Ten Reasons Why You Should Hire a Nanny Who Has a Child

Sometimes, there are just things you need to say. Luckily for me, this is my place. And so, since apparently Facebook isn't the place for it (if we're not FB friends, you missed out on the lovely little drama that ensued last night when I said something about being dismayed by the amount of people who are opposed to hiring a nanny who brings her child to work with her - this one "friend" practically attacked me over it), then this little corner of the universe will be where I vent my frustrations instead.

I get the initial hesitance. You want the absolute best for your child(ren), and you don't want to have any regrets or guilt over the care they receive when they're not with you. But, at the same time, I feel that being completely opposed to a nanny who would bring her own child to work with her is short-sighted and closed-minded, and that if only people would really think through the ways in which the arrangement could be beneficial, I would not be struggling so hard to find a job where I could both provide for my family and be with my child as she grows.

So, without further adieu, here are ten reasons why I think families could stand to benefit from a nanny who brings her own child (aka: why you should hire me):

- I promise to always be as responsible with your child as I am with mine. When I'm driving down the street to bus one kid to little league and the other to swim team, I'm not texting and driving. I'm not listening to a CD where the f-bomb is dropped on a regular basis. In fact, chances are I can best your own personal child-appropriate CD collection. What I am doing is recognizing how fragile and pivotal your child's life is to you and to me, and I promise to always drive exactly how I would want someone to drive with my child on board.

- I promise not to judge. OK, I admit it. Pre-child me would leave work and think, "I cannot believe the lengths that some people go to to get their child to sleep. Just let them cry it out already!" Thanks to that very statement, God graced me with a super fabulous child that has less than super or fabulous sleeping habits. I have gone to ridiculous lengths to get her peacefully to sleep. Sometimes, you're just trying to survive. I respect that.

- The things you don't want your child to be allowed to do, like lounge around unsupervised on the couch eating junk food while watching TV all day while the nanny daydreams about her boyfriend? Yeah, I don't want my child to do that either. I promise that we'll always be active, that TV will be limited, that healthy eating means as much to me as it does to you, and that if you wouldn't want it to happen on your watch, I wouldn't want it to happen on mine either.

- I can save your child's life. Once, when Ava was a little over a year old, she was eating a banana in the grocery store (see! a banana, not a donut!) and she started to choke on a bite that went down the wrong way. She choked so badly, in fact, that she started to turn blue, and a crowd of people gathered around, doing nothing. I was able to call on my CPR and First Aid knowledge and was able to hook the banana from where it was lodged in her throat in time to keep things from getting far more worrisome. Had I not known how to do this, we would've been seconds from the heimlich. I can do that, too, for the record.

- Not only am I calm in an emergency, but I can handle whatever comes my way. I've been vomited on more times than I can count by any number of children over the past few years. Ava had a severe daily intolerance as a baby, and often required any number of clothing changes due to, ahem, leakage. In short, not grossed out easily. I won't be calling you at work telling you your kid threw up and the come immediately home. I've got this.

- There is just something, and I can't pinpoint the exact transition, about being a parent that changes someone. You feel accountable. You feel as though you have something to prove to your little person, that you should make a different, that you should do good and drive the speed limit and wave to your neighbors, and that the world we live in? Well, it should be left a different, and better, place for our children. I feel that. I am kind. I am considerate. I am conscientious.

- In the same vein, I'm a good role model. Not only do I try to do good for those around me, but I try to model the types of behavior I want to see from my child. I say "please" and "thank you". I wave people in in traffic. I forgive. I don't shout. If I tell Ava it's not ok, then I lead by example, knowing my words are less telling than my deeds. I promise to pass that along to your child as well.

- When I have down time, I try to make a concerted effort to do things that will improve the way your household runs. I have a new understanding of just how far me washing and folding a load (or five) of laundry will go. I get that you're not asking me to sweep the kitchen because you simply don't want to, but because your crawler likes to stick absolutely everything in their mouth.

- Because I am kind, my child is too. She's the type of friend you want your child to have, and, luckily for you, if I bring her to work with me, they can be the best of friends. Both families I have worked for are the absolute closest people we have in Austin. In fact, at our family-only wedding, they were there. How wonderful for both parties that children are able to have such a close bond and share the socialization experience? How nice is it that when we go on one of the many outings I try to plan, we're exploring together? I can guarantee both families I work for will give me a glowing reference and tell you flat out that they would not have it any other way.

- And, for those who want me to be "100% focused on our family", believe me when I say that I can do that only knowing that my child is cared for as well. I cannot leave my child at daycare and then come devote myself to yours. When she is with me, however, and I am freed from wondering what type of care she is receiving and if it is as good as it would be with me, then I absolutely can focus on your child without distraction.

I was going to stop at ten, but here's a bonus couple for those hard sells:

- I promise not to stumble in hungover. Maybe college nanny me would have thought it was acceptable and wouldn't hurt my ability to care for a child, but grown-up mommy me thinks otherwise. A wild night for me is allowing my husband to put Ava to bed so that I can watch Revenge in my pajamas on the couch.

- I am committed to making things work. You know how you want a long-term nanny for stability and continuity for your child? Yeah, so do I. I have a vested interest in being an adult and talking through any conflicts that could arise, rather than leaving you high and dry over a kink in the lines of communication.

If you need more reasons, I'm happy to give them to you. I could go on all day. But, in the end, I hope that just one person stumbles upon this post and decides to take a leap of faith and hire a nanny with a child. That just one person thinks outside of the box, and decides to give a mother and her daughter or son a chance to make a difference in both of their lives.