Nanny Life Articles by Hope at Nanny Shecando

Out Of Control

Taking Control Before It Spirals

In the last few weeks some things went down in the nanny family that for the briefest of moments seemed were going to determine my future. Things beyond my control. And being at the mercy of other people’s decisions sucks!

Although, being dependant on other people’s decisions and is not necessarily something out of the ordinary. Because as an employee, you work for other people. You fulfil demands to match the requirements of those that employ you and work according to a culture dictated by others. When I was in the hospitality industry I didn’t enjoy this scenario. I didn’t enjoy working in a field that expected insanely high demands and yet gave limited resources to work with. Talk about stress!

On the other hand, I do quite enjoy working for other people within my role as a nanny. Because my role is assigned purely to ease the stresses of the family life for those I work for. My job is to care for the children, to see to their physical, emotional and psychological needs. I cultivate a stable and safe home environment that has a consistent support network. I provide a shoulder for the parents to lean on and create opportunities for an enhanced family dialogue. I enable parents to go to work and fulfil their needs with complete dedication, knowing that their children are well provided for. This means that Mom Boss can confirm a 2pm meeting and not worry about it running over and being late for the school pick up.

That being said, every now and then the balance changes along with priorities. This usually occurs as a direct result of monetary influences. One of the most difficult things within the nanny role (along with managing your time and juggling responsibility) is cementing your worth and holding on to your job when financial factors must enter the equation. For in situations where the role of a nanny is viewed as being a luxury (which it is) and as being a non-essential expense (which at times it can be), it’s usually the first thing to go when cut backs are needed.

Recently factors beyond my control threatened the stability and security of my job. Out of nowhere, I suddenly found my job in jeopardy. And however brief it was, it was unsettling to stomach. Because for a fraction of a second I felt the panic set in. It set in not only at the notion that my seemingly stable three year contract was on track to be broken, but also at the thought of having to walk away from the kids. I have grown overly attached to these kids!

In the days after, I tossed around various ideas about how to solve my situation. But mostly I was down in the dumps (and ice-cream was my friend)!

But then I picked myself up. I got my act together. I set about taking steps to win back some control in the scenario.

I scheduled a sit down with Boss Mum and Dad and together we re-worked the job description. Together we updated the household budget, and we shuffled commitments. We made plans.

For the briefest of moments things were spiralling but we got them under control and set a plan to better manage the outcome. We all agreed that with a very blended family, it would be more beneficial to hold onto as much stability for the kids as we could manage.

Long story short, I kept my job and my three year contract.

‘Life is not about avoiding the falls, it’s about rebounding faster’
Jess Lively

But these events were a timely wake up call. It was the push I needed to get back to working on my own future career plans. It was a reminder that my business plans were never going to come to fruition if I let myself continue to put it off until another day. So whilst taking steps to secure my job in the here and now, I also recommitted myself to securing my future. A future in where I hold the answers to my own growth and happiness.

Because if you’re anything like me, you don’t like getting caught off guard. It hits you like a ton of bricks and you’re dirty for letting yourself get into the situation. When you find yourself blocked along the path by a stubborn and unyielding tree trunk, it sucks. Like me, your first thought might be that it’s a good little spot to curl up and have a nap until help arrives. But chances are that you’re going to get really cold in the dead of the night before your knight-in-shining-armour swoops down to save you.

Because guess what, you are that knight in shining armour. ‘Aint nobody else going to do it for you!

So here’s a little reminder for you, incase you’re also sitting on big plans of your own and hesitant to take them that little bit further.

Life is what you make of it. And you control it. The power is yours!

image: Yellow Bird Yellow Beard

So the big question, are you a chocolate or ice cream fiend when down in the dumps?
And what big plans are you sitting on at the moment?

5 Challenges Of Being A Nanny

When I first began to write this article, Five Challenges Of Being A Nanny, I’d just finished a trying week in the nanny life. It was the first week back at school after a busy school holidays. Two weeks in where we’d celebrated Easter and Anzac Day long weekends and then to top it off, four birthdays within the space of a week. I was run-down, over-worked and ‘over it’.

There are many challenges of being a nanny, and most of us encounter them fairly regularly. Here’s my top 5 challenges of being a nanny that I currently face.

1. The Never Ending Chores

The birthdays meant we’d had both sets of grandparents visiting from interstate. With the arrival of grandparents, extra family members and cosy school friends I was turning over beds quicker than some hotels. The kitchen cupboards were emptying faster than I could stock them and the craft supplies were running dangerously on empty.

2. The Time Spent Being A Taxi

To add to the madness, the twins’ ballet camp happened to fall over the same days they were to be flitting between mum and dad’s place. This of course meant I spent more time couriering forgotten ballet slippers and preferred leotards between each home and ballet studio rather than actually sitting and observing the ballet.

3. The Family

It wasn’t always supposed to be so challenging. With the grandparents visiting I had originally been granted some time off. BossMum had agreed it was the perfect chance for them to spend some quality time with the grandchildren whilst I enjoyed a bit of much needed ‘down time’. Except of course, my compassion for the kids saw me volunteering to ‘pop in’ each day. It was an attempt to tactfully navigate the necessity for the grandparents to enjoy their grandkids whilst also making sure the kids didn’t succumb to the boredom of the elderly oscillating between the kitchen to make tea and the lounge to watch TV.

4. Becoming ‘Attached’

On the first day of the new routine, I popped in and was immediately faced with a howling baby. She was clinging desperately to the family dog in the corner of the room with both grandparents unsure of what to make of it. I quickly understood that with the baby in the dribbling stage of painful teething and at the height of her clinginess, she was sooner comforted by the familiarity of the family puppy than with the grandparents she’d regrettably not seen much of. There went my “down time”.

5. The Inconsistency

The compromise meant I could still enjoy an easier day whilst maintaining my roles and responsibilities of the nanny life. Unfortunately those easy days remained elusive. Because as I’m sure any nanny, babysitter, teacher, child care worker or parent will agree to, no two days spent with children are ever the same (no less predictable).

As nannies we share the responsibility of developing children into respectable young people. #nannylife

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(So Why Do It?) My love and attachment to the little baby I’ve cared for since she was tiny, and my fondness for the older girls whom I’ve seen grow and prosper since sharing their lives meant I’d rather see to their needs than punch my time card and claim my holidays.

Which brings me back to the original thread for this article, the things that make my job [the nanny life] challenging, because as I’m sure you can appreciate, this job is no walk in the park.

As nannies we are tasked with the role of caring for other people’s children. We share the responsibility of developing them into respectable young people, whilst adhering to the attitudes of the parents and ensuring the children are granted enough freedom to be their own person.

Usually we spend majority of the contact hours with them and yet it’s advised we don’t get too attached. Plus, we must carefully navigate family dramas and mediate differences in parenting opinions without compromising ourselves.

The many challenges in the nanny job can be difficult and the desire for some ‘down time’ feel desperately needed. But in my opinion, as a committed nanny whom balances the good with the bad and takes each day as they come, the rewards can be plentiful and far outweigh a few challenges that pop up along the way.

>>> How do you go to work each day and front up to the challenges?

The Weekly List | 31 May 2014

Another week down and another lovely weekend to enjoy (complete with this lovely little weekly reading list of course)! I don’t know what happened this week, but did it ever pass by in a flash! Monday saw the announcement of a new collaboration between Nanny Shecando and new nannying agency The Collective Kid. We’re working on an Australia-wide project, called Nothing But Nannies Breakfast’s, to encourage those in the in-home childcare profession to network and grow their connections, skills and passions. It’s something I’m very passionate about here on the blog, and in essence you could say that promoting the nanny industry through networking and partnerships is kind of the blog’s manifesto.

The Weekly List | 31 May 2014

I’m sad that Miss7 is no longer stumping me with the hard stuff, but here’s The Science of Asking Questions
The importance of Print Awareness Skills for toddlers
Beautiful drawings in a picture book, The Dawn Chorus
Lovely for the lunchbox Sweet Corn Pasta Salad
To bring balance into our lives, the one place we must always explore
Building the nanny culture in Australia, Nothing But Nannies Breakfast’s
A must-have life skill in Australia, children’s swimming lessons
Armchair travel in the winter countryside

The Nanny; Sometimes Super

On being a nanny and loving it – every single day!

Naturally my days are challenging. It’s not all puzzles, board games and baking yummy healthy muffins (although these sure are fun). Often I find myself wearing many hats during my day-to-day duties, from pseudo mum and dad, to sole care-giver, to paramedic and doctor, to being the big sister and cool aunty. I also become the policeman and judge presiding over sibling arguments and rivalry, the homework tutor/sports coach/musical instrument teacher/language teacher, the personal taxi service, personal chef and general provider of amusement. After all of that, I’ve also got to remember to be “fun” whilst being the responsible voice of reason.

I bring an education to the table, a second language, stories from worldly travels and experiences and an organisational system built to run a family. Above all else, I strive to be creative, passionate and positive. I foster an “everything is possible” mentality.

I ensure that the children are happy and safe at all times whilst facilitating every opportunity for self-growth and adventure. I like to keep us active and engaged. Whether that be with arts and craft activities, through learning games and by getting messy in the kitchen, we can always find the magic.

We also love getting out and about to the Sydney aquarium, the zoo, the local parks, swimming pools and anything else that seems like a good idea at the time.

I love that the kids just have so much energy. Their vibrant personality and tenacity mean that I’m constantly kept on my toes. They also mean that my warm and caring personality, is in good company. There’s always plenty of love to go around. It’s all in a days work and nothing gives me more of a smile than giving and receiving the lovely warm cuddles at the end of a long, event filled day.

The laughter, the smiles, the quirky viewpoint, the point of difference, the road of growth and discovery, this is where it’s at. This is why I’m a nanny. Because I love it!

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Why are you a nanny? What makes your day spectacular? And what leaves you wilting at the end of the day and questioning why you do the job you do?

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10 Birthday Party Essentials

I know I’ve already talked about the birthdays here, here and here. But when you’ve got a family of four kids, numerous pets and your own personal lives; birthdays are a dime a dozen around here! So as it’s birthday week here again, (yes I had a little birthday yesterday) I thought I’d share with you these 10 birthday party essentials I found on Pinterest this week!