Opinions, Thoughts, feelings please!

Ok yall, please indulge me, this is not a nanny story, but is does have to do with children.  I would like your opinions and thoughts on something I heard on the news the other morning.  It is called "Lunch Shaming" For those of you that don't know what lunch shaming is it when a child doesn't have enough money for lunch their hot lunch is taken away and they are given a cold sandwich and milk or juice.   I am not sure what the answer is, but I would like your thoughts and opinions.  How do you think this issue should be handled?

Thanks for reading!

SS

Ps: here is an article from Fox News about it.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/13/lawmakers-push-to-end-lunch-shaming-at-schools.html

Bad Nanny Sighting - Frustration With Hydration - In Manhattan!

About an hour ago I saw someone's nanny on 22nd St between 5th and 6th Ave in Manhattan being less than gentle with a quiet toddler having trouble with his apparently new "sippy bottle". After harshly telling him that it was the same as his other cups and warning him not to tilt it, she forcefully pushed the long silver bottle-like container (shiny chrome bottle with straw feature) down into his hand. She frustratingly said "I keep telling you over and over". Disgusted, she slows the stroller down to do this with him. No compassion--nothing the mother of these two children would expect to see. There were 2 children: the toddler brother was forward facing on the nanny's left and the infant was rear-facing in the infant seat on the nanny's right. She was a Black woman with a Caribbean accent very short curly haircut (curls with scalp showing) wearing a quilt-stitch brown jacket that covered her backside. She had on dark blue jeans and ankle high weather boots--quite fashionable. She was between 5' 6" and 5' 10" tall with dark brown skin. If not terminated, she should be observed very closely. How do you treat someone else's child like that on city street? Makes me wonder how she treats the poor fellow behind closed doors!

So What Is a Blog?

This article may be helpful to understand what we are doing here...


Let’s begin with some definitions. A bit dry, we realize, but this is a necessary evil. First we’ll define the word this whole site is based around – blog.

A blog is a frequently updated online personal journal or diary. It is a place to express yourself to the world. A place to share your thoughts and your passions. Really, it’s anything you want it to be. For our purposes we’ll say that a blog is your own website that you are going to update on an ongoing basis. Blog is a short form for the word weblog and the two words are used interchangeably.

Originally blogs were known primarily as places for people to write about their day-to-day activities. Their mundane, everyday tasks became fodder for journal entries. Somehow these writers gained a following and the hobby of blogging was born. Today people write about far more interesting topics, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Who Blogs?

So who are these fearless people who would be willing to post about their lives in as public a forum as the Internet? They are people just like you. Once the haven of technical know-it-alls, blogging has suddenly caught-on as a legitimate hobby and has entered the mainstream. Every day millions of people, some of whom have no technical ability whatsoever, write on their blogs.

To meet this demand some amazing tools have been created that will allow anyone, even people with very little knowledge of computers, to have their own blog. If you can find your way onto the Internet and follow some basic instructions you can have your own blog. It’s just that easy.
Why Do People Blog?

So you may be asking why anyone would want to have their own blog. We believe the answer lies in the fact that every human has a voice and wishes their voice to be heard. The Internet is a medium that is unparalleled in its reach. Never before have average people like you or me been able to reach a global audience with so little trouble. Bloggers have the opportunity of reaching hundreds or even thousands of people each and every day.

There are still many people who like to share the details of their days. They may post twenty or thirty times a day, detailing when they ate lunch and when they headed home from work. On the other hand there are bloggers who give almost no detail about their lives, but write instead about a hobby or interest of theirs. They may dedicate their blog to something they are passionate about.

In fact, today’s blogs can provide hair tips, up-to-date news, technical information, celebrity scandal, political rumor, gets people involved in volunteering, advice on investments as well as there being blogs about niche topics like cooking, health, gardening, sport, blogging blogs (this blog) and of course many personal blogs and quite a few strange blogs.

http://blogbasics.com/what-is-a-blog/

Just a little bit of History that involves a Nanny!

THE WHITE PRINCESS - and The Present Queen - descended from a nanny! (Katherine Swynford )

Many fans are enjoying this romp thru history about Elizabeth of York, the mother of King Henry VIII. A fun fact many people do not know is that she and her husband the king - Henry VII were descended from a nanny! They called it being a governess, but the same duties applied.

This all happened in the 14th century, Katherine became the nanny to John of Ghaunts wife Blanche who was sick, He was a handsome prince and soldier, son of Edward III. Katherine was very beautiful with reddish hair, but her successful road to power was not easy. They waited till Blanche passed away to have their affair and she had 4 children 3 boys and a girl - all given the name BEAUFORT. But john was very proud and arrogant and wanted to make a powerful marriage which he did to a queen, and Katherine's reputation was ruined for a time but she was careful and patient.

But later when that wife died John relented and married Katherine, slowly she fought the sneers and insults about her birth and she and her children became very powerful and royal, eventually the ancestors of England 's and Scotland's and Spain's royal kings and queens - all descended from the nanny Katherine Swynford.

Nanny needs advice...

I need advice on how to deal with a 2 year old who screams bloody murder EVERY time we separate him from mom. Mom is frustrated, I'm frustrated, and we thought it could be a phase or he would grow out of it but its been a long time.

How can we make the transition better? How can we help him be less clingy of mom when I'm not here? I feel terrible for her because, while I know she loves her children more than anything, this poor woman can get nothing done without him needing to be with her, and if he cant he screams. There is no middle ground!!!

Thanks!

suggestions please!

Hello, 

I am not currently a nanny, (I have been a baby sitter in my teenage years and worked at a day care, I am now 26) I would like some advice on becoming a nanny.  Are there classes I should take? What is the best way to find a nanny job?  Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!!

Thank you!

what to do?

I am a full time nanny for a 3 year old and 5 month old baby. Upon arrival of newborn- parents offered me a raise ($13 for both boys and $11 for when I just have the baby). Starting in June 3 year old will be in school 3 full days a week which will significantly lower my paycheck. They sprung the preschool bit on me after the fact (raise)

Frustrated Nanny needs advice

I feel so frustrated and depressed. I've been working in the Upper West Side for almost a year being the nanny to a 8 year old kid. More like the mom really because they work really long hours and are never around. They make a LOT of money and the kid goes to a top private school (tuition of nearly $50.000 a year). Parents have very successful jobs but yet I only get paid $20 an hour off the books part time, since kid is at school 9hs. I was never offered the opportunity to be on the books but I have decided it's time for me to step up for myself and have a talk with them. I have no benefits whatsoever, no meals included, no overtime when kid is off school working more than 40hs. I am a very hard working person who have struggled a lot to come to this country and be where I am today. I have worked my but off for countless of other families and different jobs. At the moment I'm working towards my bachelors in science and boy it's hard to juggle it all together. I feel I do so much more than what their parents do for their kid in terms of bringing love and a sense of connection to his life. I only work part time and not only a nanny but running errands, grocery shopping and cooking. It's been almost a year and no raise conversation, no birthday present, very low Christmas bonus of $300. Considering I'm practically raising their kid and the one who spends the most hours with him during the week, for a Manhattan nanny working for an upper class family with just one kid that have a way above high standard of living and high income I'm getting ripped off. I do not even live In Manhattan and cannot make ends meet anymore with this wage. Truth is I need to pay my bills and being on the books and a raise is something I deserve to give myself dignity and power to other nannies doing what we do and be seen as a what it is: a very important job, a professional.

Please I need to urgently know what is a reasonable but decent rate to charge for families of this type and what benefits should I ask for.


Kindly,


Frustrated nanny

Gracious Me Academy's Anna Minter weighs in on being a nanny!

I am very excited to weigh in on the subject of being a nanny. In 1980, when my sons were 1 month, 14 months, and 3 ½, I left a very promising career with AT&T (complete with bountiful benefits) to stay home and become a nanny. Armed with various crafts, audio story and song cassettes, toys, educational workbooks, and miniature furniture, I felt prepared and excited for my new venture. Our outside yard looked like a park with a huge slide and clubhouse/ tree house and sandbox. I had been to night school for early childhood development classes, I am bi-lingual, I am patient and loving, I was CPR trained and my home was certified. I was ready to start accepting new charges or was I? Did I mention that I was only 23 years of age when I started?

Our home was situated on an acre just outside of Los Angeles, north of Burbank, Ca. The rural landscape provided a perfect setting for farm animals and lots of healthy children’s activities. In no time, I had 10 children in my home (8 in diapers)I might have been over my certification limit at various times.I didn’t know how to say no (besides the money was great) I recruited a friend to assist. Life was great for the first few months.

Within the first 6 months my friend abandoned ship, my husband helped when he could. Without so much as two words I accepted an acquaintance to join forces. Without a proper background check and training, she proved to be more trouble than help. She stated bossing ME around and called in sick and wanted me to continue to pay her on days she did not show up. Soon I was on my own again. I couldn’t quit because first, I truly did not want to leave my children with anyone but me, second, I had made an investment into equipment, third, I was making money, and most important to me, I was no quitter. My reputation was building and I did not have to advertise for new enrollees, so I braved on.

Truth be told, it was extremely difficult. I persevered for 5 years, until I literally had a nervous breakdown. I went to my Dr. because I was losing so much weight and my hair was falling out. He told me my stress level was out of control.

In hindsight here is what I learned: My children were suffering because I would get to them last they were on the bottom of the totem pole. No one was coming to pick up my kids, so I was just keeping them busy until all the other children’s needs were met and their parents came. By the time the last child was wiped clean, packed-up and retrived, I was too exhausted to give the proper nurturing to my own children. I had not set limits for space, I put babies in my children’s cribs and in spite of cleanliness (I had hired a part time-housekeeper) we had contracted head lice, including me. I shut down for 2 weeks and took the furniture out shaved my sons’ heads and cut my hair. Every day we were disinfecting toys and washing loads of laundry. Weekends were spent getting ready for the upcoming week. Parents did not have the understanding for my workload. They often came late or did not show up for care most times not even calling and I had not set limits for them to pay on days missed.

What I learned is that many parents had their own guilt about leaving their children in someone else’s care. Pretty soon the good cop, bad cop game would start-up. Parents wanted to play best friend with their children and wanted me to hold the line of strict discipline. My best foot forward, I opted to error on the side of patience and nurture so that the children would feel love and security in my care. But it all came at a cost. Rearing our own children is challenging enough, adding a house full of other children started causing resentment. We were limited as to where we could go and often missed out on family fun during the week even weekends due to kid overload. I was burning out.

After 5 years of working as a Nanny, I took the advice of my doctor and resigned. I can honestly say, in good conscience, parents and children alike were saddened that I could no longer continue. But, here’s the thing, no one seemed to fully appreciate all the work and care that went into rearing their children in their absence. This added insult to injury.

All in all I learned so much caring for children. I gained skills and pulled on my gift and strength of patience. 5 years later I would become an elementary school, kindergarten teacher. Fast-forward to today and I have now retired from teaching. The ironic thing, I have been considering returning to the nanny field. This time I do not have children of my own to contend with.

Taking the skills I learned as a nanny helped me greatly in the classroom. But the greatest take away was the interpersonal skills I refined as a nanny. Dealing with parents and children alike gave me the idea to write children’s books with an emphasis on manners. As educators, we work to help mold the little ones. Why not take advantage of the fact that we have their attention and the opportunity to touch their hearts. What a noble opportunity. In our current cultural climate, it’s nice to know that people still care about modeling kindness and making a difference.

For what it's worth, here are my words of wisdom to you: remember to keep your own “oxygen mask” on for self-care and self-respect because you are doing a notable and very worthy job. You’ll need every ounce of self-preservation in order to give out; you can’t give what you don’t have. I had to learn this the hard way. I do appreciate your choice to nurture and from one who worked “in the trenches” Thank you!

©2017 Anna Minter - GraciousMeAcademy

Rant or Venting....Just a little irritated....am I overreacting?

Hello All,

I just wondered if anyone has the same issue with this as I do. (I am a mom with nearly grown children, as well as a nanny for a 4yr old)

Yesterday, I was at an Easter/Spring party and they had someone dressed as the Easter Bunny.  This bunny helped the kids with the egg hunt and was available for pictures, there was a line for the bunny pictures and while most kids were happy to sit with the bunny, some were not.  Now, here is where my irritation comes in.  The parents of children that wanted no part of the bunny would force their children (while screaming) to sit for a picture with the bunny.  How is that fun for the child?

I don't understand how these parents can not see that they are traumatizing their children.  Am I wrong?

Not Just a Mom.

Stick This Out? Or Go For Better!

I need some advice, I have been a nanny for 5 years since my early 20's. I have had some awesome families,the longest being one I had been with for 3 years part time. I told my last family I was moving so they found another nanny. I am moving as my other half is in the military but it's taking longer than I thought. So I picked up another family and I am miserable. The mom is so overbearing and works from home and comes running anytime the baby cries even if nothing is wrong. Also she won't let me take him for a small walk past the front gate. I am trying to stick this out as we are moving in 2 months. Do I stick it out or leave? I feel completely undermined. All my other families trusted me to take the kids on walks and more, but now I am stuck in a house not only with a 10 month old but the mother too. HELP

Question for our readers...

In our interview with Anna Martinez-Minter yesterday, she her most challenging part of being a nanny was "having to deal with the parents that felt guilty about not being there and the parents would try to be the child's "friend" and wanted to leave the child rearing to me. I felt like we were playing good cop, bad cop and I was always the bad cop.'

What is the most challenging part of your Nannying job?

Staying out of pity?

Hi all, I have a dilemma I am getting mixed advise about and thought I'd ask others. I have been nannying p/t for a teen with special needs M-Friday for almost two years. I was actually supposed to move last year so the family was happily surprised when I signed on for another year. Now I am saving money for a house and need more income. I am literally only making $200 a week which is fair since I work only 2 hours daily. The issue now is that the mom has been going through chemo for this whole year so I only work every other week.. My fiance thinks I should quit and find another job but I like routine and become loyal to families so I want to ask the parents about either paying me for the weeks I don't work or raising my weekly fee to 300 or I may have to quit. My parents think it would be offensive to ask this but I feel like I can't stay out of pity without a raise and I've been working for them for 2 years and I am SURE they have a very hard time finding babysitters and can't easily replace me. Help!

Regards,
Staying out of pity?

Nanny turned Author Interview

We had a chance to chat with Anna Martinez-Minter about how she went from being a Nanny to a published author of her popular children's book "MABLE SETS THE TABLE".

How long were you a nanny? I was a nanny for 12 years. I did every type of Nannying...from live in to nannying at my home with children staying overnight.

How did you go from being a Nanny to being an author? I truly enjoyed teaching my charges and making learning fun for them. This was my passion and I found a writing group that encouraged me, (I first ended up with a publisher that took control over my book and my writing group helped me with that situation as well and I learned how not to make that mistake again)

What is your specialty as a children's author? focusing on manners helping build a child's "toolbox" of important life skills.

What do you believe are the most important example of manners? Kindness, Awareness outside themselves, Making "please" and "thank you" automatic, Learning to say "I am sorry" and mean it, and being available to help others.

What was the most challenging part of being an nanny? having to deal with the parents that felt guilty about not being there and the parents would try to be the child's "friend" and wanted to leave the child rearing to me. I felt like we were playing good cop, bad cop and I was always the bad cop.

What was your favorite part? Being able to influence the children in everything that I believe is important aka being a Modern Day Mary Poppins.

How do you become an author? WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. Watch your charges, they are a wealth of information. They will be your best influence.

Here is a link to her website Gracious Me Academy

http://www.graciousmeacademy.com/

Thank you Miss Anna Martinez- Minter, We appreciate the time you took to chat with I Saw Your Nanny and we look forward to more of your stories!

Thanks for reading!

SS

FAVORED

I have had a nanny job for 3 months and I really need it but there is a part that makes me really uncomfortable.

The younger brother is 4 and the older brother is 7, I am mainly hired for the younger brother, gladly, but I do have to deal with the older brother who I believe is unruly and mean. I always have a fun day with 4 yr old and then when 7 gets home at about 3 by carpool, I constantly have to make sure he does not attack 4 yr old, calls him names, smacks the side of his head, even says " I should kill you!", One time 7 yr said to me - first week - "feel free to smack him anytime you want, I do". Now 7 yr old has many activities and my time with him is limited - Thank goodness for that. The dad works so much I rarely see him, but the mom does get home from work and keeps me there about an hour till she is settled and when 7 yr old says these things to his brother she says in sing song voice "not nice" or ignores it, etc. Now, I am careful to see if 4 yr is ever injured and he is not that I can see - no bruises, and I do what I think best - he adores me - i would do anything for him. But am I doing enough? I need this job. What do I do? thank you

Spring Boredom Busters

Hey Bloggers!

I found this on Pinterest and thought I would share....

It has some pretty cool things to do with your charges!

Thanks for Reading!

SS

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/95349717092637092/

Finding a Nanny/babysitter for a child with Diabetes

Jasmine Burns, a RN has sent us this article to post about finding a babysitter (Nanny) for a child with diabetes. It is a very thorough article. She would like some feedback from us.

this is the email we received from her..

"Thank you for getting back.
Here is the editorial piece we are working on https://www.thediabetescouncil.com/finding-a-babysitter-for-your-child-with-diabetes/

I was wondering if you can take a look and let us know if there is anything missing or if there is anything that we need to change/add/modify.

We have done our best to cover everything but we want to ensure that we are putting out the right information out there.

Your feedback will help over half a million readers with diabetes"