Since our beloved nanny had a motorbike accident that I went from looking after her, to having no nanny to hiring a nanny from back home.
That nanny was very calm and organised, but I felt something was missing. I am a strict Mom, I like routine and structure, and I insist on good behaviour, so I guess in the eyes of the kids, I’m the wicked witch of the West.
What I need from a nanny is that in addition to ensuring the routine runs on time (school doesn’t wait), that she does it with a playful tone, that she engages the kids at their level, that she gets the best out of them from the positive side.
When Ms A was with us for a few weeks my eldest Miss Z turned to me and said “Mommy, I don’t like Ms A so much.”. I asked why, and she continued “because she is too much like you. She’s too bossy”.
That made me feel really sad inside. I had made the choice to hire this nanny. And I was now disappointed because I felt it was the wrong choice.
However, we were going to go on holiday for the month of August, and I thought that in a more relaxed setting, they would end up bonding better with each other.
The summer came and went and I thought things did get better. It was still not as I hoped, but no-one is perfect I thought.
I told Ms A that she still needed to prove herself. The initial contract I agreed with her was 6 months, and I told her she had 3 months left to prove that she could engage the kids and get them on-side.
I went back to work from maternity leave full time in the beginning of September. One week later Ms A resigned.
I was livid at first. She never gave me any inkling that this was coming. As it happened, her brother who also lives here had been trying to find her a job since she arrived. She used me as a stop gap.
I quickly got onto the recruitment website and put a new advert out. I got several candidates but there was one that stood out. Ms L was exactly what the Doctor ordered. She loved working with kids, she had experience, she was loving, playful and young. Furthermore, she didn’t have a brother in the UK.
I don’t normally make rash decisions, but this felt right, so I offered her the job pretty much straight away. She arrived in the country on Tuesday and started working yesterday.
Ms A is still around for a week to do a handover. She will teach her the routine, what we like eating, etc. But the most important thing for me is that she is happy with the kids and they are happy with her. Having one bossy adult in the house is enough 😉
I’ll let you know how it’s going…