Posts Tagged ‘Finding a Nanny’

Is there a kids’ creativity crisis? Not on your watch…

Monday, October 8th, 2012

Caine’s Arcade: This 9-year-old boy showed that creativity can be contagious.

Back in May, we celebrated the inspirational story of Caine Monroy, a 9-year-old boy whose cute cardboard box arcade at his dad’s auto parts store became an Internet sensation.

Comedian Jack Black made special pilgrimages to East Los Angeles with his kids. The boy’s cardboard gadgets even received praise from NASA engineers. And this past weekend, filmmaker Nirvan Mullick, who made Caine’s story famous, launched the Global Cardboard Challenge, a call-to-action for parents everywhere to cultivate creativity in their kids.

Mullick’s video says it all:

This cardboard craft Renaissance comes at a time when experts say there is a “creativity crisis” in America.

Psychology Today magazine just reported on an alarming study by College of William and Mary professor Kyung Hee Kim, who analyzed three decades of standardized Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) given to samples of children in grades K-12.  Part of the Torrance tests give participants incomplete line drawings and ask them to make them into pictures. The tests are meant to measure storytelling ability, humor, emotions and overall creativity.

Here’s the take home message from Psychology Today:

“According to Kim’s research, all aspects of creativity have declined, but the biggest decline is in the measure called Creative Elaboration, which assesses the ability to take a particular idea and expand on it in an interesting and novel way. Between 1984 and 2008, the average Elaboration score on the TTCT, for every age group from kindergarten through 12th grade, fell by more than 1 standard deviation. Stated differently, this means that more than 85% of children in 2008 scored lower on this measure than did the average child in 1984.  Yikes.”

Yikes, indeed.

In The Washington Post, child development expert and Lesley College professor Nancy Carlsson-Paige wonders aloud if our culture’s ongoing increase in screen time (TV/computers/electronic toys, etc.) is to blame for the widely acknowledged dip in creativity.  “Is technology sapping children’s creativity?” she asks.

Carlsson-Paige has street cred on inspiring creativity. She’s also the mom of actor-screenwriter Matt Damon.

Handprints Anyone? The joys of having different colored fingers!

Academic studies aside, the grass roots excitement and participation in last weekend’s Global Cardboard Challenge (if you haven’t watched the video above yet, you MUST) is an encouraging sign of hope for parents and nannies alike.

It doesn’t matter what the social trends are when we’re talking about informally educating our kids. Especially in the preschool years, they are mostly under our control.

We can devote more time and attention to collaborative art projects, board games and imaginative play, rather than burrowing ourselves in the other room with the television.

The creativity battle is far from lost!

What do you do to inspire creativity in kids?  Tell us your story at info@enannysource.com.

 

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The Ultimate Compliment: Actress Tori Spelling named her daughter after her childhood nanny

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

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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Traveling nannies support the U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer Team

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

One day will there be an Olympic Gold for Nannying?

The U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer team, which just won its first match against France in its bid to win the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Games in London, has a secret weapon: Nannies.

The Los Angeles Times recently revealed that U.S. Soccer, America’s governing organization for the sport, fully finances nanny services so players can bring their children on the road. The Times notes that several star players and key coaching personnel may have ended their careers earlier if there had not been family-friendly accommodations.

The policy is not a public relations gesture — it’s been going on for the past 16 years.

“U.S. Soccer considers this an important element to help those players with children to continue to contribute,” national team spokesman Neil Buethe tells the Times. “It allows the players to concentrate on their job of playing soccer without having to be away from their kids for a long period of time or worry about how they’re going to be able to balance their family and career while being on the road during training camp.”

Similar programs have been adopted by the golfers on the LPGA Tour and by the 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Softball Team, who competed in Beijing.  Despite the success of the program, unfortunately no other U.S. Olympic teams have official nannies on the payroll.

The 2012 U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer Team is favored to contend for the gold medal this summer.

Soccer star Abby Wambach, who is the team’s second highest scorer, considers herself the squad’s “best babysitter,” as she often will volunteer to give the nannies a break.

“You spend so much time away from home, there’s only so many TV shows you can watch. There’s only so many conversations you can have. The added component of having kids around, it just is entertainment. It’s just such a great dynamic to bring into a team environment that can sometimes get monotonous,” she says.

Along with Brazil, the U.S. soccer team is heavily favored to be in the mix for the gold medal this year. As a fascinating aside, this is the first Olympic Games in which the amount of women athletes on the American team outnumbers men. The U.S. team is comprised of 269 women and 261 men competing in 25 different sports.

It’s refreshing to see a potential world champion team publicly praise its nannies for giving its players the peace of mind that their children are thriving even under the most intense training schedules.

Of course, you don’t need to be a world class athlete — or an athlete at all — to realize the family benefits of hiring a traveling nanny. For advice on finding the perfect nanny candidates to meet the demands of YOUR schedule, visit eNannySource’s free Learning Center!

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What can we learn from Award Winning Nannies?

Friday, July 13th, 2012

Marcia Hall, the International Nanny Association's 2011 "Nanny of the Year," applies her wealth of nannying experience to raising her own two daughters.

Doctors have the American Medical Association (AMA). Media personalities have the Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ). Engineers have the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).  It’s not just alphabet soup. Belonging to a career trade association is perhaps the best way to keep abreast of the latest developments in your profession, and nannying is no exception.

Since 1985, the International Nanny Association (INA) has vigilantly strived to set professional standards for the in-home childcare industry, covering nannies, nanny employers, nanny agencies and educators. The INA’s Annual Conference is the benchmark for training and professional development.

Thanks to the INA, nannies now have their own Oscar, or Grammy or Emmy (pick your favorite gleaming trophy).  The Nanny of the Year (NOTY) Award represents the pinnacle of career achievement. Nominated by their employers, peers or placement agency, and chosen from the field by special committee, the Nanny of the Year award recipient ultimately becomes a role model and public goodwill ambassador for the profession.

At eNannySource.com, we’re always eager to hear about the life experiences of professional nannies — women with whom you can identify with or would be proud to employ in your home (please share your stories here). No matter how many years a nanny has been in the field, she can always increase her knowledge base as she learns from the successes and mistakes of others.

With that goal in mind, over the next few months we’ll be occasionally profiling some of INA’s past “Nanny of the Year” recipients and asking them to share some personal and professional wisdom.
“Child care or child development books are great as general theory,” says INA Co-President Becky Kavanagh, who received the NOTY award in 2006. “But each child is an individual who fits into a mold of their own making. They will be the one who teaches you about them!”

“Children are the most amazing people. If we could all retain the same imagination, open thinking, curiosity, and zest for living that children have, I think the world would be a lot better,” she adds.

Nannies become an inseparable part of family memories, as Becky Kavanagh (at far right), the 2006 "Nanny of the Year," can attest with this Disney cruise.

Becky notes that nannying can sometimes feel like an isolating job — as you don’t have the constant feedback or office banter from co-workers — but suggests that keeping in touch with other nannies can offset this dynamic.

“Burnout certainly can happen,” she acknowledges. “Nannies who feel they are stuck in a rut or aren’t appreciated by their employers can begin to question their effectiveness or even desire to continue as a nanny. I believe having a network to call upon is a great help. Participating — not just belonging –  to professional organizations that provide networking as well as continuing education is a huge plus.”

Stay tuned to this space as some recent Nanny of the Year award recipients kindly share their candid advice about the profession. Coming Soon: A profile on Marni Kent, the 2002 Nanny of the Year.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of Marni’s advice:

1. Have confidence in yourself.
2. Leave your problems at the door.
3. Form good work habits.
4. Keep yourself happy.
5. Embrace the place where you are.
6. Develop your own life.
7. Deal with a problem’s root issues. Avoid planning for defeat.
8. Develop a habit of smiling on purpose.

 

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Navigating a Culture of Bullying: Nannies help shape our children’s character

Sunday, July 1st, 2012

Internet Empathy -- The generosity of strangers outraged over the abuse of a 68-year-old school bus chaperone raised more than enough money for a retirement fund.

By now, many of you may have heard about the horrific behavior on middle school bus #784 in Greece, New York.  A viral video, “Making the Bus Monitor Cry” opened up viewers’ eyes to what happens when kids are put on the bus, parents wave goodbye and they disappear behind those yellow doors.

The video captures kids mercilessly harassing and taunting bus chaperone Karen Klein, 68, and ultimately breaking her down to tears. The crying doesn’t end the incident — it only motivates the four middle school boys to increase the tormenting.

The boys call Karen fat, ugly, old and sweaty. And those are the nicest things they say, drowned out in a sea of profanity you’d expect to hear from much older boys in a locker room. When she can’t tune the insults out, her tears prompt this gleeful response from the kids: “She probably misses her box of Twinkies!”

When you watch this video, it first comes across as the heartless emotional abuse of an elderly woman. But the irony makes it much worse.  Karen’s job is to keep the bus safe. Karen’s role is to ensure a bully-free environment.

Do these kids represent America’s future?  Why didn’t any other kids on the bus stand up for their chaperone? Surely, you can’t say all these kids don’t know the difference between right and wrong.

This story has a (somewhat) happy ending as an Internet fundraising campaign raised more than a half-million dollars for Karen’s vacation and retirement fund. She will never have to step foot on Bus 784 again.

But the bigger problem isn’t going away.  How did these kids become heartless monsters?  Where are the parents?  According to media reports, none of the offending children have given a face-to-face apology. Yet that wouldn’t resolve the issue either.

There is a clip in the video where Karen attempts to professionally handle the situation by telling the foulmouthed children that if they “don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it all.”  It’s traditional and worthwhile advice that gets passed down from generation to generation in many families. The children’s response: “Shut the (expletive) up!”

No commentary needed.

Both parents and nannies assume a huge role in our children’s social and moral development.  Every day is a learning opportunity and how children respect their elders, respect authority and express empathy toward others is ultimately a reflection on parents and caregivers alike.

So when you are searching for and screening nanny candidates, finding someone who shares your values is just as important as their experience and knowledge about child care. Parents certainly can’t depend on the schools to make sure their kids are kind and thoughtful “little adults.”  And if they did, by then, it might be too late.

(For more information about preparing for your nanny search, visit the free eNannySource Learning Center).

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Beyond Politics in the Playroom: Nannies get to re-experience the joys of childhood toys

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Republican presidential candidates recently brought out unusual props on the campaign trail -- the classic Etch A Sketch.

A strange but wondrous thing recently happened in the presidential race. The spokesperson for Mitt Romney recently playfully compared the 2012 Election to an Etch A Sketch toy, predicting that the slate of primary issues would be wiped clean once his candidate faced President Obama in the fall. Rivals Rick Santorum (left) and Newt Gingrich (right) used the metaphor to mock Romney, alleging that HE was the embodiment of the toy and that you could shake him up and erase his positions if the polls aren’t going his way.

For a brief moment, I don’t see a political fight in the photo montage above. I see two grown men playing with toys.

There are millions of parents like me who grew up fiddling with an Etch A Sketch.  Trying to coordinate the right and left knobs perfectly so the vertical and horizontal controls produce diagonals…. It’s not as easy as it looks (You can try the tablet online here by using the arrows on your keyboard).

One of the great job benefits of being a nanny or au pair is the high percentage of time devoted to play.  This element might sometimes be forgotten when you are managing three screaming toddlers in a minivan on the way to the supermarket, but there is a higher percentage of fun associated with this job than many other careers.

Yes, nannies are there to make sure kids are safe, and eat right, and do their homework — virtually the same set of responsibilities as parenting — but the ideal nanny should show her entertainer side more often than her drill sergeant side. (As an aside, eNanny Source membership includes interview guidelines and hiring tips for when you are screening candidates for personality traits).

Not Just a Game: Playing is essential for child development!

Hiring a nanny who truly enjoys playing is essential for finding the right match with your kids. Numerous studies have shown that playtime isn’t simply a way to pass time and keep the little ones busy, but that it plays a key role in emotional, social and intellectual growth and development.

Consider:

  • According to this NPR report, imaginative play is “a powerful tool for building self-discipline is because during make-believe, children engage in what’s called private speech: They talk to themselves about what they are going to do and how they are going to do it.”
  • The Chronicle for Higher Education found that trying to completely replace unstructured free playtime with “educational activities” is ultimately counterproductive. Play reduces stress, improves children’s social skills and behavior as well as sharpens their memory recall.
  • Researcher Stuart Brown, of the National Institute of Play, has discovered a strong correlation between happiness and self-fulfillment in adults and their continued pursuit of play.

On that last note, maybe it’s a blessing that our politicians are pulling out the Etch A Sketch!

Which toys from your playroom do you think might show up on the nightly news next?  My bet is the board game “Operation” when the debate over national health care inevitably resurfaces.

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