Tori Spelling’s third child is named Hattie Margaret. The baby’s middle name is in memory of Spelling’s childhood nanny. (Image Source: ToriSpelling.com)
Nannying is one of a handful of privileged professions in which the intangible benefits can echo years beyond the actual job.
Working as a nanny comes with innate bonding experiences that can make you feel part of the family. Of course, not all hires turn out that way, but many do.
Take for example, former Nanny of the Year recipient Becky Kavanagh, who spent 20 years with the same Minnesota family playing an instrumental role in the development of their three children. As a kindergartner, one of the kids cutely declared, “Did you know that not everyone has a Becky? Some kids have to go to daycare!”
It’s heartwarming to see grown children still feel a deep connection to their childhood nannies.
One of those cases is actress Tori Spelling, who recently reminded her fans on her EdiTORIal blog how much her childhood nanny, Margaret, meant to her.
Margaret is the middle name of her 10-month-old girl Hattie, a baby who’s received considerable press coverage just for uttering her first word.
Tori tells her fans that the name “Hattie” was picked from a Google search for girls’ names, but that Margaret was “my nanny who was like a second mother to me.” The actress notoriously has a strained relationship with her own mother, but the baby naming honor wasn’t meant as any kind of slam. Tori has been a huge advocate for nannies in her own life.
Tori Spelling has long been an outspoken advocate for the benefits of hiring a nanny. In this high-profile 2009 interview with Cookie Magazine, she bristles at the idea of mothers being jealous when nannies bond with their children.
“I never understood being competitive with a nanny,” she told Cookie magazine in 2009, sharing her experiences with her nanny Patsy. “If you have someone you trust and who loves your kids, then what an amazing thing you’ve done for them.”
Right on, Tori!
Nannies are not replacements for either parent. Rather, they are a critical part of the parenting team. Hiring a nanny should involve finding someone who reflects parents’ child rearing views and who shares their values (Check out eNannySource’s screening questions here).
As for Tori’s nanny, it looks like there will some job security for the immediate future. The actress and husband Dean McDermott are expecting their fourth child (gender TBA) soon.
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