This week’s guest post is from Jillian Mak. Her blog is a great place for fun stories from mums and carers as well as ideas and tips to get you through the early years of childhood. Check it out and follow her atEarly Learning Planet.
This was the nagging question, in the back of my mind, for nine months. This was the question I refused to ask out loud.
When I found out I was pregnant for the first time I was amazed. I was going to be a mother to a beautiful, perfect baby. My pregnancy was nothing short of magical. Every kick and hiccup was cherished and I spent hours day dreaming about this new little life. When I found out it was a boy I was in love. My son. My first child. I gave birth to my Maxwell in 2008 and my life was never the same.
In recent years I’ve seen more and more babies wearing amber teething necklaces. You probably have too, both in the streets, in your circle of family and friends, and around the million dollar necks of celebrity offspring.
If you don’t know, these necklaces are made from Baltic Amber and are supposed to relieve pain and inflammation from teething. I’ve heard many people say they work, and many more who say they may as well try them even if they’re aren’t sure if they work, but here’s the rub: there’s not one single shred of evidence worldwide that amber necklaces have any affect on the body whatsoever – except to self-esteem, perhaps. I feel great when I wear some beautiful amber jewellery my dad gave me, but only because I look so lovely in it 😉
There’s two main arguments why I don’t think the teething necklaces should be used.
As soon as you have kids, the focus immediately changes from your relationship to focusing on your children.
This is inevitable as your children soon become the most important things in your life and caring for them takes the priority. It’s human nature to ensure the health and happiness of your children are met before your own.
But to have a healthy and happy family life, it’s important that your relationship is healthy and strong as well.
Life is all about balance. If a relationship doesn’t have any time put into it, it can become unhealthy and weak. Continue reading →
I feel frustrated if someone says I work as a babysitter or au pair. I used to, when I was a teenager. But now I have 2 university degrees, over 15 years experience in my industry, and a focused and specific knowledge about the care, education and development of young children. Surely it’s obvious that a job a teenager can do is not the same thing an educated professional does?
But it’s not obvious to many, causing confusion amongst both parents and carers. In-home private childcare is still a largely emergent market in Australia. Though countries like England have had nannies as well as babysitters for long enough to develop a clear sense of the different care they provide, in Australia we are still learning about how to best utilise all the options available for private childcare.
As with any industry, not knowing exactly what you want from an employee can lead to dissatisfaction all round. Parents can end up feeling unsure about what they can ask of their carers or what their responsibilities as employees are, and carers may feel conflicted about their role and what is expected from them.
If you want to hire someone to care for your children or want to work in the private childcare industry, arming yourself with the knowledge to find the right fit between family and carer should be your first step.
NannySavvy 