As a nanny and/or parent taking care of your babies, it can be tough feeling like there isn’t enough time in the day to finish everything you need to do. I’m giving you my tips on how you can build your village in your biggest times of stress.
As a nanny and/or parent taking care of your babies, it can be tough feeling like there isn’t enough time in the day to finish everything you need to do. From taking care of little ones to doing the laundry and everything in between, the hours sometimes seem to tick by without stopping to give you a chance to refresh.
Reena & Will: Parents of Four
That was the case with Reena and Will, parents of four (yes, four!) children including a little preemie. Reena is a stay-at-home, self-employed mom and lady boss, while dad works full-time getting to come home and see his babies at night. Reena expressed to me that she felt like she was bearing the brunt of raising her babies alone while simultaneously running her business. When I chatted with the couple together, they mentioned to me that Will expressed wanting to hire extra help. Since he knew Reena felt guilty about this, Will tried to help — but found himself only giving attention to their preemie, and possibly neglecting dad time with the others.
As a nanny or a parent, you truly can’t be in every place at once. You can’t give all of your attention to ALL of your children all the time. It’s just not possible! Through my conversations with Will and Reena, we discovered that the best solution for them to work through the differences was for them to start a dialogue with each other. I let them know that discussing times to take breaks and practice self-care while letting your partner focus on your little ones are great ways to plan your day and juggle everything within it. Just talk it out. It’s that easy, friends!
If you want to see and hear more about my conversation with the lovely Reena and Will, watch my WCN: The Series episode, Building Your Village.
Nannies Should Do It Too – It’s Easy!
Knowing that Reena and Will found themselves so busy with their work and 24/7 childcare, it really got me thinking about the nannies I know that also juggle their daily lives and care for multiple children at once. It made me realize that nannies, more than anyone, should really be reaching out to their community for help and building their village with the people around them.
Starting can be as simple as creating organic friendships. Look for other nannies in your area, go on playdates with your nanny kids and ask their friends’ nannies out for coffee. You’ll most likely find that they are also looking for nanny friends to hang out with! The relationships you foster with the members of your village are built upon mutual trust and respect you have for one another, and this is a value you should always hold true to when thinking about who should be a part of your sacred village!
If you find that you don’t have any immediate friends or family living in your area to call for assistance on any given day, making connections is still possible! You can reach out to your neighbors, other nannies, friends of friends, or even do as Reena did: Look to social media.
It Really is a Social Media Platform
Social media is an extremely powerful tool and (let’s be honest) is ingrained in our everyday lives. Reena found that through her social media platforms, she could really connect with other moms on an emotional level because of their level of mutual trust and respect for each other.
Now, in thinking about my nanny friends out there, don’t hesitate to use social media to ask for help in your community! You’d really be surprised by how many people will come to your aid if you are just authentic and transparent in your request for help. You can research local nanny Facebook groups in your area or search nanny hashtags on Instagram to see who in your community is a nanny! The possibilities are endless. All it takes is a little research and putting yourself out there, but you got it, friend!
If you find yourself wondering who exactly you should keep close to you, use my village building chart! It will help you organize who in your village can assist you in the key areas you find yourself needing help. You can download my Village Building Chart HERE.
If one member of your village can babysit for you and another can drive into town to buy your groceries for the week, then your day can be free to either relax or get what you’ve been wanting to get done for the past week — maybe two (I know we’ve all been there!). So, do not be afraid to ask for help from the village you build, my friends! And make sure it keeps growing every day. This cyclical culture of caring is what helps support positive physical and mental health for you and your family.
