Director Vance returned back to NCIS after losing his wife and although he’s still grieving his great loss, he seems ready be back full force at work, but realized he needs some help on the home front to do so.

But after interviewing nanny after nanny, it became clear that Director Vance was sabotaging his nanny search, his feeling of grief holding him back from hiring a nanny.  With a little insight from Ziva, though, he seemed willing and ready to recognize the right nanny.

As he continues his search, what should Director Vance look for in a nanny?

1. A nanny who isn’t looking to replace his wife and his children’s mother. It is clear that Director Vance wants to keep things strictly professional when it comes to hiring a nanny.  The ideal nanny will be task oriented and focusing on meeting the children’s needs.
2. A nanny who has experience with older children. Director Vance’s children are slightly older. They need a caregiver who can help with homework, transport them to activities and prepare meals that they’ll eagerly eat. Director Vance is a stickler about homework, so the nanny must be able to ensure it gets done.
3. A nanny with a spotless background.  Given Director Vance’s position, it should be no surprise that the nanny must be practically perfect in every way. There can be no hint of a questionable past and the nanny must be able to past a rigorous background check.
4. A nanny who is an experienced driver. Director Vance’s children need to be taken to school and picked up after, at minimum. His nanny must be able comfortably and confidently transport the children.
5. A nanny who can keep a low profile.  A nanny who seeks constant attention and stands out from the crowd won’t fit in with Director Vance’s family. His nanny needs to blend in and not attract unnecessary attention.
6. A nanny who can keep the family’s confidence. Director Vance’s family needs a nanny who can keep their family’s information private. His nanny may be privy to sensitive she needs to keep that information to herself.
7. A nanny who is flexible. With a demanding job, Director Vance’s nanny will have to be willing to work long hours and stay late without much notice when duty calls. Working late nights may be the norm.
8. A nanny who is comfortable working for a single father. A nanny who is comfortable working for a single father will be imperative in this role. In addition, the nanny must be comfortable with Director Vance’s direct communication style.
9. A nanny who can provide stability. With the death of their mother, the Vance children are going to need a nanny who can provide stability to the family. A nanny who can make at least a one year commitment will be essential.
10. A nanny who can offer protection. Given Director Vance’s position, his nanny is going to have to be aware of her surrounds and may even have to know how to deal with threats against the children. A street savvy nanny with some background in protective services may be the ideal choice for the Vance family.

In addition to being a qualified caregiver who can meet the children’s physical, social, emotional, intellectual needs, the nanny must be a good fit for the family. Hiring a solid role model who is willing to invest the time and energy required to be a nurturing companion to the children will be an excellent choice for the Vance family.

By Michelle LaRowe
Editor-in-Chief

Beverly Hills Nannies, an ABC Family reality series that will make its debut on Wednesday, July 11 at 9/8 central hasn’t even premiered, yet the promos alone are enough to make me cringe with concern.

If you’ve just watched the promo video for season 1, episode 1, yes, you heard correctly. Nanny Amber is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 by her potential employers on 5 things during her interview.

These included:

1. Personality. Dad gave her an 8 and mom gave her a 9.

2. Discipline.  Dad gave her a 7 and mom gave her a 7, because she was late.

3. Friendliness.  Both dad and mom gave her a generous 9.

4. Capability. Dad gave her a 7 and mom gave her a 9.

5. Cute appeal. Dad gave her a 6 and mom… with jaw dropped the video cut out here.

If that’s the top 5 criteria parents are using when evaluating their potential nanny, we have a real problem.

Nannies are childcare specialists who are employed by parents to provide high-quality, personalized and customized childcare. Nannies partner with parents to meet the children’s physical, emotional, social and intellectual needs.

For years, nannies and those who educate, support and place them in homes with families, have been working to educate the public about the importance of quality in-home childcare. Since 1985, the International Nanny Association has been providing recommended practices for nannies and holding annual conferences to educate nannies and those within in the in-home childcare industry on how to do their jobs well.

When choosing a nanny for their children, indeed the nanny has to fit into the family dynamics and lifestyle, but more importantly, the nanny must be qualified to do the job well.

When interviewing a nanny for your family, here are my top 5 things you should rate your nanny on:

1. Experience. When leaving your children in the care of a nanny for 40 to 60 hours per week, it’s vital that the caregiver have previous childcare experience. Experienced nannies have a working knowledge of children and are confident in their care giving abilities. They’ve seen the good, bad and the ugly when it comes to family dynamics and have learned to effectively do their job in a private home environment. If your child has special needs or if your family has multiples, seeking a nanny with experience in those areas can be beneficial.

2. Education. Many nannies have educational backgrounds in early childhood development or education, but at minimum, a nanny should have basic safety training, including current CPR and first aid certification. Many nannies attend educational conferences to hone their childcare skills and keep up on current childcare trends through reading books, networking with other nannies and by taking online classes.

3. Reliability. When giving a caregiver sole charge of your children while you are away, it’s imperative that you can count on her. More than showing up on time, you should be able to count on your nanny to be truthful and honest, to follow through with your wishes, to protect your family’s privacy and to make the children’s needs her priority while on the clock.

4. Ability to communicate. When job issues arise, they are typically due to a breakdown in communication among the adults. It’s important that you and your nanny can communicate effectively, that you’re both willing to keep the lines of communication open and that you feel comfortable discussing child related concerns with each other.

5. A genuine love for children. A nanny’s work can be isolating. A nanny must truly enjoy spending a majority her day alone with the children. Successful nannies view their work as valuable and take enormous pride in providing the highest level of childcare. Nannies strive to build lasting relationships with the children and don’t take for granted the trust that is given to them by the children and parents.

While there have been nanny reality shows in the past, like SuperNanny and Nanny 911 who give a more accurate glimpse of work nannies do, from the promo clips, Beverly Hills Nannies leaves lots to be desired.

The exploding popularity of reality programming has introduced an entirely new set of dysfunctional families to the world of television; they stand alongside some of the heavy-hitters in the realm of scripted-show history. Here are ten of the best examples of the worst family dynamics from reality and scripted television.

1. The Osbournes – When former Black Sabbath frontman and solo rocker Ozzy Osbourne’s family first appeared on MTV for their reality show, many were shocked by the profanity and substance abuse that seemed to be typical for the Osbournes. During the show’s run, son Jack did a stint in rehab; after its cancellation, Ozzy admitted to relapsing into painkiller abuse.
2. Real Housewives – Though Bravo’s Real Housewives… series follows a group of families in several American cities, the moments of functionality and quality parenting on any of the shows are rare to non-existent. The self-involved parents largely ignore their entitled children, leaving viewers scratching their heads.
3. Teen Mom Families – The 16 & Pregnant spinoff Teen Mom may have been intended as a series of cautionary tales regarding teen pregnancy and parenthood, but the popularity of the shows have caused worries that some teens have deliberately conceived in order to have a shot at being cast. For the young parents that are starring in the shows, most of their children are raised by grandparents while they struggle with underage drinking and even domestic violence arrests.
4. All In the Family – Though All in the Family is a beloved classic, younger viewers encountering the show for the first time are struck by the unrepentant bigotry and misogyny of main character Archie Bunker.
5. Married With Children – Intended as a satire on the “perfect family” sitcoms of earlier days, the Married With Children clan never fails to live up to their ironic potential. Attention-starved, sexually provocative teenage daughter, chronically underachieving son, misanthropic father and a clueless, self-absorbed mother all come together to create one of television’s most dysfunctional families of all time.
6. My Super Sweet Sixteen – MTV makes the list again with their offering My Super Sweet Sixteen, which showcased real teenage girls who were spoiled to such a degree that viewers were disgusted. The lavish birthday soirees often cost several thousand dollars, but still ended in tears of self-entitled rage more often than not.
7. Jon and Kate Plus Eight – What began as a portrait of a struggling but still-functional family dealing with the complications of raising eight children ended in bitterness and divorce as Jon and Kate Gosselin became more focused on fame than their children.
8. Gossip Girl – The CW hit based on a bestselling series of young adult novels has been so controversial that the network used public outcry as a marketing campaign, proudly showcasing the horrified reviews to create a buzz.
9. Breaking Bad – The saga of a methamphetamine-producing father, Breaking Bad is veritable goldmine of shock-value parenting. Walt White stores weapons in the nursery and feeds a teenage son shots of tequila, all while fielding the delicate problems that come from working in the seedy underbelly of meth production and distribution.
10. Weeds – Showtime’s hit comedy-drama Weeds follows the exploits of drug dealing suburbanite Nancy Botwin, whose antics are often hilarious, but deeply disturbing for a mother of two sons. Before long, eldest son Silas begins working in the “family business,” with the reluctant approval of his mother, who often comes off as a woman struggling to understand how her life became so complicated.