Yesterday’s topic was interesting on so many levels. So interesting in fact that I had to call my mother and get her take on the issue of hiring a nanny. She had some ideas that I had actually considered but she used the terms nanny and babysitter interchangeably. She says that nannies live in the home in her opinion. And we’ve already established that no grown women will live in my house except me.

Two points stuck out to me in particular. I’m not sure if the article or one of my comments mentioned that back in our day there was always a “big mama” or aunt or neighborhood woman available to keep young children in lieu of daycares or nannies. My mother pointed out that women are having babies at younger ages these days, thereby having younger grandmothers who are still in the workforce. That’s true. If I had a baby now my mother wouldn’t be able to keep her and my grandmothers are both still on the move themselves.

A second point that I often worry about is children that don’t go to daycares or spend time around other children could possibly lack social skills. I was one of those children. All of my report cards said “Original Diva does not play well with others.” I still don’t play well with others. I’d prefer not to play at all! So how do children who spend the entire day with a nanny and no one else develop social skills and the ability to play well with others for when she starts school?

So we’ve already determined that I’m afraid I’ll miss out on the milestones of my child’s growth as well as them growing attached to the nanny. Now add to that the fear of them lacking social skills.

My mother’s last point was the childrens’ values. She truly believes that if a nanny is raising them then a nanny will be the one teaching them morals and values. They will have theirs and not mine.

Discuss…