What Do You Worry About at Your Nanny Job?Alfred E. Neuman is the long-time cartoon icon of Mad Magazine. His motto and rhetorical question is "What, me worry?" The answer for many nannies is: "Of course! I worry about everything and everybody."
What you worry about, how you worry, and the results of the worry says a lot about you as a person and about your chances of success as a nanny.
Life is not always fair, the world is full of injustice. But outrage and angst -- worry combined with anger -- is not a useful response. Feelings of anxiety, fear of confrontation, a need for avoidance, or despair will not help you or your loved ones. We note this not to be preachy but to be practical and realistic.
Avoid the "karma worry"-- that is the belief that if you worry, the spiritual world will magically reward your anxiety with a balancing amount of good things.
Avoid "earned worry"-- that is the feeling that if you suffer internally, you will earn happiness and goals will be achieved through chronic cynicism rather than through focused planning.
Avoid "fear worry"-- that is, insecurity about the complexities of life while viewing obstacles as more than they should be or more than they ultimately seem to be.
What, me worry? Of course. You are the alert problem solver. But for the nanny, worry should spur action, not procrastination, stress or delayed fulfillment.
Worry is contagious. The best nanny displays serenity and calm confidence. No one should worry about you losing your serenity and calm confidence.
What do you worry about at your nanny job?
3 comments:
I worry about not having enough money to pay my bills (especially medical bills), I worry that the mother doesn't think I do a good job, I worry about the nasty nannies in town that I struggle to be friends with and the children I care for now are disrespectful. It is embarrassing. I think the parents probably think I'm to strict with them. But I hate when kids think they are my boss. How will they be respected as they grow up if they can't respect their elders now?
I worry that I look pathetic to others, especially the mother, being that I am a 29 year old nanny. I quit a banking job of 8 years because I was so unhappy... I make better money now + I can dress comfy, but part of me misses being a professional so much, now I feel stuck.. and LOST.
It's so weird 'cause I'm coming up on 5 yrs with this family yet I'm still always worried that I've done something wrong. I am a worry wart by nature but we also have to be told "thanks" and told when we do something right. I'm very insecure and everyone (everyone) thinks I'm the opposite. I even worry about my job at night and lose sleep over it sometimes.
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