Back in my high school days, I would often babysit for families from my school for their date nights or special events, or other evening and weekend activities. When I got to college, I officially re-titled myself to be a “nanny”, moving to spending half days with kiddos or doing school pickups and homework.
Honestly, I love having this job. I want to teach once I’m done with college, and it’s given me a great chance to connect with kids and learn how to be more patient. For those of you who are thinking about nannying (provided that you like kids!!!) I would absolutely recommend it.
The first thing that’s great about nannying is that it gives you time to forget about being a college student. I love school and have always loved school, but sometimes it’s nice to just leave that behind and be present in the moment with some goofball kids.
From nannying, I have also realized how quickly kids grow up. Throughout our lives, adults are always telling us “you’re so grown-up” or “you’re so tall now”, but you don’t realize how true this is until you regularly spend time with the same kid or group of kids.
In the summer of 2019, I started watching a little one-year-old baby with the biggest personality ever. This upcoming July, she’s going to turn three. You would be SHOCKED with the growth I’ve seen in this little girl, going from slowly crawling to running around the house, from babbling to speaking to me in full sentences. Mentally, physically, emotionally, she has developed so much, and I am always so impressed with how she just absorbs all the newness of the world around her.
Not only do you get to watch these kids grow like little caterpillars turning into butterflies, but nannying is also a great steady income. Although this may seem surface level, I know that many of my fellow college students are paying for at least part of their college expenses, and financial responsibility is a big stressor for a lot of folks. I personally make my per hour rate, plus a little extra for gas costs for the family I do school pickups for. I get paid to hang out with kids that I actually really like, and that adds so much value for me.
Unsurprisingly, nannying also teaches you a lot about patience. Whether it’s dealing with a two-year-old on strike for naps, or mediating sibling fights that may get physical, you really have to learn to keep your cool. I never expected nannying to be easy, but what threw me off was that the things that kids get upset about are not predictable. You may think asking an elementary school boy to pick up their room would be an issue, but no problem at all! On the other hand, you’d think that picking where to go to dinner would be low-drama, but it leads to one sibling making the other cry. I really shouldn’t have been surprised by this given how ridiculous my siblings and I were growing up.
Although this is certainly the cheesiest part, you really form a special bond with the kids you nanny. You’re an authority figure in some ways, but really you’re more like another older sibling, especially as a college-aged student. You get to remember how silly and fun kids are, and you also get to tell them jokes you’ve known forever that they’ve never heard.
My advice to any of you who pursue this is to get to know the kids you’ll be watching, see if you have a good rapport with them (I make it a point to not babysit kids I don’t like). It’s also important to have a good working relationship with their parents, to know what their expectations are for you, and to be honest with them about your expectations (time and pay especially). When it comes to kids and parents alike, communication is so critical.
TLDR: If you like kids, why not be a nanny and get paid to have fun?