Nanny Lindsay

Being a nanny. There’s really not another job out there quite like it. It has its ups and downs like any other job has, but all in all you couldn’t ask for a better one. It’s so rewarding and you get paid to be a kid again. Let me explain.
I started in the nanny business when I was a senior in high school. It was actually fall/winter of 2006. I was introduced to Clara Adiska, the cutest little African American girl you have ever seen. I met her and her single mom through assistant coaching volleyball. It was just a fun after school program for these kids to be able to learn some volleyball and have some fun. I found out that Clara’s mom was a photographer and often worked hectic hours. She asked if I’d be interested after volleyball ended, in being Clara’s regular babysitter. I agreed and had so much fun doing it! There is really only one word to describe Clara, and that is spunky. That girl was so funny and so full of life and energy! I haven’t ever met another person like her, and it’s unlikely I ever will. I watched Clara a lot actually; I’d mostly pick her up from after school care at the school, or just school in general. We would usually go back to my home. She liked it there better than at her home that was always empty. Clara loved my family and they loved her. Taylor loved her so much he showed no mercy in teasing her, just as he does with his sisters. She really was like part of the family, and used to sleep over and go to church sometimes as well. It was pretty awesome being the coolest babysitter ever in someone’s book, and really being like a big sister to her. I hope that girl never changes! We had so much fun singing, dancing, jamming out in my car, laughing at random funny things we saw on our drives home, making faces at each other, eating together, and just hanging out. It was by far one of the most rewarding and easy jobs I have ever had. I miss her! Her mom was always very sweet to me too. Sometimes she took advantage of our family, or so others would say, but I tried not to let it bother me because I knew she was struggling to find herself after a divorce and to support and raise a daughter. If I could do it again, I’d soak all the praise in of being a nanny and truly always be there for Clara. She needed that. I tried, but I would try harder if given the chance.
My next nanny job was with my three all time favorite Smith girls. These girls will forever hold this huge special place in my heart. I adore everything about them! They were such a joy to work for and with. First of all, the pay was great. I know you were wondering. I made about $500 a week. The hours were demanding, about 7am to 7pm Monday through Fridays, and then sometimes they’d ask me to come in Saturday afternoons after I got done working my Real Estate secretary job for Reinhart in the mornings. But all those hours were so worth it! These girls were darling. When I would nanny them, Cezanne was 9, Marlowe was 7, and Cossette was 2 turning 3. I would get the girls ready for school; feed them breakfast, do their hair, help pick out their outfits, get them lunches, bundle them up if it was cold out, etc. Then, Cezanne would usually take the bus but I usually drove Marlowe to school. I then had my one on one time with Cossette for the day. Since she was so little she had no responsibilities or obligations! We would do anything from watch TV at the house to go play at a park for a few hours. Sometimes she would run errands with me as well that Lori, their mom sent me on. Usually to the grocery store Trader Joes or to pick something up that the girls needed for an afterschool activity. Cossette was a joy! I remember one time while driving her around, hearing a little “scrape, scrape, scrape” in the backseat. Curious to see what the noise was I looked through the rearview mirror. Cossette had gotten ahold of a marker one of the older girls had left in the back seat, and had managed to reach up with her hand (she was a taller two year old, for real), and was drawing happily as can be back and forth on my car sealing. I was mortified! It never came out, and my parents were not happy, especially my dad who was the rightful owner of “my” car, but it always makes me smile to this day when I look back and see those marks there. They remind me of all my fun times with those girls.
These girls truly were like my own little sister. They made me love children. Well I always did, but they helped me realize how gifted I was with children. I remember one time having to put Marlowe in a timeout because she had smacked Cezanne or something along those lines. She lost her temper and so I had to put her in her room until she could cool down. I remember her writing this note. It was about 6 or 7 post it notes stuck together in one big line that she slipped out underneath her door. I kept it and still have it at my parents’ house in my memorabilia. It said something along the lines of, “Dear Lindsay. I am sorry for what I did. Please let me out of time out right now or I am not going to be your friend anymore. From, Marlowe.” I couldn’t help but crack up when I saw this! What seven year old writes a note like that, especially to their nanny? I loved it! It made me laugh and of course, I had to let her out within a few minutes. Those girls taught me a lot. Marlowe was so tender hearted. I remember driving her by a grocery store. We saw a kid who had special needs. Marlowe got this look in her eyes and said, “You know what Lindsay? People at my school make fun of people like them because they’re different. But I think they’re beautiful. I love them.” I choked up when I heard her say this. My heart stopped because of how pure and innocent she was. They often times reminded me of the importance of being young at a heart like a child. I loved them so much because no matter what I did, or how badly I messed up, not with them but in that rough time in my life when I was searching for myself, they thought I was the bees’ knees. They treated me like I was a rock star. I’ll never forget this one-day when I was driving Marlowe to her gymnastics class. We had the windows down, because it was lovely weather. Driving down the road, a bee flew directly in the window! We both started freaking out; especially Marlowe because it was very close to her! I had to pull over and we both jumped out of the car on the side of the road and ran around until the bee came out! At the time she was terrified but then it was hilarious. Memories like those are what made my every day.
Cezanne and I bonded in a special way. She was wiser beyond her years. So she understood a lot of things. I remember I fell asleep at the wheel once when I was driving her to school. Luckily for me, we just hit a mailbox and it woke me up and no other car came close to hitting us, but I can tell you it shook me up beyond belief. Not because of myself crashing. I had been super sick and very overworked, so it was no surprise that running on no sleep I crashed my car falling asleep. But it shook me up because Cezanne had been in the car with me. I kept thinking “what ifs” but my mom said to not do that to myself because nothing bad had happened. When I called her parents who were out of town to let them know, they were so kind and loving toward me. I didn’t lose my job and they weren’t even mad. In fact, my boss Lori said she had experienced a dream about that a few nights before. So weird! But anyways, when I looked over at Cezanne to make sure she was okay (we hit the mailbox on my side of the car, so physically I knew she was fine), she was cracking up! I thought something must be seriously wrong with this child. Here I was trying to keep it together and not burst out into tears and she was there cracking up! It made me feel so much better that she was fine and was making the best of things. She told everyone she couldn’t wait to tell them about this and that “TONS of mail flew out of the mailbox into the air!” when we hit it. Clearly, this was untrue, but it was a very clever idea. So I went with it if that’s what made her happy. I’ll never forget that. That was a life long lesson that I had to take better care of myself and be more responsible with getting more sleep, etc. It was definitely a wake up call for sure. I can promise you I never drive when my eyes are even a little tired now. Because that’s how I crashed; I remember Cezanne talking to me and telling me a story and the next thing I knew my eyes were shut. Terrifying! I never want that to happen to me again! Lucky for me it was just a dent on the side, and a broken mailbox and some minor damage the car mechanics fixed quickly. I remember being pretty shaken up after though, and having my friends drive me around places for a bit after that. To this day I feel guilty for not being more responsible, but I know the Lord was watching over me and just wanted me to learn a valuable lesson. He is so mindful of us all.
I was fortunate and blessed enough to make another dear, sweet friend while being a nanny for the Smiths. This was Robin Laurent; Lori Smith’s mother. She was living with them temporarily from Florida, because Robin’s mother was living at the Smith’s home until she passed away. She lived in the basement and was, for the most part, bed ridden. Robin took such tender care of her mother, and it never ceased to amaze me. I remember bonding with Robin more and more each day. I seriously adored her. She was like a grandmother to me. Every day I was sick with even the slightest cough or cold, she’d make her honey lemon herbal tea for me and it was delicious. She’d usually enjoy a cup with me while I was sitting drinking it, and we’d always end up in a deep discussion. I learned a lot about her life and her trials and her background. I seriously have a big spot in my heart for her as well. Even thinking about it gets tears in my eyes as I remember her getting baptized. She asked Marlowe and I to sing at it and we did. I’ll never forget that. She joined the church while I was working there, and I remember her asking me questions and also having the sister missionaries over consistently. She always wanted to help out people in the ward to, and in general, even before she was a member. I knew she was an amazing soul from the time I met her. I’ll never forget her. My mom says she still asks about me when she comes to visit in Michigan, and that warms my heart! I wish I saw more of her. She used to let me take her car, which was a lot nicer than mine, to run errands. She would randomly offer it when she wasn’t using it. Also, if I had to leave early, she would take over watching her grandchildren until the parents got home, so that I could take off. That woman was a Saint to me.
At first, I must admit I was terrified of Lori, my boss. She was so powerful and intimidating both at her home and in the business world. Also, I’m just going to throw it out there; she had a fabulous wardrobe and purse collection, which makes a woman all the more intimidating. Eventually when I stopped being scared of her, I was able to talk to her about lots of things. I remember her once telling me that I reminded me of her someone who she had been very close to. This was very flattering to me. By the end of my time being the nanny of the Smith children, we had grown very close. Apparently, I hear from my boss now, that when she called Lori for my reference I had put down, she raved about me. Actually everyone’s told me that. Lori was truly by far my best employer ever. I’ve never met a woman with more on her plate and she always handled it so gracefully and diligently. She is one of the hardest working women I have ever known. I don’t know how she did it all! Lori was also very smart! And she’s beautiful. So a double threat! She truly was an inspiration to me. I cherish and value our lasting friendship even though I hardly see any of them anymore; just on my rare visits to visit home in Michigan.
The reason I became unemployed with the Smiths was because Andrew, the father, was sadly laid off of his job. The economy hit rock bottom and he was one of their top employees, and let go of. I remember exactly how it happened. He came home early from work one day; and I mean really early. I thought it was interesting. When he saw me, he told me I could go home. Then when it was just me in my car getting ready to go home, Andrew came out to the driveway. He told me that this would be my last week working for them. I thought I had done something wrong and was reviewing everything in my mind. Then he let me know, “I lost my job today.” So basically, he would be home 24/7 and they wouldn’t be able to pay me. I was seriously so sad! I was leaving for Idaho in 3 weeks anyways, to go to school, so it wasn’t a huge deal, but I was still very sad because I loved and adored those girls. They truly were heaven’s angels and I had the pleasure of working and hanging out with them every day! That family will always hold the dearest place in my heart and I will always have fond memories of them. No job has beaten that job!
When I moved to California, I was lucky enough to be set up with a job. Kristy Dunning, called my sister in law, Melissa about needing help a couple times a week. I was new to California and hardly knew anyone, but Melissa suggested me because she knew I did nothing all day, literally, and was looking for a job for some income for us. If you don’t know, California is very expensive to live. Our rent is $1,025 a month for a junior bedroom, which is smaller than a one bedroom! And that doesn’t include anything; just the flat out rent fee. Needless to say, I needed a job and stat. So Kristy had me come, and it worked out great! When I started Rowan was 2 almost 3, Sarah was 1, and Shelby was only 6 months. Now, I still work for them here and there, usually once a week, and Rowan is 5, Sarah is almost 4, and Shelby about to turn 3. I have literally watched those children grow up. At first it was hard. These kids had no structure; not because of Mark and Kristy, but because of the fact they were so close in age. They all needed attention 24/7. It was hard and often times I wanted to burst in tears. But as I grew to love them, the job became easier and more enjoyable. Now, those kids are just a joy to watch! They have all grown up so much, and it makes my job so much better. They are so fun and they act like I am part of their family. All of them do, including the parents. It always melts my heart because every time I come over, it’s like Shelby hasn’t seen me in years! She freaks out and gets so excited and won’t let me put her down. “Winseeee!!!” she always screams. That’s how she pronounces “Lindsay!” Kristy tells me that she loves me more than anyone (besides her family of course), because I have been with her since she was a baby. And it’s true. She picks me over her grandparents every time. Sometimes it’s awkward, but at the same time it makes me feel so great because I know that I have done a wonderful job of giving her the love and attention that she needs. Who wouldn’t be proud of that? With these kids we like to literally chase each other around, go to the park near their house and play, especially on swings, and to watch fun movies together. I also paint the girls nails regularly because they love it!
I now have a nanny job with the Fallcetti family. They are awesome! I lucked out and applied randomly to their job ad, and got the job! I even had to compete with a lot of other nannies who applied to the job. Lucky for me I got the “call back” and was picked out of everyone. Apparently I ranked first on all of their lists, which made me super happy to know. The kids are Luke 10, and Lizzie 8. They are awesome! It’s such a difference to nanny older children. And I mean a good difference. While I learned lots with younger children, older children are a nice change of pace. I pick them up from school and help them get through their homework. I take them to their afterschool activities. But other than that we get to hang out. We all like to play games on our phone and iPods, play outside, play sports together in the backyard, and do board games. Today I even taught them “Sequence,” which is a personal favorite of Tanners, and mine and they are already hooked. The parents treat me great, and other sources that know both them and me, tell me how much they sing my praises. I’m happy I have found a family that works out so great for us! On top of that it’s only a 5-minute drive from our place to theirs, and I get paid amazing! Better than any job I ever have. I am excited to be with this family and for the opportunities it brings to Tanner and me financially, and it has definitely made me a happier person. It’s true; when you love your job you are happier!
Being a nanny has truly shown me a different side of life. It’s shown me the side of being a parent. Yes I know, I’m not a parent to these children, but it’s helping me prepare for parenthood. And I should say, I need more preparing than Tanner does. Tanner is amazing with children and so gentle and patient with everyone. Like I’ve told you before, I lucked out with him. God was very generous to me. Being a nanny has been a lifesaver for me. It has caused us to stay afloat financially, and it is preparing me for the most important call I will ever have; motherhood. You really can’t find a better job than being a nanny.