The Days Are Long But The Years Are Short

 

Have you heard that saying “the days are long but the years are short”? As a nanny it is even more true. Perhaps you are working 10 hours a day. It can seem like every day is so long. You have to keep kids occupied and entertained at times. You have to accomplish household tasks, keep parents satisfied, and instill some training and structure into those precious kids. Then, all of the sudden the kids are in school, or they are driving and your time with them comes to an end. Yes, the majority of us are able to build connections with our families that last well after our employment has ended with them. You have invested into the lives of their children and that cannot be taken away. So on the days when you have lost sight of how quickly your time with your nanny family will be over, let me remind you to slow down and enjoy the days you have with them.

 

Capture Moments

There is a current challenge right now in social media to post black and white pictures of everyday life. The rules suggest that you don’t include people. I would offer this suggestion. Don’t just capture the milestone moments. Take pictures of the everyday moments as well. Take pictures of your nanny child playing at the park, snuggled up reading a book that you taught him how to read. Take pictures of her twirling around in the dress-up clothes you pulled out for her to play with. Capture them deeply engrossed in the art project you are making for mom and dad. These pictures can be priceless not just for you but also for sharing with mom and dad.

 

Make Eye Contact

I read a suggestion to make extra eye contact with your child(ren). Whether listening to them tell you about their imaginary fairy tale story, how they shot the bear with their imaginary rifle (complete with accompanying noises) or just cooking dinner while they work on homework, find ways to connect with them visually. This will help them feel connected, listened to AND HEARD, valued and important. It will help you to really slow down and pay attention to what they are telling you and help you to really hear what they are sharing.

Build Room Into Your Schedule

Whether building room for extra time to get ready so that you are not rushing the children out the door and feeling stressed by time constraints, or building time to have spontaneous fun (yes, plan for spontaneity), don’t be afraid to readjust your schedule. I love the saying, rules are made for breaking, but reality is, I like to follow some of the rules. I like structure and routine. However, don’t be bound to it. Leave room to surprise your little people. Yes, routines and structure build safety and they are so important. Teaching your nanny children to go with the flow, plan for fun and enjoy the occasional surprise that life can bring are also super important lessons. As long as they know that they can trust you then they will be able to relax.

 

Be Sure To Laugh

Make sure that you look for the silly sayings and write them down. Look for the little things. Savor the moments because “the days are long but the years are short”.