NARRATOR: They're every
parent's worst nightmare.
[bleep]
NARRATOR: Kids,
completely out of control
and taking over the household.
These families have reached
the end of the rope.
They're in desperate
need of help.
No, I'm not!
Yeah!
NARRATOR: They only have
one alternative left.
It's time to dial "Nanny 911."
Hello, this is "Nanny 911."
NARRATOR: We've gathered a
team of world class nannies
from all over the globe.
Each week, from Nanny
Central, they will watch
a video of a family in crisis.
Ah!
NARRATOR: --and decide which
nanny is best suited to help.
They will then have one week to
take our families from living
hell to a family bliss.
Not once did these
children get praised.
They do say thank you.
You can ask them.
NARRATOR: Can these
families be saved?
You called me to come
fix your family problems,
but if you think you can do
a better job, get on with it.
Get in that bed
now, and stay there.
NARRATOR: Parents of
America, help is on the way.
How are you?
NARRATOR: Tonight--
Ow!
NARRATOR: --Laura
and Chris King have
lost control of their court.
[bleep]
NARRATOR: Stay-at-home,
mom, and chiropractor, dad,
can't keep their five
foul-mouthed kids in line.
[bleep]
Stop.
NARRATOR: Can Nanny Stella
give this family a royal flush?
Till you two work this
out, I can't help you.
NARRATOR: It's King of the hill.
The anger comes
from me not being
able to get a damn
word in edgewise
without you jumping on me.
Give me my stuff back!
Give me my life back.
It's mine.
I'm done.
NARRATOR: Tonight,
on "Nanny 911".
[theme music]
Get me a different sock!
Mommy!
Ow.
Ow.
Ow.
Whoa.
My name is Laura King.
I am a stay-at-home mother
of five demon-seed children.
Chris.
My name is Chris King.
I'm a doctor of chiropractic.
The kids drive us insane.
[screaming]
They're overwhelming us.
Ow!
We have three
dogs, three cats--
Conner.
--two rabbits, and five
out-of-control children.
We wanted to have six, but
that's never going to happen.
First, was Danielle,
my pride and joy.
She's the master tattletale.
Chris, he turned the TV
off, and he's hurting me.
She tells on herself.
She's such an informer.
LAURA: Christopher
is our six-year-old,
and we call him the destroyer.
Wherever Christopher
is, there is trouble.
When Chris walks into a room,
it can go from total relaxation
to total chaos--
I want my stuff.
--in two seconds flat.
You're going to
punch me in the face?
Christopher is a big problem.
I want you to--
He doesn't listen
he'll scream, ah!
Ah.
He's trouble.
CHRIS: Courtney is
my second daughter,
and we call her the screamer.
[screaming]
Courtney has a very bad mouth.
Go big [bleep].
She sounds worse
than a sailor.
Let me go, you stupid
[bleep] going to get money.
What?
She tells me I'm garbage.
Let me go, you
piece of garbage.
It's very shocking.
LAURA: Conner is two, and
we call him the copycat.
Ha!
Ha!
Conner is being
trained by Christopher.
Ha!
Ha!
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's Katie's bottle, mister.
He's a bottle hog.
That one is Katie's.
Can I have that back?
No.
He'll steal them from
wherever he can find them.
Katie is one-year-old.
Conner is definitely
jealous of Katie.
Don't Conner.
Get off of her.
If I put her on the floor,
she's getting k*lled.
CHRIS: Dry cleaning.
Grocery shopping.
I'm not doing that
all today, Chris.
That is the real Chris.
He thinks I can grocery
shop with all five kids,
and he'll say, I
don't understand
what the big deal is.
You want me to take all
five of them to the store?
Have you ever taken
even one to the store?
CHRIS: I've taken
as many as two.
I absolutely expect Laura
to take care of the kids.
That's all she does.
It is.
Chris definitely
is a chauvinist pig.
Do you have to ask?
When she starts
to b*at up on me,
I just say, yeah, you're fat.
Well, no wonder
you can't breathe.
Look at the size of that belly.
That stops her
dead in her tracks.
LAURA: I used to be
thin, which is also
a major issue in our marriage.
It's not what I bought.
LAURA: It bothered me terribly
at first that he was like this.
And I kind of have
just gotten used to it.
Laura, give me some
butter, please, some milk.
Calling Nanny 911 is a
last-ditch attempt for me
to get my life in control.
I'm done.
OK?
She's at her wit's end.
No!
No, get away from me.
LAURA: I definitely
need things to change.
I can't keep going at this pace.
I won't make it.
So I want you to
head up to your bed.
The kids treat me horribly.
Get your butt off of me.
I feel like more like a
maid, like a sl*ve to them.
I'm thirsty.
I wish Laura would
get it under control.
It's OK.
Listen.
It's OK.
We'll get--
I'm just sick of it.
Like, I'm really,
really sick of it.
Ow.
I don't think it's funny.
Do you want me to
start getting mean?
I'm sick and tired
of my husband.
Is Courtney laughing
at your fat belly?
I'm sick and tired of my kids.
No.
I'm sick and
tired of everybody.
Ow.
Ow.
[screaming]
Ow.
Biting me.
Don't you hit me.
Do you hear me?
Courtney.
COURTNEY: Let me go.
[screaming]
What did you think, ladies?
That poor mother is
completely overwhelmed,
and she gets no help
from her husband.
Dad could use a wake-up
call, and if you send me,
that's just what he'll get.
Did you hear
those foul mouths?
Those children need an R rating.
Mm-hmm.
I've chosen Nanny
Stella for this family.
Her old-school approach
to no-nonsense nannying
is just what this family needs.
STELLA: It has come
to my attention
that the King family
have some problems.
Mom Laura is overwhelmed
by her five kids
and has lost all
control over her house.
Conner, get off of her.
Hey.
Let me go.
STELLA: Dad Chris calls
himself king of the Kings,
but his old-world values
are no longer of any use
to his lost subjects.
CHRIS: Eat.
Turn around and eat.
I'm tired of it.
STELLA: It certainly sounds like
a most trying week lies ahead.
By the time I leave,
the King family
are going to be treating
each other like royalty.
COURTNEY: [screaming]
Laura, I think
someone is at the door.
Someone's at the door!
All right.
I'm getting it.
I think the nanny is here.
Let's see who's here.
STELLA: Hello.
- Hi.
How are you?
STELLA: Good, thank you.
I'm Laura King.
Nice to meet you.
- I'm Nanny Stella.
- Glad you're here.
- Thank you.
- I'm sorry.
- Hello, Nanny.
- Hello.
- I'm Chris.
- No, Sandy.
- Nice to meet you.
- Good to meet you too.
When I first saw the nanny
come in, I just froze.
I was paralyzed.
I just had no idea what I'd
really gotten myself into.
STELLA: So let me tell
you what happens, OK?
Basically, what I do
is, I just observe
and I sit and I
take notes and see
how you interact as a family.
LAURA: OK.
So you guys can just
go ahead and go play.
The nanny is just
going to watch.
Oh, yeah.
LAURA: No.
You can do what
you normally do,
but I'd appreciate it
if you didn't scream.
COURTNEY: [screaming]
STELLA: The first thing I
notice is the noise level.
Where are the parents?
[screaming]
Oh, you think you like me?
Oh.
[screaming]
STELLA: I didn't feel like
I'd stepped into a family.
I felt like I was at
an outing at the zoo.
[shouting]
No.
Oh, I'm sorry.
STELLA: Conner is
still on a bottle,
and I personally believe
he's too old for a bottle.
No bottle, OK?
Let's go sit and
eat your breakfast.
Come on.
That's a cry for attention
to still be a baby,
because now Katie is the baby.
Conner, you have
to eat something, OK?
No more baba.
STELLA: I can't believe
Courtney actually
spanked her little brother.
LAURA: You want to
sit in time out?
Come here.
COURTNEY: Get your butt off me.
STELLA: And when mom tries
to put her in time out,
Courtney swears at her.
Let go, you big [bleep].
STELLA: I'm appalled
at the language
that I've heard in the house.
You are a piece of garbage.
STELLA: These kids have
absolutely no respect
for their mother,
and they're obviously
getting it from somewhere.
Was Courtney laughing
at your fat belly?
You blah.
You blah.
Do you want the
hamster to get hurt?
No.
STELLA: I was sitting on
the couch with Courtney,
and all of a sudden,
out of nowhere, I heard.
Ew.
What did she say?
She was talking
about Bear, the rat.
Oh.
She called it a vag*na.
That vag*na?
Yeah.
Oh, that's beautiful.
STELLA: These children's words
are extremely inappropriate,
but what's far more
troubling than their words
are their actions.
No.
No.
Daddy!
CHRIS: I'm looking.
Stop it.
Let go.
Cut it out.
STELLA: These kids
are constantly
b*ating up on each
other and playing rough.
You do not.
STELLA: This makes for a totally
dangerous home environment.
Danielle already
has a broken arm.
If these parents don't start
taking control of their kids,
their problems are going
to get much, much worse.
It was lunchtime, and
the children needed
to be sitting at the table.
Mom had her hands full
trying to prepare lunch.
Go sit at the-- son,
go sit at the table.
Yeah?
I want these guys
eating at the table, OK?
STELLA: He was laying
sprawled out on the couch.
He didn't move.
He didn't help.
He just shouted his commands.
As the head of the house, that
just gives me global control.
I'm the overseer of everything.
I don't want you eating in here.
Both of you.
I get to sit back and watch
and make sure everything's done
the way I like things done.
Sit in, please.
No.
LAURA: Christopher.
STELLA: Chris Junior
was acting up.
Christopher.
Ow.
We don't hit.
STELLA: So dad took matters
into his own hands, literally.
I'll bother you.
STELLA: He pinched him.
CHRIS: You're not going.
Yes, I am.
LAURA: What did you
do now, pinch him?
CHRIS: Sit down.
LAURA: Come here.
Chris.
Hey, Chris.
Chris, can you come back
for a minute, please?
CHRIS: I gave him
a little pinch,
and Nanny Stella gave me a
very evil look, like I'd done
the worst thing in the world.
STELLA: I cannot stand by
and watch this any longer.
Hey, Chris.
STELLA: Time for Nanny
Stella to go hands on.
Hey, can I just
ask you something?
You're not in trouble.
Why did you leave
the table like that?
Did your dad pinch you?
Yes.
He pinched you, and that's why
you left, because Daddy pinched
you when nobody was looking?
Yes.
OK.
OK.
Well, will you do me a favor?
Can you come back to the table?
- OK.
- Thank you.
Can you finish your lunch?
- Yeah.
OK, that's a good idea.
Let's go.
When Chris came back to the
table, instead of apologizing,
his father antagonized him.
You going to be good?
LAURA: He's going to eat now.
I want you to understand this.
What?
I did not hit
him, I pinched him,
but these kids call it
hitting all the time,
and it's not hitting.
Of course, it's pinching--
LAURA: But it's the same thing.
You understand what I'm saying?
- No, it's not.
LAURA: It's no better
if they pull your hair
and then you pull their
hair back, that is
like acting like a child.
OK?
It's not hitting.
You're not a child.
You're 45 years old.
STELLA: This King's castle
needs a royal flush.
It's only halfway
through the day,
but I can already see
this family is in crisis.
It's time to sit down
with the parents.
Chris, Laura, can I have
a minute with you, please?
Basically, I've seen enough,
and I've certainly heard enough.
Let me go, you big [bleep].
You can't expect them not
to say all that profanity
if they're hearing it from you.
I know I definitely can
curse with the best of them.
Is he the only
one who does it?
Do you never swear?
No, I do swear on occasion.
I'm guilty.
STELLA: I admired
Chris and Laura
for telling me the truth,
that the curse words
originate with them.
I'm very nervous
about the safety
of the children in the
house and from each other.
You both have to
work together to get
this family situation in hand.
I'm off to make my plan.
I will be back.
LAURA: When Nanny
started talking
about the danger in the
house, Chris had no idea
what she was talking about.
It had completely gone over his
head like a lot of things do.
What did she
mean by dangerous?
That bothers me.
You don't see that, do you?
Kids will be kids.
Yeah, but you already have
a daughter with a broken arm,
so that's not OK.
On your watch.
STELLA: After a
day of observation,
the problems in the
King family are clear.
There is no respect in
this house, whatsoever.
So today, I'm giving the
family their own set of rules.
OK, this is my
special Nanny book.
OK?
These are the Nanny
rules that I've
written up for the King family.
This is a really
good one, no hitting.
Ow.
Ow.
Ow.
And no foul language.
What's a foul language?
Let me go, you big [bleep].
I actually can't repeat
some of the language
that I've heard in this house.
LAURA: Listen to
what Nanny's saying.
- Bad?
- Oh, yeah, bad.
Bad, foul--
Curses, absolutely.
There definitely needs
to be disciplined,
so Mom and Dad need to be
strong authority figures and set
boundaries for the children.
OK?
And now, I'm going to
get my bag of tricks.
OK?
From this point
forward, there's going
to be consequences
for your bad behavior,
and that is my
trusty timeout timer.
And every time now, you guys
do something that is not OK,
you're going in time out.
OK.
I believe that if the King
family can follow Nanny's
rules, they'll be
well on their way
to living in a happy kingdom.
There are so many
problems in this house,
I thought it best to start
with something simple,
like Conner's bottle.
You can't have it.
Listen, not today.
OK?
Not now.
Come on.
Come on.
He just wants a
bottle all the time?
Yeah.
Well, like throughout the day--
five, six seven, eight,
nine times a day.
No.
He just wants to walk
around with the bottle.
There's a big part
of that though, Laura,
that's you keeping him a baby.
Right.
STELLA: Do you know what I--
I mean, do you still
think of him as a baby?
Well, yeah, a little bit.
Because I mean, in
the stages of evolving,
he's now a toddler.
He's not a baby.
We went cold turkey
with the bottle.
We replaced it with
a sippy cup, and he
wasn't very happy with that.
If you hit Mommy again, you're
going to go sit in time out.
Come here.
OK, you have to go
sit in time out now.
Come on.
Let's go.
STELLA: No sooner is
Conner's bottle taken away
then he disrespects his mother.
And to my surprise, it is
Laura who decides that it's
time for his first time out.
Time out was a lot harder than
I thought it was going to be.
You have to sit in time out.
Two minutes, OK?
There's the alarm.
STELLA: You got to
put him back in.
Come on.
STELLA: Laura was attempting
to put Conner in his first time
ever.
It wasn't happening,
so I intervened.
Conner, listen, listen, listen.
Listen, you're going in time
out, and you need to calm down,
and you need sit down.
You stay right there.
And when that goes off,
you can get off your chair.
You just calm down.
OK?
Stay there.
When I intervened, Conner
was crying really hard.
He was very confused,
because the process
hadn't been explained to him.
He didn't know that after
he calmed down in the chair
and he sat there
for two minutes,
that he was going to get out
and the punishment was over.
So this is the first time he's
ever had timeout in his life?
Yeah.
Are you OK?
Are you traumatized?
You're not abandoning
him, you're just
giving him time to calm down.
LAURA: I think he's done.
STELLA: You know
what, you can come in.
LAURA: OK.
Conner, you did time out.
I was shocked when
Conner sent in time out
because I haven't been
successful in keeping
him in any place for too long.
Are you going to be nice now?
Hm?
STELLA: After dealing with
Conner, the mood in the house
became pleasant and playful.
Just do put them on like,
Yeah.
OK, come here.
Love you too, but
you have to help.
STELLA: It was almost too calm,
like the calm before the storm.
[bleep]
STELLA: And before I
knew it, things began
to unravel rather quickly.
No, I'm not saying up
in any [bleep] chair.
LAURA: Christopher.
They're definitely
not following any
of the rules that we set up.
Get off of me.
Get your butt off of me.
No!
[bleep]
STELLA: It was as if
they thought the rules
were just suggestions.
I'm not going to
do ballet, Danielle.
Sh.
[bleep]
Stop it.
STELLA: There came a time
when I had to address
the bad language in the house.
So we've talked about the
rules and what we need to fix.
And today, one of the biggest
things that I want to address
right now is the bad language.
You know you use some really
bad words in this house, right?
Everybody.
So today, there are no more
bad words when other people are
around, because you
guys have potty mouth,
and where's the
potty in the house?
Where does it live?
Upstairs in the bathroom.
So from now on, when
anybody has potty talk,
they're going to the
bathroom, and they're
going to be given this,
which has Nanny's logo on it.
And you can say your bad
language and your curse words,
but only in the bathroom.
The idea is that you
give a piece of toilet
paper once you see that
somebody is going to start using
totally inappropriate words.
OK.
Can you turn it
off for me, please?
CHRIS: Courtney will
curse non-stop words
you wouldn't imagine coming
out of a four-year-old.
No way.
[bleep]
Courtney.
STELLA: Courtney
swears to be shocking,
and it's important to take
the power away from her words.
Here's your piece
of toilet paper.
So it's off to the potty.
She needs to realize
that foul language is
simply inappropriate behavior.
In you go.
Any bad language,
any potty talk,
you say here in the bathroom.
I actually gave them extra
roles because they're
going to go through a lot of
toilet paper in this house,
COURTNEY: Piece of [bleep].
STELLA: It's the family's
second day with the new rules,
and it's time Mom
and Dad take over.
Something tells me they're
going to have their hands full.
You know how Nanny said
we have to have a choice?
Yeah.
All right.
So here's what the
deal is for lunch.
It's either a grilled
cheese sandwich or a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich.
CHRISTOPHER: Grilled cheese.
OK.
So you would like
a grilled cheese.
STELLA: I'm very
encouraged to see mom
trying to implement my rules.
Courtney, OK, would you like?
STELLA: Unfortunately, Dad
can't help but undermine her.
CHRIS: Laura.
Yes.
- I said two choices.
- Right.
No, you said what do you want?
OK.
Well, two choices,
grilled cheese
or peanut butter and jelly.
That's not what I want.
I want them either to
have grilled cheese
or peanut butter and jelly.
STELLA: I can't believe Laura
and Chris are bickering right
in front of their children.
--a whole lot about it.
What if you just said--
Well, they don't all
have to eat the same thing.
Do you like eating broccoli?
Should I make you eat broccoli?
You hate broccoli, right?
Should I serve that to
you if you hated it?
They're children.
I'm an adult. I make
adult decisions.
STELLA: It's no wonder these
kids are so disrespectful.
They're obviously learning it
straight from their parents.
CHRIS: Maybe you can
replace an entree, but--
I don't know.
I'll have to figure it out.
STELLA: And sure enough,
the next thing I see
is disrespect all around.
I was standing in the
other room watching
Chris run away from his mother.
And then, bam.
Chris knocked Conner
off his chair.
CHRIS: What happened?
Chris!
STELLA: Just as I feared,
the danger in this house
has resulted in one of
the children getting hurt.
Where was he?
Was he on the chair?
He was on chair.
STELLA: Time for a timeout.
Sit in time out.
Nanny gave us a chance to try
to work the time out system
with the kids on
our own, and that
was a lot more difficult than
I thought it was going to be.
OK?
He started running around
the house, around and around
and around.
So I called his dad to
try to help me catch him.
CHRIS: I started chasing
him, trying to stop him.
I wanted him to follow
through with what
Nanny had been teaching him.
Do you want to do
timeout standing?
No.
You want to do it sitting?
This is like day one stuff, son.
Sit down.
LAURA: Christopher, you keep
your hands off of there.
CHRISTOPHER: 12 minutes?
You have to stay there.
STELLA: While Father
claims to know best,
he leaves the dirty work to Mom.
LAURA: You're going
to hit me now?
Christopher.
STELLA: If dad
doesn't respect Laura,
there's no reason for Chris to.
You know every single toy
in all your contraptions
and everything you
have in your room?
Would you like them
all to be gone?
Would you?
STELLA: And on top of all this--
Would you like them all gone?
STELLA: When Courtney
badmouths her father, instead
of dealing with her
himself, he drops
the problem in Laura's lap--
Let's go.
Seriously, right here.
No.
You're going to
sit in time out also.
STELLA: --leaving
her to get spat on.
LAURA: I said, when you're
done doing your time out-- now,
you're spitting at me?
She just spit on me now.
It's getting worse, not better.
You do not spit
on me, number one.
Or you know what
I'm going to do?
Should I shove
this in your mouth?
Should I throw this little
thing in your mouth?
STELLA: This is an
absolute nightmare.
Later in the day,
Dad finally attempts
to clean up his own mess.
Unfortunately, he
resorts to ultimatums.
If this thing moves, I
will take your favorite toy--
That's not what I want.
And this is what I want.
STELLA: He threatens to take
Chris's favorite toy away.
M-m.
Yes, it is.
STELLA: And Chris responds
the way he always has,
with total disrespect.
Chris Junior continues
to test his father,
who falls for the bait.
I'm beginning to
wonder which Chris
is the child in this family.
Chris and I, ultimately,
made it upstairs.
I was trying to get
him to understand
that he needed to respect me.
Have a seat.
We're going to have
a meeting right here.
Hey, little guy.
These are all your contraptions,
some of your valuable stuff.
CHRISTOPHER: Inventions, you--
I started off by taking
away a toy, one at a time.
No, not that.
This is a good one.
This is brand new, right?
No?
You took the Land Rover.
Even, even, even have
a clue as to what
you're getting ready to do.
Sit down.
Give me the next one.
These are all going,
one at a time.
CHRISTOPHER: No, they're not.
- They are.
STELLA: As Dad's
frustrations mount,
he begins to tease
and torment his son.
Schoolyard antics
through and through.
Next will be your
measuring tape.
Got to have that.
He was disrespecting me.
He wasn't minding
me, and I really
wanted to get his attention.
I wanted to slow him down.
Mommy!
Now, you could have
avoided all this, right?
[screams]
The stuff hasn't
gone anywhere.
Give me my stuff back anyway.
Give me my life back.
This is mine!
STELLA: This has
gotten out of hand.
Chris is not fathering his
son, he's bullying him.
Give me my stuff.
Son, I didn't hurt me at all.
Do you figure hurt me?
STELLA: I'm appalled
to see him responding
with the same behavior
as his six-year-old.
What do you want, son?
Well, you can't
breathe, my butt.
STELLA: Then Mom intervenes.
I'm not holding them.
CHRIS: I was more
upset with Laura
than I was with Chris
at that moment in time,
because I felt we
were almost there,
and the trip got stopped.
Flat tire.
Get out and leave.
Well, why don't you
just get up and leave?
Because I want
to talk to my son.
LAURA: Get up and leave.
It was counterproductive.
You've been sitting up
here for half an hour.
STELLA: I am
disgusted to see mom
and dad arguing, while
poor Chris Junior is
still gasping for breath.
No, I'm just telling you, OK?
STELLA: It's clear to me
now that the real problem
in this house lies
with the parents.
It's time to have it
out with the Kings.
LAURA: Chris, let him go.
I'm serious.
I don't want you
holding them like that.
CHRIS: I'm not holding him.
- Well, it's counterproductive.
You've been sitting up
here for half an hour
with him screaming,
kicking, an yelling.
STELLA: That's enough, please.
It was definitely
time to intervene.
I've seen enough.
It wasn't working, and I was
really nervous that Chris
was getting out of control.
Can you calm down
and take big breaths?
Calm down, OK?
Come here.
Come here.
I'm going to give you a hug.
Calm down.
Calm down.
I was very upset when I saw
Chris Junior hyperventilate.
Why does it ever have
to get to that point
that your child is so upset
that they can't breathe?
Why couldn't you calm down?
I don't know.
So you're upset,
your dad's upset.
STELLA: I talked to
him in a calm voice,
but I'm not physically
holding him down in any way.
He's free to move.
He's free to breathe.
You have to calm down,
and then we're going
to go and talk about it, OK?
Yes.
OK.
STELLA: I'd had enough.
I wasn't going to think
it through anymore.
It wasn't for me
to think anymore.
I've given you the plan and
this is what you need to do.
You say you're going to do
it, and then you don't do it.
And then I'm dealing with your
son who's hyperventilating
in the bedroom?
Done.
Can I talk to you
two in the kitchen?
CHRIS: Nanny hauled us off into
the kitchen shortly thereafter.
I was beginning to feel it
was time for her to leave.
This wasn't working.
I have had enough.
You need to get yourself
help, because I'm telling you
you're hurting your children.
CHRIS: It just really threw me.
I didn't see that I was
doing anything wrong.
I don't think that anything
that happened in our home
has been wrong.
I'm very sorry, but my
heart is absolutely broken,
because I told
you a few days ago
that I was concerned for the
welfare of your children.
They're in danger
from their selves,
and they're in
danger from you two,
not physically, but mentally.
LAURA: I was surprised.
I was shocked.
You know, you
really don't realize
how bad things are until other
people come in and look at it.
You kind of just accept
things as normal.
I'm not a marriage
counselor, OK?
I'm not.
And until you two work
this out, I can't help you.
I really can't help you.
So for you two, figure out how
you can work this out together.
All right.
STELLA: OK?
CHRIS: Laura and I
sat down to the table
and rehashed some of the basic
problems we always knew we had.
I had no idea things
were so bad, OK?
You guys think I'm blind.
Yeah, I'm gone all week,
and you tell me they're bad.
You don't tell me this.
- You see them on the weekends.
You see them on the weekends.
CHRIS: Laura, he's never
done that to me before.
Then you're not even
admitting the truth.
I'm sitting here telling
the truth, and you're lying.
Because I tell you every
single day that this goes on.
So if you haven't
seen it, then you
need to listen to people
when they're telling you
and get a clue.
OK.
Well, I'm real upset.
Because I put you in charge
of taking care of the kids.
But you don't even
need to put me in charge.
Laura, I'm going to talk.
LAURA: It's our job.
I'm going to talk.
It doesn't mean I am
solely in charge of the kids.
This is where you are mistaken.
I tried to explain what
I thought we needed to do,
and every time I
got three words out,
she would stop me and butt in.
I'm not angry.
I'm real upset.
You're angry all the time.
No, Laura.
You get angry if a glass
of milk-- yes, you do, Chris.
Laura, yes.
You know what--
If a glass of milk spills,
you say I feel like anger
is boiling up inside of me.
Get a paper towel
and clean it up.
It's your job.
Laura, the anger
comes from me not
being able to get a
damn word in edgewise
without you jumping on me.
Can I say what I want to say?
Say it.
Go ahead.
Go.
I'm listening.
God.
LAURA: We were
going nowhere fast.
I thought maybe we
really are too far gone,
because the disrespect in our
household that Chris and I were
showing toward each
other was passing
on right to the children.
You know what the problem
is, you have all this anger
for reasons you don't know,
so you need to get help,
and I have all this
anger toward you.
So that's why the
kids are really angry.
CHRIS: She pretty
much hit on the head.
I see the problem.
I want to help.
And to do that, we have to
have respect for each other.
I feel like a single
mother of five children.
I am dead serious.
I mean that, because you're
not emotionally here.
I need you to become
emotionally involved.
It was probably one
of the first times
that he actually was
sitting there looking at me
and listening, so it was a
big breakthrough, I think,
for both of us.
Are we willing to work
together for what's
best for the children, not
what's best for ourselves?
That's what I want.
So we'll be able to do this.
We can do this.
CHRIS: OK.
STELLA: Up until
this point, I hadn't
seen any genuine affection
in the King household.
There may be hope for
the Kings after all.
So where are you guys up to?
Well, we've had
a long talk, and we
agreed that this is
something we definitely
need to go to counseling about
for the sake of our children.
We're going to iron
these problems out,
and we're going
to make this work.
STELLA: OK.
I appreciate that.
This is the one thing
I need to ask you.
Does your son know
that you love him?
Because I know you do.
I know you do.
The most important
thing right now
is for you to talk to
Chris, just you and Chris,
from the bottom of your heart.
Because I've seen your heart.
I've seen your tears.
Your son needs to see that.
It's been an
excruciating few days.
Thank you.
STELLA: I'm touched to
see how moved Chris is,
but he needs to show
his love to his son.
CHRIS: How are you doing?
CHRISTOPHER: Good.
CHRIS: I have to talk to you.
I was talking to Mom last
night, and she said that you
didn't think I loved you.
Yeah.
And worse, she said that
you didn't think I liked you.
Yeah, I know.
Well, guess what?
Not only do I love you
a lot, I like you a lot.
You're my son.
It's the most important
thing in the world to me.
OK.
OK?
OK, so what we're going to do
is we're going to figure out
how to be good, all of us,
together and like each other
and love each other a whole
lot, forever and ever, OK?
OK.
OK.
Give me a big hug.
Oh, man.
STELLA: Over the next few
days, the mood in the house
started changing.
CHRIS: Laura?
LAURA: Yeah, hon.
CHRIS: Do you need anything?
STELLA: Chris is understanding
that his job doesn't stop when
he gets home and
that being a dad
is just as important as
bringing home the paycheck.
What butter does she want?
Cream cheese.
There is no cream cheese,
so she does take butter.
STELLA: Chris and
Laura are now more
determined than ever
to communicate better
and meet each other halfway.
LAURA: How is it, Christopher?
Good.
Wow, you guys are sitting
so nicely at the table.
STELLA: In turn, the children
are feeling more secure--
LAURA: Courtney, turn
around in your seat.
STELLA: --and responding to
their parents' newfound respect
for each other.
LAURA: Thank you.
Good listening, Courtney.
STELLA: Once Mom and Dad
began working together,
things in the King household
started to improve.
On my last day, I saw
some amazing things.
Courtney is finally learning
to respect her parents,
and the potty mouth is
becoming a thing of the past.
Yay.
Courtney, did you
just do time out?
Come here.
Good girl.
I'm proud of you.
LAURA: Good boy, Conner.
Pull up your cup.
STELLA: Conner has
finally kicked the bottle,
and has grown from
baby to little boy.
Is it delicious?
Does not fit.
Where?
STELLA: And all of the
children are far better
behaved under the guidance
of attentive and respecting
parents.
Let's just hope
they can keep it up.
And all there is left
to do is say goodbye.
OK, everybody, it's time
for me to say goodbye.
So what I want now
is I want a big hug--
LAURA: Big hug.
--from you four.
Can I have that?
Come on, a big group hug.
OK.
Thank you.
You've been really good,
but what I need to know
is that once I leave, you're
still going to try hard.
Because I'm going to
be checking in on you.
OK?
CHRIS: Laura was very
emotional when Stella left.
I felt it was a breakthrough.
I thought something changed.
STELLA: Don't be
sad because this
is a really, really good
ending, because you've
come a really long way.
LAURA: This has just been
such an emotionally draining
and exciting-- it's just
been a roller coaster ride,
and it's just all those emotions
coming to the surface, finally.
You've done an amazing job.
LAURA: Thank you.
OK.
You communicate much
better with each other
and far better
with your children
than when I walked
through the door.
Just don't let it stop
when I walk out the door.
Stella left the King
family changed in ways
that we had never expected.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye, Stella.
Bye-bye.
Say, thank you.
Say, bye-bye.
STELLA: The King household has
gone through a major shift,
but in order for the
family to really be saved,
Chris and Laura must
live up to their words
and get marriage counseling.
For their kids'
sakes, I hope they do.
Guys, come down quick.
It's a present.
LAURA: Oh, my goodness.
"Dear Kings, thank you so
much for opening your home
and hearts to me all week.
Please enjoy this amazing
trip to a fabulous,
all-inclusive Florida resort.
Enjoy family fun, sun,
and unlimited child care.
Love, Nanny Stella and the
nannies at Nanny Central."
Do you hear that?
We're going to Florida.
Mama.
LAURA: Wow.
Thank you, Nanny Stella.
What are you doing?
01x14 - King Family
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Loosely based on the British television programme Little Angels, in which American families with unmanageable children are reformed by British nannies, including one who served for the royal family.
Loosely based on the British television programme Little Angels, in which American families with unmanageable children are reformed by British nannies, including one who served for the royal family.