What has being a Nanny taught you?

[Anonymous]

I've just been thinking of all the things being a nanny has taught me/things I've learned from being a nanny and thought I would post to share with everyone and see what being a nanny has taught all of you as well.

For me nannying has taught me several important life lessons. Such a cooking and cleaning. I did that before nannying of course but I have learned how to cook more things and found different ways of cleaning since becoming a nanny. I've also learned how to raise my future kids and how not to depending on the families I have worked for.

I joke that I've learned to become a housewife by nannying and that my future husband will be happy to have a wife who knows how to cook and clean, though he should know and have these qualities as well. So what have you learned from nannying? I know my list was kind of short, I'm sure there are several other things I've learned that I can't think of right now.

[Anonymous]

In my experience I've learned that the children are the easy part; it's working with their parents that justify my high hourly rate. Teaching children is a piece of cake. I am finding that most parents had no prior experience, except second-hand through their girlfriends.

[Anonymous]

I've learned a lot about being positive and using positivity in how I deal with the kids, constantly. I've learned a lot about development, I will definitely be ready when I have kids!! I've learned that all it takes to discipline my charges is consistency. They need the boundaries and will respect them.

[Anonymous]

I've learned how I will and will not parent once I start a family of my own. How I will treat my partner, and how I expect to be treated. How to best balance work and family, ect.

Of course this is all just in theory, I know it will be much more difficult in practice.

[Anonymous]

I know that if I ever have kids, they will be on some sort of basic schedule for things like meal times and regular bathing and sleep times. I will also "train" them to do basic cleaning up after themselves, like bringing dishes into the kitchen when done (if in another room) and not leaving toys laying around for others to pick up.

I have learned that I can't stand parents that let their 7 yr old stay up until midnight or later sometimes, just because they don't have school the next day and then allow them to sleep in until noon. Or make a dinner for them that the kid decides he doesn't want to eat, and actually go and make more food for him 2 more times throughout the evening/night, up until the minute they are about to go to sleep. If they don't want to eat what I make for the meal, then they won't get another 2 courses cooked for them and certainly not 5 minutes before bedtime. I also will sleep train my kids, and not co-sleep to the point where the kid needs me to lay down with them to fall asleep (or will wake up if they sense that I am out of the bed), nor continue to make "warm bottles" using actual baby bottles for my 3 yr old.

I have also learned how to be much more positive when dealing with toddlers, learned how to keep them happy during those times that everything seems to make them unhappy, have learned to appreciate their little growing personalities and it has encouraged further education about younger infants and their development. I have also learned to appreciate not having kids right now, as I have seen to what extent losing your personal life can reach by having kids. Love them, but being able to return them back to their parents at the end of the day and going home to no kids is great.

[Anonymous]

I have learned that there are a lot of really shitty parents out there.