As many know, we made the decision not to put Kevin back in daycare after his femur fracture. There's too many risks right now, and the large classroom didn't fit our vision for what is right for him right now.
So I decided to look for a nanny to come to our home and stay with him during the day.
There were a few things that were very important to us when selecting our nanny:
1 - Must have at least an associate's degree in early childhood education
2 - Must be willing to take on an energetic toddler who needs some special attention
3 - Can do playtime and classroom time
4 - Gives our son the support he needs at home, and is NOTHING like us
Kevin gets a lot of our personality at home, so finding someone who is opposite from us will give him a different kind of nurturing.
We were lucky to find someone who met all of our needs. Sarah is an ESU grad, who spent years teaching 3 to 5 year olds in early intervention programs. When the state of PA cut funding, she was laid off, and is currently going back to school in the evening for her masters.
As I tell people about her, I find my refering to her as "our nanny" and I gotta tell you, it feels very weird to say that. It is a pretty significant expense, and therefore implies that we have a lot of money (which we don't!). Talking about "our nanny" also feels a little snobby, but referring to her as "the babysitter" doesn't give her the credit for the work she doing to continue her education.
I'm also SO aware of what she thinks of us. I read the book and saw the movie, and I don't want to be "Mrs. X" to her! So as much as I want to be her friend, I also realize that she's kind of an employee. It's an interesting dynamic that I didn't think about before deciding to go down the nanny route.
I'm sure it's all in my head, because she seems very comfortable with us, our friends, and in our home. I guess what I should go for is to make her part of our little family since she is spending so much time with the most important family member.
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