What Are You Grateful for This Thanksgiving?By Nanami Three-years ago I came to America from Japan to work as an au pair for a family with two girls in Morristown, NJ. It was a difficult adjustment. Not only was there a language barrier, but I owned just a few non-Western clothes and I was not […]
More stuff does not guarantee happiness, serenity, or satisfaction. Thanksgiving is an opportune time for reflection about the nature of thanks and appreciation, wants, and needs, desires versus necessities. As nannies, we do not own a home the size of our boss’ or posses the goods our employers have in abundance. Our charges often have bigger bedrooms and […]
Teaching Kids to be Thankful Make a Thanksgiving keepsake for the child that truly embodies the spirit of thankfulness. You can purchase a small scrapbook or use paper from home to make this a really simple project. What You Will Need: • A holiday picture• Crayons• Several sheets of paper• Stapler The easiest way to make […]
Nannies and Au Pairs Should Help Keep Things Calm During the Holidays The holidays can be a stressful time for everyone, especially children. Busy parents, a hectic and disjointed schedule, and time off from structured school activities all add up to an unhappy child. What can you do to help? As the nanny or au […]
Do You Share Thanksgiving with Your Employers?By Farrah, Nanny, Los Angeles, CA As a live-in nanny in Los Angeles, originally from Louisiana, I celebrate Thanksgiving with my employer’s family each year. The entire extended family comes for the big dinner in which my employers absolutely refuse to let me work. They don’t allow me to […]
Weekly Trip to the Library In the spirit of Thanksgiving (coming up on Thursday) I borrowed some books from the library about thankfulness and the many blessings we have, rather than specifically about the holiday of Thanksgiving. I think these are great choices for children to share the spirit of Thanksgiving. Of course if you […]
APNA View of Proposed Laws for Household Workers Risk to safety, business climate & tax collection We have discussed the CA Domestic Workers Bill of Rights extensively on this blog. Some of the terms the bill had hoped to include (but some have been removed) are: the right to paid sick days and worker’s compensation if […]
Why Does Your Boss Hire a Nanny Instead of a Daycare?By Full Time Nanny When parents are considering childcare options, daycare centers will generally be one of the possibilities on the list. There are several reasons why a family may choose a nanny to meet their childcare needs instead of a daycare center. Here are the 10 top […]
What Are Your Tips For Working With Disrespectful Tweens? Yesterday we explained that eye-rolling, sarcastic, back-talking pre-teens don’t have the maturity to know when they’ve crossed the line. Their highly reactive amygdala (part of the brain) triggers the brains’ automatic fight-or-flight reflex. In other words, it’s inevitable that pre-teens will speak and behave inappropriately to see what […]
Middle Schoolers Don’t Have the Maturity to Know They Crossed the Line Photo: Stockxpert I’ve been pulling-my-hair-out with an eight-year-old charge that is suddenly giving me back-talk. His once respectful tone has been replaced with rude comebacks, eye-rolling, sarcasm, and bitter refusal to follow through with even the simplest of my requests. I’ve been wondering […]
