20 Mar National Single Parents Day: How Nannies Help Support These Champions
Being a single parent is a challenging undertaking, to say the least. You’re on duty 24/7, and there is often no one to take over for you if you suddenly come down with a cold or get stuck at the office during meal times. You have to possess the scheduling talents of a flight director in an air traffic control tower! Even the slightest hitch in the family routine can wreak havoc on a single parent’s day, yet millions and millions manage to cope – and flourish — no matter what the universe throws at them.
March 21st is National Single Parents Day. Since there are approximately 12 million single parents across America, that’s a whole lot of people being celebrated for all they handle, day in and day out.
Being a single parent is tough, even under the most optimum conditions. What can really help these heroes out when life gets challenging?
Hiring a nanny, of course!
Nannies offer plenty of benefits to all households, but when there is only one individual at the helm, those benefits increase tenfold.
In this post, we outline how nannies bring support and organization to busy single parent households. Whether the nanny lives in or arrives early each day, these professional childcare workers are often the perfect solution to the many hurdles single parents face every day.
1. They provide professional child care when you can’t be there.
Unlike babysitters, who may come your way through word of mouth at your child’s favorite park, or are a neighborhood teen who’s saving for college by earning extra money, nannies have a level of expertise far beyond casual sitters. Nannies have the education and expertise that brings high quality care to their charges, but many are skilled in additional areas as well as child care. For example, some of the nannies on the roster at Elite Nannies® are nurses, massage therapists, fitness instructors, and tutors. Consequently, they bring a whole other level of knowledge and experience to their role and can offer single parents many skills apart from “just” child care.
2. Nannies function as second adults in the home.
Single parents have all the onus piled high on their shoulders, everything from making meals to packing lunches to getting the children off to sports practices and music recitals. In two-parent households, these duties are often split equally, depending on schedules and availability. Having a nanny in the home makes an enormous difference to the number of tasks a single parent must complete each day. If the nanny takes over shopping, cooking meals, and laundry during the week, a single parent has considerably more quality time to spend with their child, rather than handling the mundane responsibilities that are part of running a home. That is a huge benefit to both the child and the single parent.
3. A nanny can be there during pick ups and drop offs from the other parent.
Negotiating how and when a child sees their other parent (assuming there is someone else in the picture) can be a delicate undertaking, particularly if a separation or divorce has been acrimonious. Asking your nanny to be there during these moments means you aren’t confronted with the anxiety that can be part and parcel of these meetings. Furthermore, your child will not experience the stress that can come with sensing their parents are not getting along. A nanny is an ideal buffer.
4. Nannies excel at dealing with teachers, counselors, and other adults in your child’s life.
Whether that means going as your stand-in on the parent-teacher night because you have a vital meeting at work, or talking with a friend’s parents to set up a playdate, nannies are excellent schedulers. They can balance all the events in a child’s world (and yours!) because they are trained to anticipate all the demands that life brings. Also, they ensure that your schedule and your child operate harmoniously, so no conflicts arise. For example: if you book a month in the summer for holidays, your nanny sees to it that your child’s sports coach, music teacher (or anyone else) knows well in advance that your child will be away. All the tiny details of your daily routine are your nanny’s responsibility, and they handle them expertly.
They want to monopolize you, even at the expense of time you spend with their siblings, and they sometimes have a tough time letting parents go at the end of the day. “Just one more story!” is a common bedtime refrain from children who speak this love language. To address their needs, make a point of reading them one extra story or taking them with you when you go to do an errand. Spending any extra time with them is how you can make this child feel heard.
5. A nanny helps care for you, too!
By that, we mean that your nanny will ensure that everyday tasks like making meals are done for both your child and you, so when you come home from work dinner is ready. Many nannies are happy to do additional duties like this, which go beyond the scope of child care. For example, handling the grocery shopping and running errands, booking dental and medical checkups for your child are duties a nanny is usually glad to handle. Provided you discuss these things when interviewing candidates for hire, and put them down in their employment contract, your nanny can provide aid on many fronts that help you, in addition to caring for your child.
Celebrate A Single Parent On March 21st:
Do you know a single parent whose Herculean efforts you admire? Most people know several single parents these days, as the stigma and shame that once accompanied single parenthood is far behind us – thank goodness.
Make March 21st a day to celebrate the single parent in your world by sending them a gift certificate for their favorite takeout meal, or a bouquet of spring flowers. Or offer to take care of the grocery shopping or another task they usually do on the weekends.
Better yet, offer to babysit, or take their child out to see a movie and have pizza, so the single parent in your world gets a few precious hours on their own.If you are a single parent yourself, consider hiring a nanny — a child care professional who lives in your home or arrives each day as you’re ready to leave for the office. We at Elite Nannies® would be happy to discuss all the options available to you, so you can find the ideal candidate to help you take care of your child. Our nanny candidates bring much more to the table than child care skills. Our nanny candidates are loving, trustworthy, and talented, and they offer those qualities not only to your child but also to you, the hard working single parent.