I love to meet other nannies. Whether at a park in Cincinnati or a professional conference across the country, I am intrigued with our similarities. We seem to have a sacrificial, loving and giving nature in addition to our love for kids. I think it is such a great opportunity to meet one other, learn and be challenged by each other’s experiences and share in our love for kids. Today I present a friend of mine, I thought that you should meet. 

Meet Nanny Trisha

An Interview By: Greta Schraer

1. What is your current Nanny position?

Currently I am working part-time for three families. Family K has boy/girl twins who are 2 ½ year-olds. I have to say that these children are the happiest, joyful twins I have ever cared for. Although I am with them a couple of hours twice a week I come away feeling so happy and blessed to care for them and teach them a few things along the way! Family R has a 6 year-old girl and a 5 month-old boy. I have to say with this family I feel like I have been called to help them with the many challenges their son faces. I feel like the breaks I give a loving stay-at-home-mom are very helpful. Their daughter is such a pleasure to spend time with and their son has the most infectious laugh I know! And, the third family I am caring for has a 7 year-old son who I have come to care for deeply. I understand him so well and can really use my expertise to help him. It is truly amazing that I am able to help all three families in very different ways.

2.     How/Why did you decide to become a Nanny?

I was working at Goddard in Anderson when I knew that group care was not satisfying for me.  There were many reasons I felt this way, but above all I did not feel like I was able to give each child in my class the attention and love that they needed to thrive.  Each day I felt myself accomplishing the bare minimum and I was not happy with that.  The owner’s friend is a nanny agency owner so she recommended me to her.  It took several months to find my first match, but once I did I was hooked!  I’m never looking back.  This was the best decision ever!  Being a Nanny utilizes my degree, my skills, and talents to bring so much happiness into the lives of the children and the families I serve.

3.     Why are you passionate about working with children?

I absolutely love children!  Ever since my cousin Jaclynn was born when I was 7 years old I have had a fascination for young children.  I am the youngest of my family and so I always played with and made friends with younger children wishing I had younger siblings.  I love encouraging children to grow and develop, to see their unique perspectives, to help them reach higher milestones gaining more intellectual development, and to open their minds to the marvelous world around them.  Children are so genuine, naïve and loving.  I have seen with my own eyes how children can just flourish if given the right mix of the things they need to grow.  I am addicted to making each and every child I care for happy, well rounded, and develop a zest for life-long learning.  Through all of the training I have taken over the past 5 years I really feel like now more than ever I have fine tuned my ability to thoroughly understand children and in return I speak their language and am able to be their greatest ally and their largest, most passionate advocate.

4.     What is a misconception in your peers and/or family about the Nanny profession?

My peers who aren’t nannies think that I am still doing the childish “babysitting” I did as a teenager and have often wonder when I am going to grow up.  My mother supports me and understands why I am a nanny and loves to see me happy, so to her it doesn’t matter what I do with my life as along as I am happy.  The rest of my family doesn’t understand and thinks that I am wasting my life and my chances at bigger and better things since I have a degree in business.  They obviously do not see or understand my passions and how fulfilling it is to follow one’s passions no matter what and live a fulfilling life.  They really do care about me and the overall long-term effects like the lack of benefits, retirement funding, ability to “move up” over time in an organization, and are concerned about my future.  I love them for this.  Perhaps I will not always be a nanny, but for now I feel truly called by God.

5.     In what areas do you currently feel challenged?

Currently I feel challenged by juggling three families and all of the children’s unique characteristics and needs.  I feel called by God to help these families for the short-term and perhaps some for the long-term.  My current challenge is to understand where God is leading me in my career and in my life.

6.     What about CincyNanny has been a benefit to you?

Where do I begin?  CincyNanny is an absolute blessing!  Before CincyNanny I felt very disconnected as a nanny and rather lost.  I had a few nanny friends, but none of them were really true professionals.  In the past CincyNanny has helped me find a great family to work for where I was instrumental in the lives of their two young boys.  CincyNanny has helped me to feel professional and rub elbows with other professional nannies who view this as a career.  I have also benefitted from networking with other nannies for play dates and have made so many friends personally!   Greta is just wonderful and I thank God that she has made this community here in Cincinnati.  It is needed and is truly amazing! 

There are several things going on in my life that affect the children in my care.  I have the time to volunteer again and that truly warms my heart and as a result makes me stop to recognize and appreciate the small things in life that would otherwise be taken for granted.  Mr. Wonderful has found me.  Dating him has filled up my love and energy tanks.  He compliments me in so many ways and his presence in my life puts me at ease even in this time of limbo in my career.  This has brought a great deal of happiness into my life and I feel more recharged now, so I am once again able to give children so much more of the compassionate care that they deserve.

8.     What is a goal for the future?

My main goal right now is to find the right combination of families to work for or to find one full-time family that understands my passions, my strengths, and can accept my weaknesses.  My other goals are continuing my education and networking by going to my first INA Conference and becoming a credentialed nanny.  I really want to go to conference and hope that I will go either this year or next year.  Whether or not I make it to conference I am actively pursuing becoming credentialed and am currently reading and studying for the test.

9.     How do you refresh/re-coop/prepare from and for your Nanny position? 

I spend a great deal of quiet time thinking about my work actually.  I have a very active mind and like to think creatively on how to solve challenges I face on a daily basis.  I like to evaluate the current situations and skill levels of the children in my care and come up with creative, fun learning ideas that they would enjoy.  I like to use my spontaneity and creativity to increase their learning as I extend their play.  I try to not let my thoughts about my work completely monopolize my life outside of work. 

Other things I really enjoy include cooking new foods from scratch, creating and designing works of art in my creative room, and expressing myself through playing my flute.  I also enjoy nature with long walks outside with my walking buddy and my friends.  I also really enjoy to express myself through swing dancing.

10.  What changes would you like to see changed OR questions to be answered in the Nanny Industry?

I want many things to happen: 

1. I want everyone in this world to understand that there are some nannies who are working as babysitters, but that there are more nannies who are serious about this profession and are driven to successful careers just like an accountant or scientist.  I want everyone to stop looking down on me for choosing this as my career.  I am truly making a difference in many lives and my work is no less important than anyone else’s.

2. I want a higher minimum standard set nation wide.  I want those who are working as babysitters and calling themselves ‘nannies’ to be called out for trying to pose as a professional without working as one.  This is not a job for just anybody who is in transition.  This is a serious career that affects children for life.  I hope to see in the future some type of system that perhaps grades nannies on a sliding scale similar to the “Step Up to Quality” program currently in place for daycares.  I even think in the future it would be awesome for the minimum standard to be an associate degree with the name: Professional Nanny.  Along with that I would like it to be achievable by nannies currently working full-time without having to quit their current jobs or relocate across the country to complete it.  I can dream can’t I? I would hope that the degree would take into account a nanny’s past experiences, give an in-depth understanding of child development, arm them with excellent knowledge and resources to support families who make decisions based on the case at hand without considering their long-term impact, and can set the standard for outstanding quality care that nannies have every potential in achieving in each home they work in.

3. I want families to be informed and armed with all the information they need before making these often rushed decisions when it comes to their nanny.  I want them to be able to attain this information without having to utilize an agency so that it can be disseminated as common knowledge.

Are you looking to read more from other local nannies, look to the menu bar on the right for links Meet Nanny interviews!