When you hire a nanny in Orange County (OC), you expect her (or him) to help you with home chores and taking care of your children. However, very few people understand nannies also face challenges in life. I am not a nanny but I tried a week in the nanny life just to understand some of the challenges they face. It was the first week after children had just gotten back to school after long holidays. I learned that the nanny career has a lot of challenges and here are just some of them.
Noise levels
While there may not be too much noise between the home office and the entire home, small kids are bound to make a lot of noise. They make noise when playing and sometimes communicate through crying. As a nanny, you should not feel the need to keep the kids quieter than in other households. You should also be calm and this noise should not irritate you. However, you should also know normal noise and noise that could indicate harm to the kids. If a child has been crying for hours, you should know that there is something wrong and try to solve it.
Saving questions
When parents are at home, a nanny can be tempted to interrupt them with too many questions that would be saved until the next day. It is important to remember etiquette regarding interrupting the parents. Nannies for hire should know when to ask questions and when to save questions for the next day.
Know presence
The parents’ presence in the home will not be a secret from the kids. The kids will still know that their parents are around even if they are not in sight. For a nanny to lead the kids effectively, it is important for the parents to corporate in not giving in to numerous demands by the kids for their attention. Some parents just do not understand this and they make it difficult for the nanny to lead the kids.
Listening ear
Nannies that work when parents are not home are usually independent. They can make small decisions on their own and they can plan their day as they want. However, a challenge may arise when a nanny has to work when parents are home. First, the nanny finds it challenging to clean the house when adults are using some rooms. Then there is the problem of getting a lot of questions from parents. The nanny should therefore be very attentive in case the parents want something.
Adjusting working hours
Some nannies are forced to work up to very late until their parents get home. That is how their agreement was – the nanny should leave after the parent arrives from work. But due to unpredictable weather and traffic, parents get home late sometimes. This means that the nanny has to adjust her own schedule to accommodate the lateness of the parent.
Roles and duties
Most homeowners assume that a nanny OC can do anything as long as it is a home chore. Nannies find it difficult to refuse especially after becoming part of the family. However, some parents go overboard and assign nannies with work that is out of the agreement.
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