nannies are a considered a class privilege in westernized culture. They are considered a parent replacement, an outlet for money spending. People see nannying as a taboo practice because they prefer traditional parenting methods within the stereotypical nuclear family model as opposed to alloparenting. In Eastern cultures, nannies, or as they call them, "alloparents", are seen as a cultural norm; a practice that's beneficial to their culture.

The impetus for this conceptualized social practice of alloparenting, mostly found in traditional African societies like Efe, is best exemplified by the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child." In these third-world societies, infant mortality rates rest at a disheartening 40 percent. Alloparent presence "cuts the chance of dying during childhood in half," according to anthropologist James F. O’Connell.

Given that, in our culture, infant mortality rates and resources are within a considerable margin of control, using alloparents to reduce risk and hazard of children is not necessary. As such, in our society, we place significant emphasis on the mother-child relationship. Grandparents, siblings, and maternal relatives are seen as a desired additive to this maternal relationship, but too much interference is often seen as a sign of negligence. Why is that? Why have we created a culture that stigmatizes the presence of supplementary relationships during infancy?

I have amazing memories with Nanny Stacy. I loved Nanny Stacy. My experience with her was one of joyous laughter and patient care. She gave me the attention I needed while simultaneously giving my mother and father space to run their respective businesses. We went to theme parks, play dates, parties, and day care events.

However, there are drawbacks to this form of nurturing; I have pictures around my current home of my parents and I embarking on various adventures. I only remember one or two of them. I don't have a discernible memory of my parents before age 6 or 7.

With that in mind, I have a wonderful relationship with my parents at this point in my life. We talk multiple times a week, and my dad is my best friend. So did their lack of involvement early-on impact my emotional development in a negative way? Introspectively, no. I'm successful, and I have meaningful relationships with those I consider important to me. Extrinsically? I don't know.

I cannot say whether or not I consider the alloparenting— or nannying— caregiving method effective. However, it seems like I, and the children brought up by a similar method, were all the better for it.