vol. 1 Part II Oercoming the stress

It became extremely clear to me that, though my job was stressful, being
stressed out was no way to handle it. It took a lot of deep breaths, self
motivation and practice to maintain my composer. MY approach, however, was very simple. I imagined that I was the child and what it must be like. Easy right?
Your probably thinking, "why didn't I think of that?". Most of us get so caught
up in our daily life that we never stop to appreciate the reality of being a
child. We get up early to work a long, hard day at the office so that we can pay
the bills that come with feeding, bathing and clothing little Susie and Johnny.
The last thing we would ever want is to hear them screaming when we walk in the door or have them climbing on us during our down time saying, "read me a book".

The truth of the matter is they are children. They have only just now begun to
comprehend the world around them.It is better to let them touch everything and to make a mess rather than to sit in one spot constantly screaming because you told them no.

Shortly after my niece was born I went home to Michigan to visit. She was old
enough to crawl and drool and thats about it. My sister was so uptight and
nervous around her I couldn't help but tell her to sit back and to let me worry
about it for a little while. I let my niece play with everything in the room,
including the four foot plant. She was happy as a clam exploring her new world
and I was just as happy as I calmly sat with her and watched her go. My sister
could not believe how relaxed I was.

When you sit back and understand that kids will be kids, it allows you to grant
them freedom to interact with the things around them, which in turn, helps their development.

Now I know what your thinking: "what about the rules and the structure that is
implemented so that they respond to authority and behave properly". While these are very essential things it is important to allow enough room to grow. Room with proper restrictions is completely reasonable and I promise if you try it you will be the one who is more relaxed and soon enough have more time to smile and enjoy being with your child instead of running around tense and worried all of the time.

Try it!

Vol. 1 Breaking me in

When I first became a nanny I had previous childcare experience but honestly had
no idea what I was getting myself into. I was hired to work for a family in
Northern Virginia who had TWO autistic children and virtually needed round-the
clock help. Both parents worked full time in their professional careers and were
clearly stressed beyond their capacity upon my arrival. Both children were high
maintenance, bursting with energy and completely lacking typical discipline and
communication standards. No wonder these parents were stressed out! The kids
were climbing the walls of their home trying to destroy everything in sight!
There were no picture frames, bookshelves or memorabilia. The house was a barren
space that would soon become my wrestling ring.

The little boy refused to wear his clothes, loved to tear up everything around
him and especially enjoyed pooping and smearing it everywhere. There were even
locks on the top of all the doors to prevent his escape!

The little girl had a different fascination: FOOD. Both kids were on a very
strict diet that prevented them from eating all of the things children love. No
ice cream, twizzlers or Hi-C for this bunch! Instead they maintained a strict
regiment of gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free and organic foods that left the
little girl literally searching for more. Every single time I turned my back she
was digging in the cupboards smothering herself with handfuls of potato chips
and everything else she could get her tiny hands on.

I was officially in shock. I had been hired for a mere 25 hours a week. I
thought this would be some piece of cake job that helped cushion my finances but
boy was I mistaken. I was about to being the ride of my life; a water ride that
could leave me drowning without a life vest.

Introduction: Get to know the Author

My name is Allison Bignell. I have spent the past 12 years of my life working with children on all different levels including spending the last five years as a professional Nanny. I am no Super Nanny and do not have any children of my own. What I do have are invaluable years in the most critical part of early childhood development watching myself and parents make mistakes and learning how to fix them. The purpose of my blog is to allow you to gain insight from someone who has already been down the road you are headed and to, hopefully, guide you in the best direction possible. I will do this with a collection of stories derived from my own personal experiences formulated to be your life vest when the flood of parenting begins.