Kari's Story

Kari's StoryWhen I was younger, I loved going to the neighbors who had toddlers and hanging out with them.  I have always enjoyed the company of younger children!  When I was 10-11 I started babysitting for families in the neighborhood, and my sister and I took on a full time babysitting job in the evenings for a family that lived nearby.  We were young and that job did not last very long.  It was too much for us at that young of an age I think we were 13 at the time, I am not sure of the age but I know we were young!  I babysat for various families in the community and really enjoyed the children. I think the most I made babysitting was $2.00 an hour!   I had an older sister who had always told me I should go to Nanny school.  I was like nanny school?  I really didn't think much of it.  We had neighbors that had 4 younger children and I was always watching them.  Some weeks in the summer I was watching them full time and I was making $2.00 an hour for 4 kids but,  I enjoyed those kids, I even went over and played with them even when I wasn't supposed to be babysitting.  I had no idea what I was going to do after I graduated from high school.. I just knew the thing to do was to college.  Nanny school was in the back of my head, but I didn't think  I would ever make enough  money to survive on being a nanny.  I took care of children full time through all my summers in college I don't think I ever even made $100.00 a week,  but I enjoyed what I was doing and I was getting paid to have fun.  I took on full time jobs when I was done working a full days work with the children.  When I was away at college I had no idea what I was going to major in, I changed my major  every month.  One day I discovered  Family Life/Child Development program at school, So I thought I would pursue that and get my Parenting Ed Licensure to go with it. So I got my BS and graduated, but now what?  I was working full time at a local Super market and worked my way into management, so when I graduated, I moved to Rochester and worked in the grocery chain.  I worked 6 months as a supervisor and I thought to myself, I want to take  care of  young children not teenagers!  I found a job as a toddler teacher at a local day care, but the day care was poorly run so I thought  I would find a job in one of those fancy national chain centers.  Big mistake.  I then realized the small poorly run day care center was more on target.   At my new job, the children were treated like little robots, they had to stay on their cots for 3 hours no matter what and every child had to do the same thing as everyone else day in and day out.  I was looking through the want ads in the local newspaper and found a nanny job that was going to pay me as much as I was making as a teacher.  I decided I would give it a shot!  It is the best move I have ever made!  It was for a family with a set of twins who were 20 months when I started out and a 3 year old girl.  The children got individual attention and it was a great job.   Two and a half years later I became pregnant with my daughter and was having a rough spot with my family, so I thought I would look for a family that paid well.. Big mistake! I quickly learned that the amount of money that I made was not as important as my relationship with the family and the children.  I went back to my old employers after my daughter  Maddie was born.  I went back and worked with the family for almost another year.  Some of the reasons why I quit the 2nd time around was because I didn't feel it was fair for the children I was taking care of or for my daughter.  They were all in different stages of their lives.  The twins were giving up their naps and they were involved in activities and wanted to hang out at the pool more.  The children loved Maddie and Maddie loved the children,  but I felt I wasn't being fair to either.  I quit that family and took my time finding my current employers. I have been  with them for almost 3 years.  When I started working for them, my charge was 3 months, my daughter was 15 months.  My daughter and my charge were exactly 1 year apart.  It was the best arrangement and still is!  Maddie and my charge are just like brother and sister.  My employers love the relationship the 2 have formed, and because they were both close in age I didn't feel like I was neglecting either one.  My husband gets off work at 3 so he will come and get Maddie so I can have the one on one time with my charge.  I have the best of both worlds!  There have been times where I have thought of quitting to find a more "professional job"  cause people commented all the time I have a 4 year degree and I am nannying, why don't I find a better job?  What they don't realize is that  I have the best job I could have  right now!  I have a great relationship with my employers where I am respected.  People ask me all the time what makes a great nanny/employer relationship.  I know there are many that don't agree with me, but I say treat it like a marriage.  Each side gives and takes a little.  When I do have problems I have learned that communication is the best solution!  The most important thing I have learned from being a parent and a nanny is that it is a lot easier being a nanny than a parent.  I used to be so judgmental and critical of parents and I have learned it is so different on the other side of the fence.  I love my job and could not ask for a better job or better employers!