After over 17 years in the nanny business and 13+ years as a nanny employer I’ve come to believe that communication is the most important element in a successful nanny/family relationship. The nanny I hire has been with me started when my son was born.

Over the years we have grown to trust each other completely and that trust was built on communication. Claudia is a very smart, hard-working person who loves my son. I treat her in every way as an equal (she’s my superior in some ways!) and greatly respect her. I never treat her as an “employee”, but rather as a partner.

Because of the high regard I hold her in my son respects her and values her in the same way that I do. I believe that it reflects on me as a parent by the people I have in our lives. Danny picks up good values that he can use throughout his life from his and my relationship with Claudia.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been in social situations and the parents complain to me about the quality of the person that works for them. Often times insulting their intelligence, motivation and more. What message are they sending to their kids?