How to Tell a Good Nanny from A Bad One

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I now found myself in a situation where I had the opportunity to coach the nanny.  I was able to guide her in aligning herself and her style of caregiving with the desires of the mother.  This nanny was surprised.  She thought she was doing the right thing.  She was very upset when she learned that her actions had offended her employer as this had never been her intention.  Once I’d mentored her on what was expected, she was able to go about her duties with a new perspective.  There she fostered a mutually respectful relationship with her employer which lasted for a long time.

On another occasion, I found myself on the phone with an infuriated mother who had a list of complaints about her nanny.  None of the things on the list were big issues on their own but combined they were affecting the working relationship.  The major problem I could detect through listening carefully to what the mom was telling me had to do with punctuality and not always being on point.  The more she spoke though, the more this mom was telling me how fantastic the nanny was and what a good job she was doing in all other regards.