NEW YORK (AP) – It was an unusually honest ad for a live-in nanny, beginning with the sentence, “My kids are a pain.”

Maybe that’s why it took on a life of its own, making the rounds of parenting blogs and e-mail inboxes and meriting an article in Thursday’s New York Times.

Rebecca Land Soodak, a 40-year-old painter and mother of four on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, posted the ad on Craigslist on Aug. 19.

Some excerpts from the 1,000-word listing: “I can be a tad difficult to work for. I’m loud, pushy and while I used to think we paid well, I am no longer sure.”

And this: “If you cannot multitask, or communicate without being passive aggressive, don’t even bother replying.”

And this: “If you are fundamentally unhappy with your life, you will be more unhappy if you take this job, so do us all a favor and get some treatment or move to the Rockies, but do not apply for employment with us. Also, if you suspect all wealthy women are frivolous, we are not for you. I do not want to hide my occasional Bergdorf shopping bag.”

Ilana Laurence, a French teacher and mother of two, was one of many who was e-mailed the post by a friend and forwarded it, the paper said.

“I appreciated the way the woman put all her neuroses out there,” she told the Times. “That’s better than having it come out little by little after you’ve already hired somebody.”

She was likely referring to sentiments in the listing like these: “If you are the type who doesn’t notice crumbs on the table, skip to the next post, because crumbs are a deal breaker. They put me over the edge.”

And this: “I have all sorts of theories on how to stack my dishwasher, and if you are judgmental about Ritalin for ADHD, or think such things are caused by too much sugar, again, deal-break city.”

Soodak, whose husband owns a wine store in Manhattan, ended up selecting Christina Wynn, a 25-year-old University of Virginia graduate, for the job the paper said pays $430 a week and comes with free housing.

“I made a commitment to stay in the job for at least a year,” Wynn, who has never before worked as a nanny, told the Times.

“I met the oldest child, but not the others, which my mother said was crazy – to accept the job without meeting all the kids. So we’ll see.”