Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Today I wanted to share with you a wise nanny/momma's advice for how to leave a nanny family.There is never an easy way but having a plan is a big help and having lots of resources available ensures that your transition will be as smooth as you can make it.Here is some great advice:

Breaking Up is Hard to Do by Kimberley Roberts Benakovich

Yesterday was my last day with my “nanny family” of 9 months.  It was so emotionally exhausting that I came home and slept for 12 straight hours. I’m sure I cried at least 20 times throughout the day, and probably would have cried even more if my 3 year old son (Simon) hadn’t been with me. It’s always hard to leave a nanny position, but it’s 1,000 times harder to leave a position that you LOVE.

As nannies, we sometimes talk about finding our “Unicorn Family”- a family that is so perfect, it’s hard to believe that they actually exist. The “L” Family was my Unicorn Family. Not only did they respect my career choice, but they respected my time and my “work space” as well. They NEVER came home late, and not once did I walk into a sink full of dishes from the night before, toys all over the floor, or piles of laundry stacked up for me to tackle. In fact, I didn’t even do Baby D’s laundry- my “mom boss” (MB) preferred to do it herself.  From day one, I was treated as a professional AND as part of the family, and there is no better feeling than that for a nanny!

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Glenda Propst reviews the book "All the Time in the World" by Caroline Angell

A few weeks ago I was asked if I would do a book review on a book called
“All the Time in the World” by Caroline Angell

I have never done a book review before but the book looked interesting so I said yes.
It took me a little less than a week to read the book but partially because I have been spending a lot of time with my mom who just moved into a skilled care facility so I don’t have a lot of time to read.

Sometimes when I am reading a book, if it doesn’t grab me from the beginning, I have a hard time making a commitment. I didn’t have a problem with that. It didn’t take me long to really connect with the main character Charlotte who was caring for two little boys named Matthew and George. It was obvious from the start that this writer truly understood the dynamics of a nanny’s role in the family. Only someone with this kind of insight could narrate the scene where the children are picked up and dropped off at pre-school and describe the scenario of the interaction between the stay at home mommies, the cardboard cut-out moms, the moms who treat the caregivers with little respect and the mix of nannies and au pairs. It’s a scene that plays out on a daily basis in pre-schools everywhere.
I know that Charlotte was a nanny who I could have been friends with. We could have been on a Facebook group for nannies together and we would have made a connection because she really understood the ins and outs of working with a family. She projected a professional image and understood her role within the family. She understood that working with a family requires a lot of give and take and that sometimes you have to do things that were not in your job description just because circumstances warrant it.
The reason this is so important is that this book is all about the relationship a nanny has with her employers, the interaction with the mom and the bond that can develop between a mom and a nanny and how a nanny’s role can change within the family with time and circumstances.
When I started reading this book, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that I knew how it was going to end but I was wrong and this book did not disappoint.
This is a book that will definitely appeal to nannies but I think it can appeal to a wider audience because it is a great storyline and Charlotte is a character that you will identify with and root for all the way to the end.
As I tried to write this review, I struggled a little with remembering that this is a not a nanny training manual that teaches the dos and don’ts of being a good nanny, it is a story that will touch the heart of any nanny or parent with a nanny.
I can always tell that I have read a great book when days after the last page has been read, my mind wanders back to the story and I find myself thinking…

” I wonder what Charlotte is doing now?”

There is really only one negative thing I have to say about this book, and I say it mostly because anyone who knows me, would know that I wouldn’t let it go without saying something.
Charlotte is truly a nanny in every sense of the word. She is educated, experienced, smart, and understands the dynamics of doing her job and doing it well. All through the book she refers to herself as a babysitter. I don’t think that calling herself a nanny would have made any kind of difference in the storyline but I think the things she did were over and above the call of duty for “just a babysitter”

This is a really good book. I am certain you will like it, and identify with so many things in it and I hope you will read it! I can’t really get into the nitty gritty of why I connected so much with this book without giving away the storyline but once you read it I think you will understand that this book covers a wide range of issues and emotions unique to those of us who love and care for other people’s children. I hope other people who read it will have new insight into the important work we all do….no matter what we consider our job title to be.
Glenda

I will be giving away a copy of the book on my Facebook page but if you are not on Facebook, you can email me at nannytransitions(at)gmail(dot)com and I will gladly put your name into the drawing for the book.

Touched by a Nanny named Sara Green

Touched by a Nanny Named Sara Green

Written by Greta Schraer
Pictures shared with permission. 

I wish the local Cincinnati nannies had the benefit of knowing more national nannies, and vice versa. I so desire to see each excellent nanny respected and appreciated. Truth is we all deserve to be honored for specific and tangible things done to impact the lives of children. But today, I want to share with you an unknown hero. I want her to represent all of you that stand in the shadows, serving, with very little glory. (May your moment come, too.)

Meet Sara Green: A red head beauty with style galore. An itty-bitty dog lover, gold spray painter, and wine appreciator. She is a talented photographer and even before I met her in person (at Target by surprise) she let me into her life through pictures. She began nannying part-time while studying interior design, but she quickly found fulfillment and purpose and decided to make it a career.

We first connected online through CincyNanny, our community here. Her recent job is where I have watched her shine. She recalls the chemistry she had as she interviewed and felt instant trust. There was a sweet bond between them. Even as first time parents, her employers made her feel confident and capable. Sara has cared for twin girls L & K for 5 years now and tells me about the first days of setting routines and loving those babes. As the girls grew it was navigating discipline and timeouts. L is very self-driven, kind, comforting, and laid back. K is the spitfire, go-getter, sporty, funny, but also caring and sensitive. She loves them both unconditionally, appreciates their differences and sees them as individuals that need to be loved and disciplined differently. She is wise and in-tune.  Sara has routinely ended days with conversations with the girls’ parents. She is part of their village. Valued. Needed.  They have been generous with her and lavish her with gifts. She also recalls a hard week when they referred to her as “our anchor”.  As I hear her talk about her job, she beams. Radiates. She loves them and knows their love in return.  

To know Sara is to see love. She loves easily and loves strong. She is solid, faithful, a constant that has taught her girls and community around what it means to know trust. Her words are careful and thoughtful. She is open. She is easy to read and easy to know. It’s no wonder why she has found a solid place in this family.

This summer marks the end of her job. The family has transferred to Switzerland and asked her to join them as they make the move. Sara is there right now, transitioning her girls to their new life. It’s been a whirlwind, but she takes pleasure in the adventure. She knows her role, even as it comes to completion: to see them settled.  To feel the peace seeing them start their next season. I watch her live for each moment. She captures the joy in the girls’ eyes; I see it an ocean away in pictures. I believe their joy is impacted by the years of love, care, and trust she has planted. Those seeds will continue to reap a harvest throughout their lives.  They talk about saying goodbye and missing each other. L & K speak love and Sara soaks in every ounce of it. Though she won’t see them daily like she has, she will always know them…that is for sure.

Sara has already found her next job with a newborn and in just a few weeks that new adventure starts. Even as things change she knows that she is in this career long-term. She is one of those nannies that just emulate the role. This little one now gets to have Sara as her hero too. What a lucky little girl.

Written by Greta Schraer
Pictures shared with permission.