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NNRW Spotlight Nannies: Samantha and Marissa

Happy Friday and Happy National Nanny Recognition Week!

 

I feel so blessed that I got a chance to meet so many nannies since I am blogging, but also in the past week I had some tough decisions to make. There has been too many nannies and I could choose only 7 to be featured, and that is the reason why today we have two featured nannies! I love them both, they are cute, awesome, capable and how to pick one?

You wonder why didn’t I save one for Saturday, last day of NNRW? Well, that is a very well-kept secret and you can’t miss our last day of nnrw featured nanny – she is as good as it gets.

 

Samantha and Marissa are two nannies that I got connected through Instagram, and I feel blessed that I got a chance to snoop through their profiles and see hoe dedicated and loving they both are.

 

Here are some things that Sam shared with us:

 

I get to take care of the coolest kid ever. Scarlett is now 2 & I just recently hit my 1 year mark with her & just celebrated her birthday last week. She was born 26 weeks premature & has come such a long way from when I first met her. She was expected to have developmental delays & while she may have been a little bit late on some things – she is absolutely perfect.

She’s so incredibly smart & I am so proud of her accomplishments. I’m so fully invested in this family & am lucky to know that even when my time with them comes to an end, I will always have an extended family in them. My Instagram name is @__samanthafox – you may recognize it because I like basically all of your posts. I just recently found several awesome nanny accounts on Instagram & I found most of them through your account (thefunnynanny). It’s so great to see that I’m not the only crazy who is utterly obsessed with my job. No one can ever tell me nannying is not a real job, I have more passion for this than most people have for their jobs & I’m happier than most people I know.

Weekends are bittersweet & I always look forward to Mondays. I consider myself truly lucky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why did you choose to be a nanny?

 

I don’t feel like I chose it, I honestly feel like it chose me. My mom did after school babysitting when I was a kid & I was always her little helper. My grandma also ran an at home daycare for over 30 years in Georgia. I just think it’s in my blood. There was a point in my life when I was just going through the motions at work & I wasn’t fulfilled. I decided to start babysitting as a side job & soon after that I left my other jobs & let working with kids consume my soul.

 

What is your biggest quality as childcare provider?

 

I would have to say my biggest quality as a childcare provider is my patience & passion. Put me in a doctors office & I’m the most impatient creature you’ve ever met – but my passion just makes it so easy to be patient with children & I get to be just as amazed as they are when they accomplish something.

 

#nannyWhat is the biggest challenge you have as a nanny?

 

I really haven’t faced many challenges as a nanny. I took a nannying hiatus at a point to work at a daycare & thought that when I went back to nannying that it’d be lonely – but it’s not. I enjoy the bonding one on one time I get with Scarlett or any child for that matter. It’s a different element & it’s so special. I guess the hardest part was leaving the daycare & not seeing all of my favorite kids there every week but luckily I still get to babysit some of them on the weekends.

 

I’ve worked for several different families over the years & each one has been amazing & special in their own ways. I’ve learned from parents & they have learned from me. The element of being a nanny is magical to me. I get to share in so many special moments & watch not only the child grow but the family grow. The family I’m currently with had made my love for what I do even stronger. They show me real appreciation & truly make me feel like family. I couldn’t ask for more.
Thank you, Samantha!!

 

 

 

And here is what Marissa has to say:

 

I honestly feel like I could talk about my job for hours so I will do my best not to be too long-winded! 😉

 

For starters, I’ve been a nanny since my last year of college in 2011. I have degrees in things completely unrelated to child rearing (an AA in liberal arts and a “Bac+1” in French/English interpretation), but nannying fell into my lap. It started as a part time way to keep my college years afloat but turned quickly into not only my career, but my passion after graduating in 2012.  I don’t know if I so much made a conscious decision to pursue being a Nanny. It started as just a simple way to make money after classes (I say simple lightly. At the time it was 5 children under 7!), but I’m so in love with my job and my charges, I can’t see myself doing anything else.

 

I’ve been with my family for almost 3 years. F was 10 months old, and M was 3. They’re now 3 and 6. They are, besides my husband, the loves of my life. When I pick little F from 2-day-a-week preschool, he runs into my arms and gives me a tear jerking hug. When we walk to M’s elementary school, I stand in line with all the moms/caretakers behind a chain link fence. M comes out, scans the crowd, and when she sees me she sprints toward me with her Elsa backpack swinging wildly and her little arms wrap around my waist. I don’t think I need more of a reason to do what I do other than that unconditional, no holds-bar love. I don’t need to be wearing makeup, wearing nice clothes, have my hair other than “Rissas crazy bun”- no outward appearance hinders their acceptance. I hope I can cultivate that kind of acceptance in my own life.

 

It’s hard to say what my “biggest quality” would be, I don’t want to come across arrogant! One thing I remind myself daily with my kids is that selflessness, empathy, and generosity are learned traits. We’re not born knowing to treat others with kindness (and aren’t kids great reminders of that haha) and they have to learn it from us, the adults in their lives. I suppose I pride myself on that extra mile of patience and grace, even though it’s really hard sometimes. Remembering that God extends that grace to me on a daily basis helps a whoooole lot.

 

#nanny

Two things come to mind when asked the biggest challenges in this profession. 1 is the fact that I am a Christian, and my family doesn’t practice anything. It’s hard to walk that fine line of knowing these aren’t my children, but not withholding the knowledge of the fact that they’re loved and created for great things. Luckily, my family is accepting of my faith and it doesn’t come up. I just hope to be a good representation of Christians, I know people can get bad tastes in their mouths from religion.

The second thing is money!!! I have the HARDEST time talking about it. The first nanny job I had, forgot to pay me constantly, and I rarely had the confidence to say “hey, can you pay me now?” I had a job that once drafted a contract and that was an amazing idea, and I strongly recommend that to other nannies/families. It takes the awkwardness right out. But, if there’s a holiday weekend and I should be paid and they forget, I struggle asking for the money. I’ve also never gotten a raise, but being close to them you get a gist of their finances, and can’t really ask for one, right? So much grey area.

 

Another difficult thing that might be a faux-pas to talk about, but really SHOULD be talked about, is the fact that we spend more time with the kids than the parents do. I witnessed first steps, first words, I’ve been with F every single one of his birthdays, all of their first days of school, stay and play preschool… I get to watch them learn to swim and learn to ride a bike… And then one day, when they’re “too old”, I won’t be needed anymore. And these beautiful children whom I’ve helped raise, might see me a few times a month for ice cream or movie dates. Maybe I invest too much of myself, and maybe I should create more distance.. But I’m pouring my life into these little people and they’re pouring their first milestones into my heart.. And I wish there was a better way.

 

Some little tricks of the trade that I’ve picked up that I’d love to pass on are these!

-too old to nap? M takes an hour of rest where the light stays off, she stays in her bed, but she can read or color or something quiet.

-we do word of the week which helps kids learn those qualities of respectfulness, empathy, patience, etc.

-limit one TV episode per child per day, max. If I need to be cooking or need another 5 minutes of just Rissa and coffee, they play nicely on their own in their rooms. Independent play is important to learn, and can’t always be hovered or be needing input/involvement from others. (Of course 99.9% of my day I’m on the floor, building Lego jails or painting pine cones right alongside them, but you know, sometimes a moment to yourself is really really important).

-wintertime is the worst, I live in the Midwest and it’s awful I hate the snow! So I fill tubs of snow and put them in the bathtub or bathroom floor, and let them at it!

 

One last tidbit of advice from one nanny to the rest and best of em: stop staring at your phones. They’re only in our care for a short time, don’t waste it on a Facebook feed. When I try to remember my childhood, I have bits and pieces but not much- our kids might barely remember us or any of this. That means this time together, we, the nannies. will remember it the most. So make the most of it, soak it in, and save the screens for nap time.

 

 

That took a serious turn! Hahah sorry if it got a little too real! I have a blog I would love to share with you all, check it out here. I write letters to my kids on there, and in 20 years I’ll send the letters to the kids when they’re all grown up.

 

I love these girls and what they wrote to me. How do you feel about their stories? Share your advice, love and support!

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