Pic Post: Stuck on Me!
Posted: November 12, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales | Tags: Doc, kiddos, nanny, Rebel, reward stickers Leave a comment
While spending the day with Doc and Rebel, Rebel felt I was doing such a good job that he rewarded me with, not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR reward stickers! This is the kind of sincere praise that makes happy my nannying days!
100
Posted: September 17, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales | Tags: 100th post, Doc, nanny, Rebel, Supernanny 2 CommentsAs my 100th Y’all Behave post approached, I began to think of all the 100s in my nannying life. So many things seem either few and far between, or incalculable, but then others approach that round number with almost complete accuracy. For example, when Rebel for a period of weeks, and for whatever reason, requested, “Hundred kisses please,” after every smooch. Or when Doc asked me, “Cheryl, how heavy are you? Like 100 pounds?” to which I of course replied, “Yes honey, if anyone asks, Miss Cheryl is 100 pounds.” Read the rest of this entry »
The “Break-Up”
Posted: August 20, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: Bad Kitty, breaking up words, breaking up words to say them, Doc, helping children with reading, helping children with speech, miss cheryl, nanny, Rebel 1 Comment
No, y’all this is not a post about past failed romances, (Not that I couldn’t pen quite the page-turner!) nor is it about the bust up between a nanny and her client (Though I’m sure there is a nanny out there with a heckuva story to tell!). No, pals, this is about my method for helping kiddos learn how to read! Read the rest of this entry »
The Pretenders
Posted: July 9, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: Boss lady, Doc, helping children develop imagination, helping kids be creative, imagination, kiddos, Rebel 2 CommentsOne of the best things about being a nanny is the opportunity it affords me to act like a kiddo again. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a bit of the whimsical about me, and am prone to flights of fancy. I love playing make-believe with my charges, always encouraging them, when it comes to imagination, to Go Big or Go Home. Read the rest of this entry »
Help Me Help Y’all
Posted: June 25, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: car wash, children and accountability, chores, Doc, gas station, helping children learn responsibility, raising responsible children, teaching responsibility Leave a commentRespons-ability!
Many times when I’m with the kiddos, my primary concern is caring for them, doing things for them, keeping them distracted and happy. In my frantic frenzy to meet all of their needs, I can sometimes overstep and do too much for them. Most times it’s unintentional, but at times it is deliberate, as I know that I can clear the table/ pick up the living room/ or pick out the day’s outfit much more quickly and efficiently than the kiddos can. However, this doesn’t do the kiddos, their folks, or myself any favors in the long run. The old adage, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime,” holds true for kiddos as well. It is monumentally important for caregivers to pass on knowledge in the form of responsibility to young ones. Read the rest of this entry »
I Think We’re Alone Now
Posted: June 18, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: alone time, Boss lady, captain awesome, date night, date nights, Doc, individual, middle child, middle children, nanny and children, one-on-one time, parents and children, princess, quality time with children, quality time with each child, Rebel 3 CommentsAs much of a blessing as siblings are, there are times when children crave individual attention. I remember as a little girl I loved Tuesday and Thursday afternoons the years I was in PreK and Kindergarten. These days were much beloved because my mama would pick me up from school at 11:30 and we would have the afternoon alone, together. (My sister, Laurel was still in school, and my brother, Buddy was at Mother’s Day Out.) We’d go to lunch, then maybe a store or two, whatever I felt like. I loved having my mama all to myself just to talk to her (she is such a good listener), and to have special time that was just for us. Similarly I couldn’t wait for the annual Take Your Daughter To Work Day when I would get the whole day with my dad to myself, asking him questions, helping him with work, and of course lunching out in style, both dressed in our office clothes. I loved hearing about his job as a petroleum geologist. He is so smart and was very good at explaining things to me. Plus, before seismic computers, he filled in the geological maps by hand, shading the various layers in with map pencils, and would let me color some. (When Laurel was asked in a school questionnaire what our father did for a living, she answered, “He colors all day.” When I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up on one such quiz I answered “geologist,” mostly because I really liked to color.) I loved the alone time with both of my folks. As the middle child it was a rare and wonderful opportunity to have each of them to myself. Read the rest of this entry »
Just Breathe
Posted: June 4, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: airline announcement, Doc, good sleep, light sleeper, miss cheryl, nannies, overnights, oxygen mask, parenting advice, Rebel, safety first, take time 2 CommentsThis next post includes nannying/parenting advice from a rather unlikely place (airline announcements), delivered however from a not unlikely source, but from a dear pal of mine, Happy, who, for a time was a nanny herself (In fact she cared for Doc and Rebel before they became my charges). Read the rest of this entry »
Nanny in Kiddoland
Posted: April 30, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: 1985 alice in wonderland movie, alice in wonderland, behavior, cheshire cats, Doc, kiddoland, kiddos, lewis carroll, nanny, nanny in kiddoland, reason, Rebel, riddles, Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, understanding children 4 Comments
I recently watched Alice in Wonderland for the millionth time, both the Disney animated version and the 1985 movie (featuring an all-star cast including Ringo Starr, Sammy Davis Jr., Shirley Winters, and Lloyd Bridges). This prompted me to break out the Lewis Carroll tome and delve deep into this most whimsical and wonder-filled tale. It occurred to me while watching both films, and subsequently reading the text, that Alice’s experiences in the strange land of Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass are not so unlike those of a nanny entering the world of kiddos. Read the rest of this entry »
