Tag Archives: Childcare

Nanny Diaries: Stage five clinger

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When you are putting a baby to bed it’s important to be there just enough so it knows that everything is okay, but still be able to pull away in order to make your exit.

Being a nanny is a lot like this.

You have to spend all of this time with this little creature (I’m calling him creature because his cries  do not sound human) and know that at the end of the day it’s just a job.

Yes, you may be with him/her for a few birthdays, keep in touch with the family afterwards, be there for a couple of milestones…but at the end of the day you go home and the parents reap all of the benefits.

Nannying is basically renting a baby, except you get paid. You put all of this effort into bettering something you don’t keep. (Please note I am not saying I want a baby to keep!) It’s sometimes hard to to see the benefits, or even feel like you’re bettering yourself.

As much as I love this little monster, I can’t help but feel there is something more productive I could be doing. It’s fun to write about the annoyances, concerns and major milestones…but how is it going to help me in the end. And, as time goes on saying goodbye will just be more difficult…I already refer to him as my baby (yes I know I have a problem…but for now you can just suck it).

So, I hate to say it…but I think I’m the clinger in our relationship. Although he does still monkey grip my arms every time I try to leave.

Nanny Diaries: Meet Jabba the Hutt

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When I started taking care of this adorable little boy I had no idea what I was getting myself into. From feeding to blow outs, it was all a surprise. However, today we are focusing on the latter.

Every time I say feeding I think of a fat piglet chowing down a troth full of scraps and gravy drippings. Feeding a three-month old is basically the same thing, just messier.

First, if you can’t get to the bottle fast enough he turns into a screaming alien, hands flailing, face turning red…and then comes the head butts. It’s like he knows to go for my nose, the side with the nose ring obviously.

Once we are seated, burp cloth in place, baby in arm, bottle in hand, he starts doing this weird mouth thing, similar to this. That’s how I came to the decision that all babies (until about a year) are really Jabba the Hutt offsprings. Think about it..

All they do is lay around and eat. They are covered in fat rolls, and when they laugh it takes more effort then it should. They slither everywhere, parents (or nanny) are basically slaves who will do anything to please them, and although they are cute…you can’t help but be a little terrified. Yes, I just called Jabba the Hutt cute but terrifying.

And that, my loyal readers, is how I am a nanny to a three-month old offspring of Jabba the Hutt. Stay tuned for next week: “Nanny Diaries: Can an exorcism be performed on a baby?”

Nanny Diaries: Intro

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After I graduated from college I was going to move to New York, find some high paying job writing (HAH) and live in a studio close (if not identical) to Carrie’s. Funny how things turn out.

Instead I’m being motorboated by an eight-week old, spit up on, and now have various shirts that smell like poop. And the poop isn’t mine. In a world where it’s all about who you know, I somehow ended up on the short end of the stick.

After four weeks of not working, and not being able to find something that I would enjoy, I decided to give being a nanny a whirl. Because it wasn’t my first choice I was picky…I only  wanted a baby (because babies are cute), I wanted as many hours as possible, I want to find parents that I could talk to if there was an overlap, and I wanted to be comfortable.

On the last week of September I found just that, we met at Starbucks (already a good sign), she is close to my age (kind of), and her baby boy is the cutest baby boy I have ever seen. It was love at first sight, I had him smiling and he had me wrapped around his little pudgy baby fingers (literally).

It’s been an interesting three (going on four) weeks, I’ve learned a bit about myself (surprisingly I can keep calm in stressful situations) and have maybe discovered what it is I want to do (although that is a bit more iffy than the above).

So in lieu of my new job title I’m going to start a new “Nanny Diaries” post once a week. Sorry this one wasn’t exciting or cute. Stay tuned for next weeks post “Nanny Diaries: Meet Jabba the Hut”

Is it bad to get comfortable?

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Whenever I have reached a point in my life where I can rest, and stop worrying, things always tend to get shaken up. And usually, not in a good way. It’s as if the fates are pushing me to never settle.

But what if, just for right now, comfortable is good enough? What if I’m tired of trying to be better, and just want to be average? Isn’t that allowed every once in awhile?

In this very moment, I’m content. I’m not thinking about my life in ten years, what career decisions I need to make in order to stay on top, or who I should be connecting with. I’m taking one day at a time while spending it with an adorable ten week old baby ( for the record the baby is not mine, I’m just their nanny). Is that such a bad thing?