The term “nanny” refers to an individual whose career is to
care for children in the family’s home. The
nanny juggles roles of a childcare giver and a domestic worker. The nanny is an
integral part of the family. Whether the nanny is hired to live in with the
family, or lives outside the home and goes to the home to work on a regular
schedule, the nanny’s position nevertheless changes the family makeup because
the family pattern changes. Yet, the
integrity of the family must be maintained.
“Why not just use a daycare—there
would be professional standards in place and the children could be socialized? Which is better a daycare or a nanny?”
A nanny is by far the best choice, providing this is an
experienced person with a good record and background check.
Socialization—that’s not a problem. It’s part of the nanny’s job. The nanny’s position is to help the child
learn to get-along with others through facilitating interactions with other
children as well as adults. For children
under the age of three, staying at home is perfectly adequate. When the child reaches about pre-school age,
going to a half-day pre-school twice a week would provide good socialization
and skills for getting-along with others.
Being a nanny is a legitimate form of work in the childcare
industry. The nanny profession offers
families a new option for solving child care problems. Parents have the satisfaction of bringing competent
care into the home while providing continuity for the child.
Professional nannies complete comprehensive studies and
internships in order to develop their skills with infants and young children. Written and oral examinations, psychological
testing, portfolios and internship evaluations help determine the qualification
of each nanny. Most receive
certification upon completion of training in a licensed program. Certified nannies generally have training in
the areas of:
·
Child
development
·
Child
behavior and guidance
·
Infant
care
·
Family
relationships
·
Family
lifestyles
·
Communication
skills
·
Safety, health and sanitation
·
Nutrition,
food service and home management
·
Children
with special needs
·
Activities
for children
“Well, how does having a nanny affect
children and their bonding with the parents?
This is another person in the child’s life that we would expect the
child to become attached to.”
It is the responsibility of the parents to bond with their
children. They do this by spending
quality time before and after they go to work.
Feeding, bathing, playing with the child, giving plenty of tender,
loving care and getting-up in the night to attend the child is a basic
foundation for a solid attachment. This bond is usually formed during the first
three years of a child’s life. An emotionally stable nanny can enhance the
child’s development while making way for continuing a strong parent-child bond
and attachment.
“Which is better, having two parents
working to provide all the amenities and luxuries or to sacrifice these and
have one parent work while the other stays home with the children?”
One parent at home with the children is by far the best
choice. Children during the early years
need to be with the parent as much as possible in the home setting. This fosters bonding and attachment and
strengthens the entire family. This is
worth the sacrifice and parents will feel better over time for having made the
decision for one parent at home. Some
parents who engage a nanny to be with their children while they go to work may
later find themselves feeling guilty for not having been at home with the
children. The question to ask is: Over a
period of eighteen years or so of the child’s life is it not a better choice to
devote at least three of those years to creating a good start for the child, the
family and the child’s development?
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