Sunday, March 25, 2012

preparing for reentry

My nanny doesn't have a Facebook account. What 26 year old doesn't have a Facebook account? I worry I've hired a weird nanny.

She isn't technically my nanny as we are doing a nanny-share with one of my co-fellows whose daughter is the same age as Wow. We hired the nanny on a five week provisional basis when I go back to work. "Provisional" largely so that she can bow out gracefully if the care of two 3 month olds is a 3 month old too many.

I don't really think she's weird for not having an FB account. And of course I looked her up. She's cute and young and I was far more worried that I would find pictures of her doing kegstands than to find nothing at all. Yes, I googled her too.

Tying to hire someone that I trust with my very small and floppy son has been moderately stress-provoking, probably because, aside from the few times Marcia has watched Munch, we've never had a childcare provider who wasn't also a blood relation. You will have to forgive me if the FB thing seems creepy.

We've been making other preparations for the end of my leave, the least fun of which has been cracking down on Munch - part of the reason for all the yelling I mentioned in Munch's bday post. LD and I worry about how this family is going to function when I go back to work. "Function" as in the daily routines that involve breakfast, getting ready for school/work, pager going off, Skypes coming in, drop offs/pick ups, dinner, clean up, packing lunches, call nights, and weekend work days. And that was pre-Wow. (A shout out to single parents. Respect, yo. And nothing but it.)

The conclusion we came to was that we needed Munch's help in keeping all members of the family fed, clean, happy, and employed. She needed to grow up a bit.

So we've purposely become less tolerant of some behaviors. She has more responsibility for cleaning up her toys, eating what's served to her, not spilling food, using an indoor voice, doing what is asked the first time, etc. etc.

Disciplining your kids sucks, especially a kid whose most frequent transgression is that, with breakfast on the table, she's practicing her pirouettes in the living room despite repeated requests to get your butt back in the kitchen and finish your cheesy toast Now.

When the tears well in her eyes and she pleads to NOT-BE-IN-TROUBLE-I-JUST-WANT-A-HUG-DO-YOU-STILL-LOVE-ME? I am painfully reminded that, by forcing her to grow up even faster than she already is, we are also shortening this magical period where LD and I are her everything. Her sun, her moon, and her stars. Everything. This fact is never as obvious as when she thinks she has upset us.

Having recently discovered the parent-swing. I don't know what to say about the headband. 
 A running start
For the record, I suspect Wow is ready for a change of pace. I think the little guy is tired of certain someone repeatedly yelling in his face That's my chin! My chin on a little man! How did you get my chin?OOooooo Your mama loves you. Mah mah mah.


  1. Re: nanny research, reminds me of this song.

  2. I have to admit, when I saw the album cover I thought "BRIAN! that is NOT alleviated my nanny-anxiety". But the song is pretty funny. And oh-so-true.

  3. It's not uncommon for younger FB users to list their account under their first and middle but not last name (example: Lisa Marie, omitting Presley), specifically so an employer or parent can't find the nude kegger pics.

