Time Flies

After six years of working behind a computer for an automotive supplier, I took a leap of faith and looked for opportunities to become a nanny. I chose this switch because I was unhappy where I was at and felt like I wasn't going anywhere with the company and also couldn't see myself working there another year. I chose to become a nanny because I wanted to work with kids and see them grow up. The only experience I had to offer was babysitting over the years through middle and high school and I thought that would be enough. After 5 months of searching and interviewing with families, I found a family that I really enjoyed and wanted to work with but didn't hear back from them for another two months. I kept looking despite not hearing back from them right away and found another family that I adored. Once I got the call from my top family that I wanted to work for I was ecstatic (actually, that's a understatement). I trained with their mom for a whole week to get the hang of how they went about their days and I was more than ready and excited to start. 

I officially started full time working for them a week before Thanksgiving of 2016. It's crazy to think that I've almost been with them a whole year because I've seen firsthand that, time really does fly by with kids, they grow up in a blink of an eye. There are three girls that I watch daily - Corinne who is 14, Juliette who is 4, and Shay who just turned 1 this August. Corinne doesn't really need "watching" but I occasionally become her chauffeur for Color Guard practice or singing lessons. Juliette goes to preschool four days a week in the mornings now so that leaves me and Shay to play together for the time while Juliette is away. Once I pick up Jules from school we fill the rest of our days with games, reading, and trips to the parks or Rochester Play. I love having days where I am also going because I don't feel like the girls get bored as easily as I would just watching them play. 

Before I became a nanny I didn't think I could become attached to these girls as much as I am. I don't mean the creepy attached, but the kind of attached as if they were my own. After I leave the girls for the day (anywhere between 4-5:30), I often find myself wondering what they are doing, what are they eating, how cranky Shay is being, or how crazy and loud Jules is. If you would have told me two years ago that I would love what I am doing, I would have told you that you were crazy. Before last year, I told myself I didn't want to have kids because I knew I was too selfish. Today, that thought has done a 180 and I'm so excited for my future. I'm excited to see my own kids grow up. But this job also showed me that I want to be in my children's lives on a daily basis, I don't want someone else to help raise them (that part is selfish, I know), but I also know that in order to have kids nowadays, you need to have a mother and father to both work because let's face it, kids are EXPENSIVE. As much as I would love to stay home with the kids all day, I don't think it would be financially smart, which is where my uneasy for kids comes back into play. 

I hope you all keep following the girls' and I on our journey of growing up because let me tell ya', these girls have a sense of humor!