I am finally leaving the nanny business.

[Anonymous]

OP, I commend you on your honesty about this. Eight yrs. is a long long time to do this and you just got burned out. Being a nanny is very taxing. Mentally, physically, emotionally, etc. Everyone has their limit and you have most definitely reached yours.

I wish people would see how hard it really is to work w/children.
I hear so many parents complain about the high cost of childcare these days. Well it should cost a pretty penny. To be 100% responsible + liable for another person...even a smaller person...lol...is a HUGE job. Us nannies must make sure our charge is fed, clean, entertained, educated, safe and well~rested. Some of us even have to make sure their laundry is washed/dried/put away as well as have the house picked up and the dishes done before the parents come home.

Ivanka Trump for instance stated that going into the office was so much easier for her than staying home w/her child all day. She said nothing is harder than caring for a child.

And she is right.

OP, sorry to get off~topic.
I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Thank you for all you have done these past 8 yrs. in caring for children.

I am sure you have made a huge difference in their lives!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to wish you the best of luck. It sounds like you were a great nanny and I'm sure many of the skills you learned on that job (time management, relationship building, creative thinking, to name a few) will serve you well as you go into your new phase of life.

And, because I'm a Boston girl living in exile in DC, I just wanted to say 'stay Boston Strong!'

Good luck!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am so grateful for all the positive responses here, despite my "over it" stance in my post.
To address a few PP's--
I hope I didn't offend anyone by admitting I was embarrassed about explaining to people that I'm a nanny. It's a hard job, takes a lot of patience and skills that many people don't have. I think I only started being embarrassed over the past few years when I would get the same questions/reactions when I said I was a nanny, so it's more of a learned embarrassment (I think- I'm still trying to work through this in my head).
The entry-level position I obtained is something I'm *kind of* interested in- I don't want to say the company on here in case someone works for them, but there's lots of room for growth, movement to different positions, as well as different options geographically. Some of the jobs I was interested in (marketing, project management), you need some basic/learned office skills which I really just don't have (even if I think I just automatically have them, you still need minimum experience).
I spent about two weeks just applying to any type of entry level position I saw online. I applied to maybe 50 positions, heard back from five, and chose to interview for two. Somehow, I rocked the interviews (even though I was a nervous wreck), got called back for two 2nd interviews, and one immediately offered me the position and I took it. Somehow, they are paying me as much as my nannying position- and that was one of my biggest reasons I haven't done this sooner- I figured I would only be offered positions that were $10-11/hour (I'm in Boston and make $20/hr as a nanny if that matters).
So, I don't know how many people are in the same position as me, but I would say just put yourself out there, spend time filling out applications (and customize for each job, this really is important).
The PPs that don't have a bachelors- so many job postings I saw did not have college degrees as a requirement. Could you start taking night classes or online classes, working towards a certificate program or an Associates? That way, you're technically working toward something when you start applying? Which is similar to actually having the education, IMO.

Op I'm the 26 yr old still working on my bachelors, I actually live in boston too. I've been browsing online ads for office jobs and everything I've seen requires a BA and those that don't are paying only $12-15. It's pretty much impossible in our location to find an office job without a degree because of the high population of college students and recent graduates. I make $20 under the table and have a hard time digesting the idea of making less.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations on your change!

Burn out can be hard to avoid, and the parents can definitely accelerate the process. It's good to know when you need a change though so that everyone is happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
As messed up as this sounds if kids didn't come with parents I'd love my job anymore. The parents make me dislike what I'm doing more than the kids....

+3

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ PP again, what I mean is that before anyone goes off on their high horse about me having the nerve to wrk with kids and being a horrible person for not like my job, I'm not alone. There's lots of people who don't always like their jobs and they still go to work.

I agree and I respect you for admitting it and not pretending like you 'love your job and charges as if they were your own'. Lets face it, no one wakes up in the morning saying 'Hmm, I think I will be in the nanny career because I just love children'. Of course we all love children. Kids are lovable BUT working with them as a career can be challenging and frustrating (but can also be fun at times and enriching but not something to look forward too daily.)

[Anonymous]

OP, you sound like a very insightful person, in tune with yourself, your biases, and your needs. It's great that you recognized the time for a change had arrived, and even greater that you had the guts to start over instead of continuing to slog through in boredom like so many other people who are tired of their jobs but too comfortable to reinvent themselves. Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for your positive responses. I will post back here in a couple months when I'm hopefully settling in at my new job.

[Anonymous]

For me is wonderful to be a nanny , I really love take care of the kids .

[Anonymous]

Same here - parents dramas drove me mad - they have changed this I first started doing this 20 years ago - they are much more demanding. Nanny agencies have made our plight much worse too - getting us to use our own cars, trying to pass us off as in-house teachers and not to mention 'oh so fun nanny who always smiles and says yes to everything.'

I also got tired of the parents arguing in front of me - I mean do they have no shame?!?! I always feel embarassed for them.

I'm 40 - A veteran - who hung in longer than most, and watching these parents put me off the idea of having children of my own. Parents burn nannies out.