Tip #1: Positivity Is Key

Okay well I'm still taking suggestions if anyone has them. I do think I had a comment issue over the weekend, so if you tried making a suggestion it just didn't work, I apologize.


So anyway, it recently occurred to me that being a nanny is almost like being some kind of life coach. For me personally, I have to encourage the mother almost as much as the kids. My employer was never around children and knew very little about them. She's picked it up pretty as much as she goes along and is doing fairly well.


A prime example of this entire concept is what I am doing right now: potty training. (Squeamish readers may want to exit at this time.) Camila just finished day 3. Since we got the plan for "3-Day Potty Training", her mother assumed we would be completely done and fancy-free at this time. We're not.


Don't get me wrong, Camila is doing very well in that from the very first accident, she knew to go to the potty and has even asked to sit and try. Today she made #2 for the first time since we started, IN the potty with dry panties! The main problem is that she doesn't recognize when she has to go #1 until she is already going. It starts, she yells "Pee-pee in the potty!" and tries to run. If I pick her up and run her to the toilet she can stop it but she can't stop it while running so the poor baby just kind of waddles. She manages to stop it and finishes in the potty. But I seriously have never seen a child so motivated and mentally invested in it. She WANTS to do this, she just can't get the feel of the controls. I vote we stick with it until she gets it because mentally, she is already there, she's just trying to catch up on the physical side.


As some of you know, this is a good start. Some kids utterly refuse, some sneak off and hide to wet themselves, some just aren't interested. We are blessed!


But still, every night, I've had to give her mom a pep talk via text. I assure her she's doing well, point out the areas that have improved, and remind her we can do it. (And discourage her from even CONSIDERING bringing the diapers back out!) She calms down and says she'll trust me on it, admitting that she does see improvement. Let me state that she was the one that wanted to do it, I just said I would support her and be up for it whenever she decided to do it. I did not push her into it and am not having to push her to support my idea.


This is true of pretty much every situation. A lot of nannies work for new parents, and a lot of them are new to children in general from what I hear. They need encouragement.

One more thing: it takes a lot of work to stay positive yourself. For instance, there is a very snide part of me that wonders why her mother gets so overwhelmed after two hours on her own when I am working 9 hour days this week, with her home only for short breaks. How do I end up giving HER pep talks? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

But I have the experience to encourage me, I know that we can do this. She doesn't. It's entirely new territory to her. So sometimes even if I don't feel positive, I have to BE positive.

And YES! Her mother texted me as I was writing this and said that Camila tried to go before bed and couldn't. She asked to go again as they laid her down and didn't. She called out shortly after and this time she went, dry panties and all! THEN she just texted me again and said she WOKE UP and called for them to come get her (she's still in a crib) and take her potty. It took them a minute to get in there so she dribbled a little but HOW AWESOME is that???? YAY!

See? Positivity works!!!!