Thursday, January 8, 2015

New Year, New Nanny

Okay so not really a new nanny, but hopefully a little better one. 


New Year's Resolutions - we all love to hate them and whether we admit it or not we all at least think about how we could be a better person every January. Gym memberships, diet plans, and financial stewardship classes all sky rocket as the new year rolls around. We all want to be the best person we can be, the healthiest, prettiest, most fit, or as financial responsible person we can. But what about being a better Nanny? Whatever that looks like for you.

Honesty Moment: There are days where I go on auto-pilot. Days were I am just trying to get through the day, counting the minutes until nap-time or until MB comes home. As I looked through some of my social media pages I realized that auto-pilot has become more common than I would like to admit. I have lost a bit of my joy in my job.

Part of it is natural, I love babies. As Bug has gone from cute tiny infant to Wreck-It-Ralph toddler I lost a little bit of what I loved in my job. The boys have grown, schedules have changed, and things just aren't what they were when I started working a year and a half ago. Some of those changes have been wonderful - they both now nap at the same time, getting out in the mornings has become easier, Bear is potty trained so a lot lesser diaper changing, and both boys can verbalize their wants and needs - no more baby cries and wondering what he needs. Some changes have been a little harder, because they are both on the same schedule I no longer have one on one time with each boy.  Not being able to wear Bug in public and having to keep an eye on two toddlers with desires of their own is challenge some days, and trying to teach Bear his colors and numbers with a baby brother at toe has become more difficult.

So here is the thing - I can continue on as I have been - making it through every day as I have been, genuinely enjoying my job but slightly unsatisfied in the smaller things that I am not doing. Or I can make little changes to help me become more satisfied with how I am doing my job. So without further adieu here are the few small changes I hope to make this year:

1. Start Each Week With a Plan:
 One of the perks of working with kids is the flexibility we have them, especially young children. There is no need for a big game plan because most likely it will like fly out the window each week. As my NK's start to become older I want to start becoming a little more structured - maybe doing a theme a week. Picking a letter, color, animal, etc. and spend a week focusing on that color, using it in different foods and activities. Writing down Sunday night specific things I hope to accomplish with the boys throughout the week. 

2. Limit My Social Media Usage at Work:
 Lets all be real here, we all need this no matter what field of work a person is in. With phones it is easy to check Facebook and Twitter for a minute here and minute there. Snap a cute pick to send to the NP and oh yeah lets post it on Social Media too. Social media hasn't been a big issue for me until the past month or so when I realized those minutes were turning into larger amounts of time while the boys played together. I was starting to miss opportunities of playing with the boys while I communicated with other nannies. Don't get me wrong I am a HUGE advocate and supporter of nanny communities via social media - I personally just realized I need to limit my time on there to when the boys are not awake or around.

3. Getting Outside at Least Once a Day:
 I am not sure about your house but in this one we all just a bit happier if we can get outside, even if it just for a small walk around the block.

4. Use Nap-Time to Be Productive:
 It is easy to put the boys down, do the few cleaning items that need to get down, then sit down and watch TV for the next two hours while the boys nap. While this is not all together a bad thing - I have found myself doing this far too often in the past couple months. So to be specific I want to use nap-times to blog more, do a work-out DVD, and spend some time reading. All three of those things help me function better each day - so instead of vegging out in front of a show for two hours I want to stimulate my mind or body for a few hours each day.

Those a my goals for this year, what are yours?

ceconner©12.30.2014

2 comments:

  1. Hi, I find your blog interesting. I have a BBA and I am planning to work as a nanny and making a career out of it. But I don't know if it is worth it with so many competitors out there. Also, I am 34 years old and I don't know if parents nowadays prefer younger nannies. I would like to work with high profile families but don't know how hard is to get those type of jobs. What do you think? Thanks.

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  2. Hey Liz- Thank you for stopping by, reading, and asking questions. Personally I think being a nanny is the most rewarding job ever. Yes there is competitiveness as a nanny, yes there can be stretches of waiting while finding the right fit, and yes you may have to work some not so ideal jobs while working on getting the right one. But there is also comrodary in the nanny community to help each other as well. Your BBA can help you with your hunt for high profile families - especially since a lot of families want an educated nanny. Your age shouldn't be a hindrance as long as you are young at heart. The best way to find what you are looking for it you find an reputable agency - they will help match you to a family with your strengths, they will help protect you with contracts, and they will have the connections to get you where you want to go. Always go with an agency for the kind of family you are looking for. Check out my post here http://nannymag.com/2015/01/04/things-i-wish-someone-had-told-me-before-my-first-day-as-a-nanny/ for other tips on starting out as nanny.

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