As a nanny, I:
- arrive half an hour early to sit in a carpool lane
- drive across town to pick up dance recital outfits
- stock my car with snacks
- say things like, “you’re hearing, but you’re not listening”
- pretend to enjoy their every new interest
- spend hours sitting through their events and practices
In a lot of ways, I’m learning how to be a mom. And while I absolutely adore the kids that I nanny, this does not make me excited to be a mom. Why? Because I get paid! All the boring parenting stuff? Comes with a paycheck. Real moms and dads do not get paid for all the work they do, which I think is appalling. Whenever I have kids, I’m going to keep track of my hourly rate and retroactively charge them for my care when they’re grown and making money.
Or, put another way, I have a lot of respect for moms and dads who invest so fully in their children without getting paid.
It Is Trish 