I arrived at work today to find Grace waiting for me, all dressed, and holding her boots.
"School? Planets?"
Yesterday I enrolled her in the day care down the road. She'll be going 2 days a week to start since I have class two days a week. We call it 'school' and after she visited yesterday she can't wait to go back. It was really the big book of the solar system that won her over, the "planets".
How did it happen so fast? When I became her nanny she was only 4 months old. D's mother, Grace's great aunt, gained custody of her around that time. She needed someone to watch Grace when she started work full time and I had the experience, the time, and needed the money. Voila!
Every day I would go take care of the most easy going kid I've met. We watched Baby Einstein, played with toys in the floor, went to get shots, went through the flu, started crawling, started walking at 9 months, and then started climbing! Yikes!
I battled great grandmother over baby proofing and keeping dangerous stuff out of reach. Had arguments over letting sick kids come over and be around her. I treat her like I would any child in my care and I love her. Her safety and happiness are always first.
So here we are today. It's not our normal day because we are giving potty training a shot. Day cares like them trained by preschool age (3).
Today I stripped her down to shirt and a pair of panties. I show her the potty chart and the mickey mouse stickers that go on the chart when she pees or poops.
Then she watches her planets on her Kindle, plays with her toys, and I regularly ask if she needs to pee. The answer is always "no". So she has to sit on the potty and try anyway.
We get lucky! One pee in the potty! I sing the "pee pee in the potty!" song and she dances and sings with me. I let her put her mickey sticker on the potty chart and she is thrilled.
A little bit later she puts on some pants without help. She's getting so big. I'm proud and sad.
Then she pees in the pants. I'm a little less proud. But accidents happen!
We sing the Wonder Pets theme song. Name the planets on her YouTube videos. Sit on the potty again. So far she's a one pee wonder.
By now it's lunch time then naptime (I'm all about schedules and structure). We have a brief battle over the Kindle going to her bed with her but I get her in there and close the door.
Does she go to sleep?? Heck no. She's in there right now playing. Toys banging, counting, talking to herself, and now "hey Serena..." Sometimes this is when she will poop. Then I have to change her and put her back in there. Sometimes she screams and gets mad and sometimes goes to sleep. Every day it's different.
Nap time is the only time I get upset. When she really fights and I KNOW she's tired it's frustrating. But we survive.
She's a smarty pants. Knows her numbers, knows and recognizes the alphabet, knows and recognizes colors, knows and recognizes shapes, and her vocabulary is just exploding. I love this age. It's filled with fun and funny. She's always saying or doing something that will tickle you...even as she aggravates you.
When she doesn't listen, says "no" when told to stop, or is generally being shitty then she gets Time Out in a chair. She then gets ignored. If you talk to her it escalates the tantrum instead of calming. I try to teach her that she won't get a response from me until she calms down. It usually works.
I just went to change her poop diaper. Then turned off the light, said goodnight, and closed the door. She's in there singing "twinkle twinkle little star" now. I'm tickled and aggravated at the same time.
When I think about when she is in day care full time I feel part sadness....but mostly relief.
Relief because for the past 3 years I've taken responsibility for her on my shoulders because I felt I'm the only one (other than her guardian) who uses good sense and logic in regards to her care. I don't make choices based on emotion very often. G's family makes nearly every decision based on feelings...regardless of whether it makes sense or works in the real world. It has been frustrating.
I was raised that nobody comes before your children. Not other family, not your husband/boyfriend, not friends...nobody. Having kids means every decision must be measured against how it will affect your kid(s). It's very simple logic but I know that there are plenty of people who just don't think that way..for whatever reason. Doesn't mean I accept it...
And so it's been about 70% joy and 30% frustration during my tenure as Grace's Nanny.
I feel I've been a good influence on her. She's had structure and stability and new experiences. I used all I've learned in child care, reading, early childhood education, and raising my own child in my time with her. I've given my best and more.
I'll still be her emergency person and take her to doctor appointments since I'll have the free time and a car...but I will know she's with professionals...and it's wonderful.
"School? Planets?"
Yesterday I enrolled her in the day care down the road. She'll be going 2 days a week to start since I have class two days a week. We call it 'school' and after she visited yesterday she can't wait to go back. It was really the big book of the solar system that won her over, the "planets".
How did it happen so fast? When I became her nanny she was only 4 months old. D's mother, Grace's great aunt, gained custody of her around that time. She needed someone to watch Grace when she started work full time and I had the experience, the time, and needed the money. Voila!
Every day I would go take care of the most easy going kid I've met. We watched Baby Einstein, played with toys in the floor, went to get shots, went through the flu, started crawling, started walking at 9 months, and then started climbing! Yikes!
I battled great grandmother over baby proofing and keeping dangerous stuff out of reach. Had arguments over letting sick kids come over and be around her. I treat her like I would any child in my care and I love her. Her safety and happiness are always first.
So here we are today. It's not our normal day because we are giving potty training a shot. Day cares like them trained by preschool age (3).
Today I stripped her down to shirt and a pair of panties. I show her the potty chart and the mickey mouse stickers that go on the chart when she pees or poops.
Then she watches her planets on her Kindle, plays with her toys, and I regularly ask if she needs to pee. The answer is always "no". So she has to sit on the potty and try anyway.
We get lucky! One pee in the potty! I sing the "pee pee in the potty!" song and she dances and sings with me. I let her put her mickey sticker on the potty chart and she is thrilled.
A little bit later she puts on some pants without help. She's getting so big. I'm proud and sad.
Then she pees in the pants. I'm a little less proud. But accidents happen!
We sing the Wonder Pets theme song. Name the planets on her YouTube videos. Sit on the potty again. So far she's a one pee wonder.
By now it's lunch time then naptime (I'm all about schedules and structure). We have a brief battle over the Kindle going to her bed with her but I get her in there and close the door.
Does she go to sleep?? Heck no. She's in there right now playing. Toys banging, counting, talking to herself, and now "hey Serena..." Sometimes this is when she will poop. Then I have to change her and put her back in there. Sometimes she screams and gets mad and sometimes goes to sleep. Every day it's different.
Nap time is the only time I get upset. When she really fights and I KNOW she's tired it's frustrating. But we survive.
She's a smarty pants. Knows her numbers, knows and recognizes the alphabet, knows and recognizes colors, knows and recognizes shapes, and her vocabulary is just exploding. I love this age. It's filled with fun and funny. She's always saying or doing something that will tickle you...even as she aggravates you.
When she doesn't listen, says "no" when told to stop, or is generally being shitty then she gets Time Out in a chair. She then gets ignored. If you talk to her it escalates the tantrum instead of calming. I try to teach her that she won't get a response from me until she calms down. It usually works.
I just went to change her poop diaper. Then turned off the light, said goodnight, and closed the door. She's in there singing "twinkle twinkle little star" now. I'm tickled and aggravated at the same time.
When I think about when she is in day care full time I feel part sadness....but mostly relief.
Relief because for the past 3 years I've taken responsibility for her on my shoulders because I felt I'm the only one (other than her guardian) who uses good sense and logic in regards to her care. I don't make choices based on emotion very often. G's family makes nearly every decision based on feelings...regardless of whether it makes sense or works in the real world. It has been frustrating.
I was raised that nobody comes before your children. Not other family, not your husband/boyfriend, not friends...nobody. Having kids means every decision must be measured against how it will affect your kid(s). It's very simple logic but I know that there are plenty of people who just don't think that way..for whatever reason. Doesn't mean I accept it...
And so it's been about 70% joy and 30% frustration during my tenure as Grace's Nanny.
I feel I've been a good influence on her. She's had structure and stability and new experiences. I used all I've learned in child care, reading, early childhood education, and raising my own child in my time with her. I've given my best and more.
I'll still be her emergency person and take her to doctor appointments since I'll have the free time and a car...but I will know she's with professionals...and it's wonderful.
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