As someone with a nanny--ah, if only it were that easy! Finding and hiring a nanny is no mean feat, IME.
I think the problem here is mostly that you (Anita) haven't been home supervising your nanny up to now, so she has developed certain ways of doing things that she's accustomed to and she is not accustomed to having you looking over her shoulder. (I don't have this problem with my nanny because I WAH and so I'm here to supervise most of the time. As a result, we've mostly ironed out any differences that I think are real problems and I let the rest slide.)
First shots 34Why delay shots? Are they not given at certian ages for a reason? I dont know what your children are immunised against in...
So, with that in mind, I have a few suggestions:
how to deal with nanny at home 31Actually Amy made a great point about you staying home and this is how you responded: "'being supermom also means being yourself' and I really like my job and I like the extra...
1. If you're generally happy with her performance and these are mostly minor issues, I'd sit down with her and have a heart-to-heart. Tell her you know this situation is not normal and that you know that means you're both likely to step on each other's toes from time to time. Ask her to tell you what YOU'RE doing that's making her job more difficult than it normally would be and what you can do to support her better. By opening the door for her to complain about you, you may find she's more accepting of your constructive criticisms of what she's doing. I'd try to keep whatever criticisms I had *constructive* and *broad* and solicit her ideas on how to correct the problems (i.e., "It seems to me that Pillbug is watching an awful lot of TV. I'd like to see that cut down to no more than an hour a day. Do you have any ideas for accomplishing that?").
2. If these are slightly more larger issues, but they're not so serious that it bothers you to know she'll continue to do them when you go back to work and she's alone with the kids, give her a paid vacation while you're on leave. That's expensive, but if you can afford to pay her to come when you're on leave, you can probably afford to pay her not to come (or to come for fewer hours, which is another alternative) while you're on leave.
3. If these are REALLY BIG ISSUES, then you've either got to tell her you're not happy with her performance and why (that's what a good employer does when an employee isn't performing according to expectations) and if she either can't or won't correct those performance issues, then you've got to let her go and find a new nanny. As I've said, I see that as a last resort because finding a new nanny can be difficult and there are no guarantees that the situation will be better if you do. But if things are VERY BAD, that's what you'll probably have to do.
Good luck and HTH! -- Be well, Barbara Mom to Mr. Congeniality (7), the Diva (5) and the Race Car Fanatic (3)
I have PMS and ESP...I'm the unpleasant woman who knows everything! (T-shirt slogan)
