SUNDAY'S STORY CORNER: She's My Nanny Too

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It's Sunday, which is quickly becoming my favourite day of the week because it means getting to share wonderful stories with all of you! This week's story comes to us from Marina. Marina lives in Toronto with her husband and three children. Here's Marina's story:


When Arlene stepped into our home, I was at the point of desperation for child care (and panic attack pending), as there was no time for me to do a proper welcome ("show not tell") with my then 1 year old, my teen, my home. 

 The previous nanny that I had invested 6 months of paper-work in, did not 'work out'. I was going back to work the following Monday. The only advice regarding how to have a successful nanny experience I ever got was from a family member with two kids and numerous women from the Philippines that each stayed 2 years to the day in their household: BE FIRM, LOAD UP THE TO DO LIST, NEVER LET THEM FULLY UNPACK. What?! In his view (his wife agreed too), this was a tug of war kind of relationship, where he was to max out on the value of his minimal wage pay by completely overwhelming the nanny upon arrival. Then a year later (according to him) when the nanny would start getting 'loose'; talking to her friends and learning she was overdoing it, there would still be sufficient work done. I observed this, when on rare occasion being present for kids' birthday celebrations... "This can't be right" was always my parting thought. 

I left for my first day of work, post mat leave, on a miserably cold and grey day, giving minimal instructions: keep my son dry & fed, play with him a bit, perhaps go on a quick outing in a stroller for some fresh air, do the baby load of laundry...my teen will make a sandwich for himself, and I will whip up a dinner when I come back home. 

When did I know this, and all of our subsequent nanny experiences would be different from what I had heard and far more fulfilling? When I opened the front door after work to my toddler giggling; engrossed in an activity on the carpet. He was screeching in delight "Ayene, Ayene!" (his version of Arlene), then proudly showed me his tall stacked tower. But there was something else that I noticed that gave me an absolute comfort that this indeed was a stellar match -- we were going to have a great time: filling the kitchen with comfort food flair, on the stove was a dish with the pipping hot Chinese egg drop soup. I felt like my own fairy god-mother showed up, taking care of me too. 

 Our nanny THOUGHT of us all, on her first day of work, she truly was a nanny to us all. 


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I am SO excited to have my son, Logan, provided with the one-on-one care of a nanny in our home. The process of recruiting and keeping a nanny seems intimidating at times and there are so many things to think about and consider. The goal of my blog is to support, encourage and empower parents who are considering and pursuing the path of a nanny.

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Hi! (not sure the exclamation mark was necessary, but I'm just excited to say hello). My name's Jenn. I am a passionate mom, non-profit executive, real estate hobbiest, and athlete. I'm an enthusiastic person with a growth mindset. I love learning and growing every day!

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I'm Jenn. I'm a mom, animal lover (vegan), and non-profit leader who is all about sharing resources and having FUN. I lead an active lifestyle that includes a plant-based diet and lots of running, cycling, swimming, outdoor recreation, kayaking, and all things active and outdoors.

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