Nanny Seeking Family (#101-HF)

Mt. Auburn Nanny seeking full-time employment beginning the end of August. Will be attending school, and available anytime after 11:00 a.m., daily. She is thoughtful, honest and modest and has experience with babies, toddlers, and older children. Loves to read, play piano, scrap-booking and crafts.  She is also available to clean and knows how to sew and cook. She has her own relaible car. She is seeking competitive pay, but it is negotiable depending on number of children and responsibilities.  

To receive a copy of her resume, please email gretaschraer(at)mac(dot)com and reference #101-HF.

High5 Friday: Tips for Your Interview

I have been on the phone with a lot of local Nannies looking for positions these last couple of weeks. Looking for a job in this economic crisis is harder than it has been - Nannies included! In times like these, Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Production. Yes, I said it.... the "Six P's". This is a one of the many "Schraer-isms" my husband - and the other upfront, strong-willed Schraers - are known for. Read it again! So basically what I'm saying is do not go to one interview unprepared!

High5: Tips for Your Interview

5. Current Resume/Portfolio

Make sure that all the information on your resume/portfolio is up-to-date, spell-checked and current. Call your references and make sure they know that you are interviewing and for what type of job. If you doubt they will fulfill this important job... get a new reference! Sometimes your resume proceeds you and it always there after you are gone. Does it speak of your character?....skills?......experience? Adding pictures gives your qualities color and your love for kids is brought to life. 

4. Present Yourself Well

Make sure that your appearance is clean and conservative. Smile. Speak clearly and slowly. Listen carefully and respond with complete answers. Ask your own questions, showing your care for the position.  Show that you are positive, energetic, professional and knowledgeable. 

3. Be Clear About Your Expectations

Save you and the family you are interviewing a lot of time by being honest and to the point about "make or break" items. Not every family/nanny will be a fit, and that is OK. Examples may be: work agreement, salary, health insurance, legal tax with-holdings, discipline matters, cleaning responsibilities, vacation, etc. If there is something that you do not feel comfortable with now is the time to discuss it and get it in writing.

2. Brand Yourself

You have something to offer that no one else has! Figure out what makes you unique in your professional efforts and speak it boldly in person or on paper. Think of three words that describe you. Now re-read your Resume/Portfolio. Will you be remembered of those three things? 

1. Follow-up

If there is a family that you see as a fit, tell them. Soon after your meeting, send a short email or note. Thank them and express why, after meeting them, you feel they are a fit. Take that extra step beyond what your competition may do. If you met the kids, speak about the good things you remember.  Be honest. Be heartfelt. Be memorable. 

More Resources: 

- "Choose the Right Nanny" Interview Tips

-  Developing Nanny Portfolios (must join Nanny Island)

High5 Friday: Summer Toddler Field Trips

Have you ever seen the movie "Story of Us"? It's a crazy-real movie for those that have been through divorce or separation; my parents were divorced when I was 2. Beautiful soundtrack. Memorable monologue delivered by Michelle Pfeiffer to Bruce Willis as a last cry for her family. In the movie, the family sat down at the dinner table and gave their "High-Lows". Each would take a turn telling the single best and worst thing of their day. Loved it! I'd love to do this with my family in the future.

OK, that was a long tangent (with not much of a point).

Here on the CincyNanny blog, we are going to do something similar. We'll celebrate our "High5" each week. So stop back by for more!

High5: Summer Toddler Field Trips

5. Our Neighborhood Park (Julif's) - Beyond regular park activities, we like to walk around the track and meet neighbors. We'll have a snack while sitting on the bleachers taking in an amateur ball game. And, despite the strange looks, I've been known to follow H down the 20 foot metal curly slide. link

4. Totter's Otterville - Though I am a little worn out on our winter staple, I cannot help but have a good time when the boys squeal with joy. That happens EVERYTIME at Otterville. A good mix of outside fun and inside AC! We ride the trolley, play in the balls, go grocery shopping and fishing all in one trip. With 2 year-old triplets it has been a great place to learn how to "eat out" appropriately! link

3. Lunken Playground - Gated, shaded, large, fun playground + airplanes overhead = hours of fun! Down-sides: busy with pre-school groups at times and cost $1/per child. It's a nice treat, though. Take a picnic lunch! link

2. The Cincinnati Zoo - Classic right? We have thoroughly enjoyed our Zoo Classes this year. Getting to meet with a small group and pet animals then go on  a guided, toddler-appropriate tour. The young teacher reinforces colors, shapes, sounds,  and movement with physical, animal examples! Classes fill up fast - so fast that I probably shouldn't have told you about them (sorry J!). link

1. Parky's Wetland Adventure - Pretty simple... water squirting everywhere! What's not to love on a hot summer day? Staffed lifeguards help at this busy location! $2/child and well worth it. They'll be smiling through their purple lips and shivering bodies. link

Check out some of our favorites and please comment on your High5!

Bad Moms, Bad Dads, Whatcha Gonna Do? Whatcha gonna do when I come for you?

Driving down the highway the other day, I look over to see a sight that makes my heart pound out of my chest. Oh, it's not the first time and it won't be the last. But that doesn't take away the horror…. a toddler on a lap. Just thinking about it riles me up again. 

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!?!?!?"

I want to scream at them and sometimes I do (with my windows up). AH!! This graphic picture stays in my mind for days like "The Grudge" when I saw it at the super saver theatre. 

Seriously, there ought to be a website that you could write a complaint - enter a license plate number, make and model, etc - where car seat spies would stalk these "parents" and catch them in their murderous behavior. What a job that would be. I'd sign up. Pure adrenaline alone would make me a scary woman.  

Hopefully we all think it's crazy to let our kidlets ride without a car seat, but how about all those wrongly installed seats and loose straps? Until a year ago, I never went to a formal training, myself. Most of us have just have never been taught. I want to encourage you to take responsibility as a caregiver. According to about.com, "It is estimated that about 80% of car seats are misused, either because a child is in the wrong seat, the seat is installed wrong, or the child in not placed in the seat correctly". I was very surprised when I visited my local fire station for my 30-minute physical instruction, that the seats and straps installed correctly were a lot tighter and constricting than I deemed appropriate. Since that day, I have seen some car seats being misused and have tried to share my new knowledge is a respectful, humble way. Totally worth it.  I know that I am no expert on the subject, but I am now a friendly advocate.

Do you know all you should about Car Seat Safety? Click on the links. Educate yourself. Educate Others. You may save a life! 

Great website for all things safety: Safe Kids USA 

Great blog dedicated to the cause: CarSeatBlog

Frequently Asked Questions, Answered.

Better yet, take that next step and learn how to install a car seat properly! Find the nearest inspection station in your area.

*UPDATED* Aug. Dates Added: Fill-In Nannies

Hyde Park Family needs assistance from some Experienced Nannies as they wait for their Au Pair to arrive Mid-August. Pick up some shifts when you can. Includes taking the 4 year old girl to swim lessons and hanging at the pool a couple hours, taking walks to the park with the 19 month old girl triplets. Very fun and good girls!! Mother is home, occasionally running errands but 6 months pregnant. She will be able to take a couple girls and leave you with a couple. Mommy would love to get out on field trips with ALL the girls to the Museum or Pool! Car is provided. $10/hour.

Family is open to a couple different sitters coming in to assist as available. Please email me (gretaschraer@mac.com) which of the following shifts you can cover, ASAP. I will put your initials by the shifts that you choose. Shifts with initials are covered.

Nannies, please take into account that the family has triplets, the experience will look very good on your resume/portfolio. Families with multiples are always looking for Nannies with "multiples experience."

Let's help this family and pregnant mommy!!

[Schedule has been deleted. Thanks to all the Nannies that helped!]

What is a Nanny?

The Nanny industry is wide and vague.

I read a book last year called "Searching For Mary Poppins" written by women writers about the intense relationships between mothers and nannies - 24 to be exact. 24 different nannies written about by 24 different writing mothers. Great book! I would highly recommend it to anyone navigating through a similar relationship. As I read, I kept looking for myself in these real life stories. And although I did find similar characteristics in many of them, as I closed the book, I was discouraged. I was not there. Did any of these mothers really know me? Instead, I read many other definitions of a Nanny...

Nannies are caregivers that travel with Hollywood stars and give up their own lives to bring up kids on movie sets. Yes. Sometimes.

Nannies are older women that never had their own kids. They instead feel the responsibility to attach themselves to a different family as their own. Yes, sometimes.

Nannies are for parents who don't want to raise their kids. Sad, but sometimes true.

Nannies are British, strict, and run the house in a military-like style. OK. Yes, Sometimes.

Nannies are from countries like Ecuador, the Philippines, and Mexico who leave their own kids to come make better money to send home. They speak little English. Yes, Sometimes.

These stories are true and the Nannies are real, but I am not that Nanny.

Here in Cincinnati, Nannies are thankful to find each other, as they feel few and far between. But the truth is there are many of us. We are here. We are professional. We are important. We have a great responsibility but sometimes feel isolated with no one to look to for support or even a hand up to the next level. I believe for that reason, our job frustrations can get to us and we have no one to turn to for clarification, questions, and help. Instead we join the national average and leave our "long-term" jobs within a couple years of starting. 57.42% of Professional Nannies have been with their families for under 2 years (according to the 2009 INA Salary and Benefits Survey Recap) . Many times, that frustration even causes us to leave the industry all-together. Sometimes the frustrations don't seem worth the calling.

Let's face it, we love kids. Who else would look to another family and say, "Please let me play with your kids for a living." We feel lucky, like we are beating the system. Like we are not really even working. Well until..... one of THOSE days. A day when there is an uncomfortable moment with someone in the family, a disagreement about discipline, or a mountain you are climbing with a child that is not a priority to the parents. But we love these kids, we have grown incredibly attached to them...So, we suck it up. We remind ourselves, "I am not their parent. I am here to carry out the parents' ideals for their children. I have to just do the best with what I have. At the end of the day it is the parents' responsibility." Besides, we ARE learning. We are dealing with challenges. I make mental notes daily as to what I will do the next time around or with my own kids. This mental conversation stays in my head or occasionally vents to my husband or best friend - but they don't really know my situation.

As Nannies, we do not have the fellow employee at the cubical next door. We can't go grab a coffee in the break room, or stand around the "water cooler" and hear how the other employees feel to validate our thoughts. So we let it go (we think). Then maybe it happens again.... and we let it go. "It was nobody's fault", we tell ourselves,"I just have a different opinion." But over time (for most in the first 2 years) it starts to wear on us. The grass starts to look greener on the other side of the fence. "I could work with less kids and be able to give them more attention", "I could make more money", "I could find a family that has THIS or THAT". But is the grass really greener?

After meeting an amazing group of Professional Nannies in the U.S. at the International Nanny Association Conference, I saw myself in a lot of Nannies. I found us! We are wonderful people and there are A LOT of us. I found validation and understanding. I found my "water cooler". I also picked up on some traits that run through our industry. Obviously we love kids. We really love kids! We love them like they are our own. We have great character and want to build that into the kids we are with. We rarely complain. We rarely speak up. Communication is hard, especially if we have don't have a context to compare it to. So we let it go. We are sacrificial, not just for the kids, but for the families as well. We'll do the things the family forgot and never say a word. We'll go to the kid's favorite 'location' every week because the smile on their faces makes all the annoyances go away. If you put together a couple of our common traits - poor communication and sacrificial heart - and you can see why sometimes it looks greener.

As I speak about such things, I realize I am lucky.

First of all, I am currently employed by a professional family that is open and available (I know that is not true for all employer/nanny relationships). We have worked really hard to keep an updated work agreement and daily nanny log. The household is busy, but I have no excuse NOT to communicate. I have failed in my performance many times and have been able to discuss it with them. Very honest conversations about our actions and the "whys" behind them help us to understand each other's situation. Sure there have been times when I could smell that fresh cut green grass, but I know this soil. I have come to trust this soil. Are we perfect? No. Do we always agree? No. But do we respect each other? Yes. It has come over time, so if you are thinking of leaving the children you adore just because it's hard to deal with the parents, my advice to you is don't check out just yet.

Secondly, I now have INA and community of Nanny friends all over the U.S. that I can email or Facebook my questions and frustrations to. I have been able to see that there is a standard. There is community. All of which I am hoping to bring to Cincinnati. The start of this blog is a way to connect us. To give us a local water cooler. And it will expand.

As we build our local community we will bring a clear understanding and standard for what a Nanny is. Who we are. How we can respond to our frustrations. How we can grow as professionals.

So, what is a Nanny? There may not be one definition. Here is mine:

I am a professional. I am part of a family team. I am one of many that will build into the lives of these beautiful, talented children. I need a community. I need respect. I make mistakes. I love children. I want to grow in knowledge. I want to grow as a person. My gifts are unique and therefore I make my job unique. I am faithful. I am affectionate. I am a leader. I serve a True God who gives me forgiveness and guidance. I have a passion to gather Nannies together to share experiences, gather resources, to challenge each other, and of course, play together. I have found my calling. I am a Nanny.

Part-time Position Available (#100-JR)

Pleasant Ridge Family is seeking a  Responsible, Reliable, Energetic Nanny for the 2009-2010 School Year. Hours would be 7:00 a.m. - about 4:00 p.m. on Monday & Tuesday each week (there is some flexibility with the days).   Care is for 6 month old twin boys. Nanny is expected to have experience with infants and good references, but not required to have experience with multiples. Competitive Pay.

If interested, please forward your resume and references to gretaschraer(at)mac(dot)com and reference #100-JR.