Losing a Nanny and my Realizations

For almost a year, Hendrix’s nanny has been very dependable. I was amazed by her patience and concern for my son. She was very much involved in taking care of Hendrix and has been taught so well by his therapist. In short, she knew so well how to take care of our little boy. So it came such a big surprise to me when one day she decided not to come back after taking her usual scheduled day off. No hint or whatsoever. She said her reasons (via text , no less!) but I find it shallow. But nevertheless, we have no option but to take it as it is.

To say that it was tough losing her was an understatement. It was a challenge. We immediately started looking for her replacement since we definitely need a helping hand in taking care of Hendrix. As days passed that we did not have a nanny, I came to realize a lot of things. And these realizations made my understand why “losing that dependable nanny” event has to happen.

First of which is  that I had been way too dependent on her already. When I started fully tending to the needs of Hendrix, it is when I realized how much time he spends with her, and that meant lost of time with me. With the nanny, each meal feeding lasts about almost an hour. So three major meals and a snack, and that’s almost four hours already!

Second, I finally found a solution to our long time concern on feeding. We had been finding it a challenge for him to eat anything and just wants to take milk all the time. But as I personally tend to his feeding and he got used to having me feed him everyday , I realized that he just needs  more motivation. Just like any other kid, he needs to be shown that meal time is fun and that his food actually tastes good.And it has to be done consistently. Before, I just feed him on weekends, so whatever motivation I gave him will be gone as soon as he goes back to nanny feeding him on weekdays. Months of finding a solution to what i thought was a problem flashed into my head. It was not that much of a concern, after all.

Third, as we spent more and more exclusive time together, I got to know him more and thus our communication improved. Hendrix is non-verbal and thus,  as I become more attentive to him, I began to be more sensitive with his expressions and actions. Now I have a much better understanding of his wants and needs.

As I ponder on all these, I begun to understand why we had to lose the dependable nanny. It is through it that I was able to see what I’ve been missing all along because she was there. Yes, a nanny is still a necessity especially on those two-working days that I have to report to the office, but even if a new one comes along, I know now that she will just be a helping hand to us. I will still be the one to tend to Hendrix; feed him, monitor his therapies, put him to sleep. A great nanny is a blessing, but my kids’ daily time should be spent more with me.