The Top 5 Ways You Know You Have an Awesome MomBoss
1. She doesn’t see you as competition. The nanny typically takes over the role of “mommy” while the parents are away and it becomes very easy for MomBoss to feel threatened by that. Nannies are simply there to be a stand in. You are there to love on the children, care for them as if they are your own and help make the lives of your bosses that much easier. It is very easy for your boss to sometimes feel slighted and maybe a little jealous of your role in her child’s life. But if you have a MomBoss who knows how much you love her child and doesn’t feel the need to be more fun than you or “one up” you all the time, then consider yourself lucky.
2. She respects the bond you have with her child. There are 120 hours in the work week. It is common for a child to sleep around 10 hours per night which equals 50 hours in a normal Monday-Friday week. Most nannies work around 50 hours a week, sometimes even more. That leaves about 20 hours per week for MomBoss to spend time with her babies and soak up all the love and attention she can. You spend more time with your nanny children during the week than MomBoss does. It’s only natural that you would create a special bond with the children because you are around them more. There will be times in which MomBoss will have a child screaming and crying for their nanny. It is important for nannies to remember that we can never replace MomBoss but it is our job to create that special bond and care for our nanny children with everything that we have. If you have a boss that appreciates that you love her child so much, you are very fortunate.
3. She respects your job and knows how challenging it is to be a nanny. Nannies do it all. We are not babysitters. We don’t just sit and watch TV all day. We take the place of mom for 10-12 hours a day and that isn’t exactly an easy job. Nannies spend all day kissing boo-boos, chasing kids around, making lunch, cleaning toys, unloading dishwashers, folding clothes, wiping bottoms and making sure that the kids in their care are as happy and cared for as they can possibly be. It’s not a glamorous job. It is one of the most rewarding jobs out there but it is absolutely not glamorous. And having a MomBoss that knows how challenging it can be because she has experiences similar days is something that should never be taken for granted.
4. She asks about your day. Nannies spend all day with children. We have the occasional playdate and the Mommy and Me group once a week but for the most part, nannies spend their days with little to no adult interaction. How many times do we just start talking and realize the only other pair of ears in the room is only two years old? By the end of the work day, we long for a conversation about anything. So, for MomBoss to come home and ask about how our day went and want details of everything that happened that day is one of the smallest yet greatest, most appreciated gestures there is.
5. She knows you’re not a maid. It is normal for the nanny to empty the dishwasher when needed and to fold the kids’ clothes when she finds them in the dryer. Nannies do a lot to assist in keeping the household running. However, we are not maids. We don’t have time to scrub the floors or the toilets or fix the pipe that’s been leaking for a week. We spend our days doing small, tedious tasks to help our boss’ lives run a little smoother. We juggle kids and cooking and our normal, everyday cleaning and adding anything to that list can become overwhelming. Having a MomBoss that leaves a mess expecting the nanny to clean it up, is a little farfetched and unfair.
If at any time during reading this you thought to yourself, “Yeah, that sounds like my boss,” then consider yourself a very lucky nanny. It’s not an easy task to find the perfect family and the perfect MomBoss but if you can relate to any of these things, I’d say you’re pretty fortunate to work for such an understanding and loving family.