The Nanny Life: Take Time For Yourself
Hey nanny, take time for yourself!
By. Macie R. (@simplemac6)
“ Attention all you nannies:
Are you ever just tired?
Like fall the fuck out exhausted? “
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Have you ever wanted to crawl into the dryer and nap because no ione will ever think to look for you there?
Or maybe you have heard one too many screams from a child today and you honestly considered throwing yourself into oncoming traffic?
Well I’m here to let you know you aren’t alone and no, you aren’t crazy! (At least not yet)
Wow, I mean… KIDS. Holy shit dicks.
They are these tiny humans (more like gremlins) that manage to suck the living day lights out of you, and not even give a rats ass.
They never stop going. They never stop shouting or spitting or slobbering on your coffee table or smiling those goofy two teeth smiles. They just don’t ever STOP.
I mean by 5 PM I’m barely scraping myself off of the ground at the end of the day? Yet those little creatures keep on chugging along. And let’s not forget that after work, we have our own lives. WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN. We so easily put our personal lives on the back burners.. We have our own families and tasks and TV shows (sytycd) to watch and laundry(that never ends) to fold and dishes that are piling up to the ceiling.
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How can you even find the energy? Where does it come from? Because we all manage to dig deep and find it! We just pull it out of nowhere.
Sigh, Even though I’d love to think I can handle EVERYTHING UNDER THE BRIGHT YELLOW SUN, truth be told, I cannot. Even I crack. Like really crack. Wide ass open.
I can’t remember the last time I woke up after 10 and was in bed before midnight.. Or a day where my feet didn’t ache or my head wasn’t pounding.. WHERE IS THAT LIFE? Where is that paradise island?!? SOS I AM OVER HERE!!
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To be honest, I’m just a walking zombie. Well, a uber cheery ass zombie. But a zombie none the less.
I know us nannies and even moms are just climbing to the top day by day. I know we are wearing so much armor and baby formula that our knees are shaking, but we never fall. We may have some cracks, some exposed pieces, but we are still whole. And for that, I am damn proud.
I think I’d like to take a moment to encourage every mom and nanny out there to remember what makes them laugh, remember how to feel alive. Remember the things that make you want to wake up in the mornings. Take those vacations. Take those car rides around the block just to get out of the house. Go lay out in the kitchen and shove your face full of left over lasagna and not give a flying shit. Just find your you time. (Even if a kid is dangling at your side)
YOU DESERVE IT.
The Nanny Life: Dealing With Needy Kids
Dealing with a needy kid is like scratching an itch that won't go away.
By, Macie R. (@simplemac6)
“You have a stage 5 clinger on your hands.”
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No I’m not talking about the girlfriend/boyfriend type. I’m talking about the kid up your ass with a spiked bat type.
The pain in your side.
The one child that just sets your mood from great to not so great.
I have been dealing with this a lot as of late. I have one child in particular who SCREAMS at the top of her lungs the moment her mom drops her off in the AM. (Most kids don’t like to leave their mom so I understand the initial cry) but this screaming and whining and neediness doesn’t stop until she is walking out of the door at 5pm. (Can you say a long day)
She trails behind me all day long saying my name and begging me to hold her. I strictly have a no babying policy because it isn’t fair for one child to get more attention than the others.
Alas, It’s been a really big struggle for me because I do feel awful that she has such anxiety when it comes to separation but when is enough enough?
I’m trying to speak to her calmly and be as gentle when approaching her as humanly possible, but it tends to get extremely taxing.
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A child’s cry would be the soundtrack playing in the background of my personal hell. Truly.
Mind you this child is new to me and I have only had her about two months.. so again, Ive been understanding, but she is throwing off my entire vibe and all of the other kids vibe. It’s a chain reaction. If one kid is pissed and upset, the others tend to feed off of that.
I have tried it all. Games, toys, outside time, movies, food, holding and pampering… yet nothing is working.
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At what point is it the parents job and not so much mine to help the child? The parents leave and don’t have to see it or deal with it. Which is tough for me.. is this an at home issue? Was there a traumatic experience to cause this fear?? I can’t quite seem to pin point it.
Things take time. I’m aware. Just holy moly. I could rip my hair out. Have a complete Brittany spears meltdown every time I hear her tiny whine.
Even Nancy drew couldn’t solve the mystery of this crying child.
The Nanny Life: Playing Favorites
Sometimes you’ll meet a kid who changes you too.
By Macie R.
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I hate to play favorites with my kids… BUT.. I play favorites. More so “have” favorites. I have my certain top picks.. First drafts. Go to’s. You get it.
It’s absolutely unintentional, obviously…
I keep roughly about 9 kids throughout the week and two of them I can honestly say have stolen my heart. My soul. My entire. Even though I love them all, those two kids touch my life in different ways. Kindred spirits if you’d like to call it that.
One of the three can tell if I’ve had a shit day by just looking at me. I don’t even have to open my mouth, he just knows.. How I will never understand that. He will walk straight up to me and compliment my hair (even though it’s a rugged mess and I haven’t even brushed it that day). He just genuinely WANTS to be gentle and kind and affectionate. It’s a beautiful gift for a child to have. He really sees the world and wants to understand all that surrounds him. He would rather play with makeup than action figures, he would rather talk about God than mine craft and he would rather day dream about saving starving kids than make believe he’s a ninja turtle. He turns to me to keep his secrets.. He feels secure and safe knowing he is in a constant no judgement zone at my house. I am not here to condemn him for expressing himself. He is all around pure and good to his core. I really try to do my best to find ways and conversations to pull out his love of life and people. I never want him to feel that being aware and emotionally connected is ever ever a bad thing in this life.
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Then there is my sweet girl. Woo wee.
Where do I begin? She’s the definition of light. As soon as I see her smile, I am instantly in the most joyful mood. She radiates love. Hearing her voice calling me Mae Mae.. words cannot begin describe the way I melt. Even though she may not “need” me, she sure does put me on a pedestal and I’m not mad about it one bit. Her giggles are infectious. Whatever she’s into, you’re into with her because you can’t tell her no. You can’t hurt her feelings. So you cave.. almost every time. Two popsicles in a row??? ABSOLUTELY! The bonus of this kid is she’s also family. So no matter how old she gets, she will always know me, she will never lose me. I will always be whatever she needs me to be. Being an aunt to her is the most rewarding gift I’ve been given besides my fiancé. This child is who I base my future child on. If they even remotely have the heart of this honey girl, I am going to be over the moon.
So yes.. I do baby these two. I do all the mushy gushy kid stuff with them. But I have no apologies. No regrets. All of my kids get every ounce of me during the week. EVERY OUNCE. But just at the end of the day, these are the two that stay fresh on my mind. The two that make what I do so fulfilling.
Go love on your babies.
The Nanny Life: Appreciation
in which the nanny should always be appriciated for what she does.
By: Macie R.
Nanny (noun) : a friend, supporter, tear wiper, food prep, confidant, lonely soul, strong, messy haired, silly, tired as fuck, homework crusher, tight hug giver, diaper changing super human.
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The list goes on and on my people.
I have been a nanny for 6 year. SIX YEARS. A lot to some, not a lot to others.. But certainly long enough to know the ins and outs of the operation.
I have seen and heard and hidden (for good reason) so many things in my time as a nanny.. The day you decide to watch someone’s child is the day you become bound to that family. Tied together by pieces of chewed bubblegum and spaghetti noodles.
I always thought watching children would be rainbows and butterflies and dancing unicorns.. But boy, oh boy was I a little off. The kids are only a minor part in the nanny world. It’s only a small piece in a whole big ass puzzle.
Of course there are gapped tooth smiles, cookie smeared kisses, endless giggles, action figure battles, dress up parties and baking treat extravaganzas.. But, There is also the part that involves the late evenings without warning, the years without a single “thank you” and the expectancy. Can you imagine going through your days basically running someone else’s household and you don’t get a hello… Or a thank you? Or even a little tap on the shoulder.. Maybe that’s expecting to much, but when I bust my ass to help raise your children, sometimes I need to hear that you are thankful for that time put in..
Don’t get me started on the “rules of the house”. How can I be expected to set rules and try to have some form of structure, balance and consistency, yet the parents can’t follow through with it.. I have found being a nanny tends to be a one sided street. The seclusion in the job itself is tough.. No adult interaction, no outside sources… Just the sounds of tiny humans running around like little gremlins.
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Oh, and house hold chores? How can I clean your whole house and watch your kids yet the parent can’t? I can’t figure it out… How is it I can put all of your dishes away but on Monday morning you’ve let the sink over flow with disgusting plates? Mind boggling.Laundry? Psh I’ve folded more of the parents clothes than the children’s. (A Thank you? Nah) I have seriously peeled a grown ass mans shirt apart from being stuck together. Use your imagination… I HAVE SEEN SOME THINGS. Yet, never once complained to them. But here I am venting to the cyber world. 😏
But, yet we all keep doing the damn thing. We all keep pushing through because at the end of the day, we care.. Even when we dream of ripping our hair out and running our faces into walls… Even when your social life(what’s that) doesn’t really exist.. Even when we are so broken emotionally, but have to build 6 kids up because you never want them to go a day without knowing how fucking great they are. We still carry on.
The world wouldn’t survive without us nannies. The world wouldn’t survive without bomb ass parents. But to the parents who let their nannies go unnoticed.. Please take a moment to shower them with love. They aren’t just keeping your kids, they are loving your kids and are a major part in their growth.
Be kind, be gentle and most of all share it.