Most nanny employers understand the basic need to pay bills, but being valued and having value are two different things.

*Dedicated to a job in Carlsbad, Ca

Remember that this is your job and your job is based on nurturing relationships and the development of children and you will stay intrinsically motivated! 

As a nanny, being valued and having value are two different things. For example…

A nanny may ask herself if the people she works for think she’s ‘just a baby sitter’

The answer is YES! (90% of the time)

This is only one example and it is about being valued and respected.

You may want your boss to acknowledge you as an excellent nanny because you are much more than a baby sitter. Although babysitters are very important, I’m talking about the highest level of responsibility and trust in your home on a regular basis. Here is an example.  

I found out one parent was out extremely late working on a construction project for his company and did not get to bed until 4:00 A.M. the next morning. The mom had already left for work, and the grandpa was in the guest room with door shut. The baby was in a poopy diaper and the two other children were starving! 

Everyone counted on me arriving as early as I always do.

They didn’t need to ask me to take the boys to school, I just started to prep my car with all 3 car seats and got them ready as usual to get them to school on time.  I fed them and cleaned them up and sang songs on the way that morning to help with their emotions.

That example alone was more than a babysitter’s responsibilities, but there’s more.

As the day progressed, I remembered their mother saying that she will take the children to start swimming lessons this Thursday evening…..Today is Tuesday so I took the littlest one to the pool for about 30-60 minutes and got in and kicked and familiarized her with and without water wings. This is an excellent thing to do if you/the parent had the time, but you do not and I took that into consideration.  Do baby sitters do this? Would you agree that both have value and that one might deserve higher pay based on their level of competence to compinsate more pay based on the higher level of value?

Remembering your job is based on nurturing relationships and the development of children will help you to go the extra mile. Actions speek louder than words and your contirbutions are invaluable. I have Value and respect to all nannies!