These past two summers, I've nannied a five-year-old boy with the craziest of personalities and a knack for creating a mess out of nothing. Needless to say, I have had my work cut out for me. While spending my days with this nut has been fun beyond words, I found myself having some of the same thoughts every day.
1. How are you still moving?
As fun and easygoing as a nannying job can be, we can never assume our days will be anything close to laid-back. Once we arrive, we already know we've got our work cut out for us when all the kids want to do is run around outside. Our first mistake is not getting enough sleep the night before a day on the job. These kids expect nothing less than an alert, energetic nanny that will run around with them nonstop.
2. I really hope he wants to go to the pool today.
Being a nanny can be tough when we run out of things to do with our kids. Going to the pool can take up a huge chunk of the day, and keeps them entertained. Plus, who wouldn't want to get paid for going to the pool?
3. Wow, I'm going to be a great mom. There are moments as a nanny that make us realize we love our job. For me, it's those effortless moments of uncontrollable laughter that get me. Sometimes, my job makes me excited for the future with my own kids.
4. Okay, I don't know if I can ever do this mom thing.
And then, there are moments when we think we may lose our minds. Whether it's the rapidly changing attention spans or the tantrums of our kids, there are times when our job gets the best of us. All I can say is, my mother is a saint.
5. When is nap time?
Nannying kids old enough to stay up all day can be exhausting. I find myself enjoying every second I get to sit down, even if it's just to tie my shoes because my kid wants to go outside.
6. Will we ever make it through an entire movie?
Kids have ridiculously short attention spans, and this becomes very apparent when we sit down to watch a movie, and he wants to do something else five minutes into it. When all your kids want to do is run around, it's tough convincing them to watch a movie in the first place. As nannies, sometimes we really just need some time to sit down and relax, so it becomes very disappointing when it's time to turn off the movie.
7. I physically can't play this game anymore.
And then there are times when they can focus on one thing for longer than we would like. It just so happens that these things they hone in on are the most physically demanding games they can come up with.
8. Why am I enjoying this show?
Do you ever watch those shows with your kids that really only they should enjoy, but you get way too into it? There's always that moment of sudden realization that you probably shouldn't be enjoying "Barney" as much as a five-year-old.
9. What if there were cameras in here?
Are you ever watching your kids and wonder what would happen if their parents could see what you've been doing all day? Maybe they know about the time you forgot the dog was outside, or they're disappointed in how little you left the house or went outside on a certain day. It's a scary kind of paranoia.
10. He's probably freaked out about how many pictures I've taken of him.
Today's version of nannying is basically a photo shoot through Snapchat. We can't resist documenting the cute and funny things our kids do to share them with our friends, no matter how many times they ask why we are doing that.
