The week nannies should be thanked for the wonderful ways in which the help families.
Working as a nanny with kids every day is hectic. Between changing diapers, playing in the sandbox and getting little ones to eat and sleep on some sort of schedule, there’s simply not enough time to get it all done, let alone reflect on why you love your job or bask in the glory of all that you accomplish each day.
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Well, that’s why we’re proudly celebrating National Nanny Recognition Week (Sept. 22-28, 2019). Nannies, let this be the week you take it all in.
As many parents told us, their nannies are an extension of the family, and when it came time to talk about what they appreciate most about these special people in their lives, they didn’t hold back. Read on as several parents recognise all that their nannies do to keep their kids feeling safe, warm and loved.
Candice Braithwaite remembers learning most from her nanny when her two sons were young.
“I am very introverted, and my nanny talked to my babies non-stop,” she recalls. “It made me realise I needed to narrate more to help their language development. Even though it didn’t come naturally to me, she was a good model for me. Both boys weren’t great talkers but they understood a lot.”
The little things have the biggest impact
The nanny who stepped in to help Anna Mullenski when she returned to work shortly after giving birth to twins is still a close family friend. She even attended one of the twins’ wedding earlier this year. What Mullenski appreciated most about her? The little things.
“She always put my twins first,”Mullenski says. “She spoiled them while taking extremely good care of them. She even used to heat their towels in the microwave so they would be warm after their bath!”
Pets are part of the family, too
Crystal Brown’s nanny quickly became a part of the family after she started her new job, cooking, cleaning and chauffeuring her sons around. But it’s not just her care for her sons that stands out.
“One thing I really appreciated is when she called one day to let me know that our aging and sick dog was struggling to walk and seemed disoriented,” Brown says. “It gave me time to get home and spend time with him one last time.”
Better than Cold Medicine
When the flu hit Sarah Netter, it came like a ton of bricks dropped from a skyscraper. The single mum by choice remembers her nanny coming to the house to wake her son up, feed him breakfast and care for him all day, then leave when he went down for a nap.
As soon as she heard him begin to rise via the baby monitor, Netter called her nanny — who lived nearby — and the woman ran back to spend the rest of the day with him until he went down to sleep.
“For three days, I laid on the bathroom floor. I don’t think I saw him other than to wave at him from the door,” Netter says. “She is the only thing that got me through that stomach flu.”
A close companion
Mum Jody Allard had two sets of twins when she hired a nanny to lend a hand while she was at work. It was the first time she’d used a full-time nanny, and she was unsure about having someone in her home at first. But the feeling didn’t last long.
“Almost immediately, our nanny became a lifesaver,” Allard says. “She did the kids’ laundry, cooked them dinner on nights I had evening classes, ran errands and generally was completely indispensable. Plus, since I worked from home a few days a week back then so that I could be home to feed the babies, she was a companion I soon grew to value on a more personal level. She was very much a valued partner in our family, and I couldn’t have gotten through those hectic early years without her.”
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