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Tutus & Attitudes: Black Swan Theory.

Investopedia lists the ‘Black Swan theory’ as being a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise…

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Well I sure got a surprise. In the form of some unexpected sass.

Miss Charlie was super excited to see me this afternoon because she wanted to show me her new moves. Dance moves that is. Groovin’ on the dance floor.

Her older sisters had shown her some of their ballet lesson, to which Miss Charlie was feeling uniquely accomplished and very much grown-up.

She raced upstairs to change whilst I waited with bated breath. I had the sneaking suspicion that this was going to get interesting. She then pranced (there’s not other word for it) down the stairs in an outrageously ~~hideous~~ vivacious pink tutu and matching leotard.

And here’s the kicker, not with ballet slippers and stockings. But wearing little white socks with lacy white frills on her ankles. Super cute. But not so great on the slippery floor.

She then proceeded to display a few ballet moves. And I have to admit, she did look rather gracious. Despite the pink.

In an effort to seem knowledgeable on the subject, I cast my mind back to recall the limited ballet knowledge hidden away in the depths of my long-term memory. This knowledge was very much hidden and very much limited as I’m pretty sure my debut into the ballet scene lasted all of one half-hour lesson when I was 5-years-old. I cried and cried and simply refused to go back ever again. It was horrible. Torturous.

And so I asked Miss Charlie if the pose she’d just held (she’d done something unnatural with her legs and feet to make her knees look scarily wonky) if it was called a plié. To which she replied,

No. It’s not a plié, whatever that is. It’s called the “step right, step left, da-da, tra-la-la”.

… Nice one Charlie, that sounds like my kind of ballet! Such a little,

Prima donna. Or should I say, “ballerina”.

Yawning, what causes it?

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I’ll tell you. It’s simple. Scientists may not know for sure. But I can tell you this:

As soon as I start reading aloud, I start yawning.

How is that? Why is that? Please someone explain this.

It doesn’t make any sense. It’s 7pm. I’m wide awake. I’ve got a mountain of things to do still. It’s the kiddies bedtime, not mine.

It’s really hard to make reading time work properly when I’ve got to interrupt each sentence to yawn, kind of doesn’t help the story line to flow all that well. Although, perhaps it’s a genius method to ensure the kids are following and not lolling off distracted (which will undoubtedly force me to read the same chapter again tomorrow night to “recap”). It makes the adventures of Captain Underpants slightly boring and turns the story of Cinderella into an epic-long tale.

The power of the yawn does many things to keep story time in business. In fact, perhaps the only thing my yawning doesn’t do, is make the kids yawn.. hmm and I thought yawning was supposed to be contagious!!

Gah, go to sleep already kids. Nanny was promised her peace and quiet. Ho hum.

Cops & Robbers: Why Do Police Carry Guns

Cops & Robbers: Shoot Em Up Cowboy!

I had an amusing conversation with Miss Charlie today. Not that having amusing conversations with a 6-year-old is anything out of the ordinary for Nanny Shecando. Miss6 has a firing curiosity for all things animal related, science, DIY, creative, inventive and imaginative. Anything that holds the possibility of a “Why Question” is hers for the taking. And take it she will. Today’s particular conversation was really rather standard, although I couldn’t help but share it with you. I’m sure it will give you a good giggle, it definitely did me!

Children: Should They Do Chores?

At what age should children start having responsibilities?
When should they start having to do chores?

I grew up in a family that always had lots of chores. Partly it was considered a necessary attribute of character building, but primarily it was just part of the lifestyle. That’s the nature of living in the country; on the land, with the animals. There’s always a whole lot of work to do, and even if you get it done today, it’s going to need doing again tomorrow. Life keeps on moving, animals need feeding, pens need cleaning, grass needs to be cut, house tidied, pool cleaned, and fences fixed etc.

A horse or four, a dog, guinea-pigs, a rescued bird from time to time, a cow, maybe some chooks (“chickens” to all the city folk) and even a Nanny-goat. These were all great animals to play with and made for great pets over the years, but they also took work. Lots of hard, never-ending, unavoidable work. Such is the life.

The lesson we had to learn was that these jobs were essential to the lifestyle. Horses couldn’t just be left in the paddock all day with their rugs on in the summer heat just so that we could have a leisurely sleep-in and lounge around watching morning cartoons. We were taught that these things were all part and parcel of having the fun and games that came with the great outdoors.

My gosh did we have some fun and games, days and weeks spent exploring the mountains, building forts and playing epic battles of hide and seek that would span kilometres of countryside. Summers spent in the pool and kayaking down the river searching for platypus and turtles and hidden enclaves. Even with all of the chores, we still had so much fun – it was all about getting the balance right.

It’s because of my upbringing that I consider the role of “chores” to be important for children.

Others don’t always share this same perspective. I don’t necessarily think that this is a bad thing either. It’s good to bring two very different opinions to the table. Discuss them, argue your pros and cons and settle on a happy medium. Such is the way conversations generally go, and in my own humble opinion, the mark of fairly decent parenting.

I like to make chores fun. I turn them into games and motivate the children. #nannylife

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As a nanny, I’ve been responsible for a number of children, both boys and girls of varying ages. From the very little to the old-enough-to-know-better. Having the majority of contact hours with these kids each day, I naturally take an active role in their development. And yep, you guessed it, chores and jobs rate quite favourably in my book.

I may not leave lists of never-ending jobs for the kids like my mum did for me (consequently I think this is where my fondness for list making arose – the satisfaction of being able to cross the items off the list after a productive day is a deep rooted joy rivalled by little else). But I certainly do impose and hold certain expectations of the kiddies.

Of course these expectations are age appropriate and set within the realms of reasonable ability. It would be crazy for me to expect Miss Charlie to put a load of laundry on at the end of the day, but I do consider her more than able to keep her bedroom neat and tidy; putting her rubbish in the bin and her dirty clothes in the basket.

Similarly, the older girls should be more than capable to tidy up after themselves, pack away their games and toys, keep themselves and their bedrooms tidy, to remember to feed their pets, to put their dirty dishes in the dishwasher (it’s not like I expect them to clean them, gosh no!). They could even take out the rubbish on occasion if they see that it’s full instead of just walking around it, (I mean really? Come on guys..).

I like to make chores fun. I turn them into games, and motivate the children by creating fun charts and offer rewards for timely completion. I don’t think these things are too much to ask for. Nor that I’m expecting too much of them. Nor do I think that they’ll miss out on too much precious “kid” time by fulfilling these expectations.

I do think however, that these duties will instil a sense of responsibility. A sense of purpose. An understanding of action, reaction; of effect and consequence. They should feel empowered, as though they can take matters into their own hands and feel achievement. No more of this sense of entitlement purely because we think we have an inane right.

Hard work is hard work. But it also gives rewards that are earned + deserved #nannylife

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>>> At what age do you think children should have this responsibility thrust upon them?

Back-to-school blues.

Nothing. Gah. Don’t ask me that. Boring!

Are the words most often out of my kids mouths shortly after the school pickup. There’s also a good chance these words are served with a side of some substantial huffing and even a little storming-off-to-slam-a-door if they’re feeling particularly committed to their performance.

Usually my gentle prompting elicits the afore-mentioned closed-mouthed, teenage-esque type mumblings (ironic really seeing as they’re not even close to being teenagers – I’m pointing my finger at the invasion of American television for this. J’accuse!!)

As you can imagine, with this kind of attitude, it’s always interesting to hear what they have to say. Sometimes I’ll get lucky and receive a non-committal: “I can’t remember”, followed by: “we had (insert occasional random subject like Chinese or Art or Cooking).

This usually plays out for at least the first hour that we’re home in the afternoons. I’ve learnt to leave them be, to give them their space, to let them digest the day’s events. This is in the vain hope that they’ll come to me once they’ve cooled off and volunteer the information I seek freely and happily.

This scenario is nothing new and can be found in most households (don’t quote me on this, but come on. Really?!). According to certain respected (maybe respected?) child psychologists and educators, this occurrence can be attributed to the idea that children form “schemas” based on their experiences and the norms of everyday life and routine. Interestingly, I find that as adults we often do the same. For example, I can have a full-on day at work and still come home and say, “oh the usual, nothing major” when asked as to how my day went.

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It is thought that once a routine becomes a habit, it is no longer viewed as being special or different. From the perspective of the children, their day is regarded as being somewhat uneventful and mundane, thus explaining the boring responses in answer to my (Spanish) inquisition.

So, as today marks the first day back at school for this family, I have a teensy-tiny request to all of the teachers out there. Note: I shall include myself in this poor lot and mark a permanent yellow sticky-note to my brain for future reference.

“To all of the teachers out there: please change it up a little bit every now and then. You know, ‘variety is the spice of life’ and all that. Please make an effort to engage your students each and every day, to encourage them, to inspire them, to fuel their never-ending hunger for information and to equip them with the necessary skills to go forth and conquer.”

And if nothing else, tell a new joke each day. I’d love the chance to have a normal conversation in the afternoons without feeling as though I’m pulling teeth. Hey, I might even be dazzled with a smile.

Cops & Robbers: Shoot Em Up Cowboy!

Further Reading: Aren’t You Too Young To Be My Nanny?