Tough nanny

[Anonymous]

Am I a bad nanny? When the kids fall I don't rush over to them . I let the kids get up and then offer them a hug and ask if they are okay. If they hit their heads I do the same. I mean if it's really really bad I will get them up. When I watch their parents as soon as anything happens they yell, run over and pick them up (they nearly begin crying themselves) . Lately Ive been feeling that I need to be more .. loving. How can I do this as a nanny? I praise them when they do good things. I just don't want their parents to think Im too tough. Because I am on the strict side but that doesn't mean I don't care. I;m very ton about this

[Anonymous]

If you act like something is wrong, then the kids will believe something is wrong. I just yell to my own DD "are you okay?" or say "Whoopsies!" and she rights herself. Sometimes she smarts the palms of her hands and I sympathize, but I personally am never emotional about it.

If DD is crying hysterically I will verbalize her feelings for her "it was scary to fall down so suddenly, you didn't see that crack in the sidewalk coming at all."

[Anonymous]

I do the same thing and all my charges are tough cookies. They don't so much as bat an eye when they get a scrape. They just walk over to me and ask for a band aid or hug. Just because you don't treat every incident like it's the end of the world doesn't mean you're not loving. Personally, I won't work for families like yours.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you react, the kids will react. I'll say "uh oh!" Or "boom!" When they fall, and of course comfort them if they need it. When you gasp or seem worried the kids pick up on it and will cry even if it wasn't a big fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you react, the kids will react. I'll say "uh oh!" Or "boom!" When they fall, and of course comfort them if they need it. When you gasp or seem worried the kids pick up on it and will cry even if it wasn't a big fall.

+1

Minimizing falls (while acknowledging them) is the best way to limit emotional upsets. I do the same as PP (I even use the same words, in fact) and my charge has only ever cried twice after falling - both times he'd drawn blood. Usually he laughs and repeats "BOOM!" with a big reenactment of how he fell and then runs off to continue whatever he was doing. If you're otherwise loving with them (snuggle during story time, laughing and being silly, sharing stories about your day, genuinely showing a loving interest in them and their feelings), I would think this should be a non-issue!