I like children,

The little ones , the squiggly one, the big ones and the tough ones,

The shy ones and the wry ones, the squeaky ones and the cheeky ones, the soft and thoughtful ones and the splashy splashy don’t care ones……………

Truly I like then all!!

I love the fact that children believe and see invisible dragons and fight with make believe

Sunny September day:

We decided to go to Bristol Harbour and take a ride on a ferry. This is Darcy who was delighted to be on board a ship and meet the other passengers and watch the world go by. It was so hot we were able to have a little paddle at the harbour side. This was a lovely day spent looking and talking about things that go on the water, about boats and birds and generally observing a day by the docks.

Proxy Parenting:

I was invited to spend the weekend caring for Callum and Josh while their parents had a weekend away. We hadn’t met before but they were used to having other carers beside their parents. The park over the road featured heavily in our weekend, familiar play areas reassured them that normality was continuing despite their parents not being around. They enjoyed baking and worked very co-operatively to make cup cakes. Having a picnic table outside was a complete treat and something that had never been done before. This simple activity of eating outside became a very exciting experience in fine dining and eating al fresco.

Longer Term Nannying:

I first met Zac and Esme at their parents wedding as I was invited to work as a nanny for the wedding in 2010. Since then I have returned and worked with Zac and Esme a couple of times a year. Occasionally proxy parenting as both parents have been away overnight. This has allowed us to form a very strong bond and as far as they know, they have know me all their lives.

I started caring for Rose 3 days a week just after her second birthday and had the pleasure of working with her for the next two years until she attended mainstream school. She attended nursery one day a week, had one day with her mother and the other three days we got to play. Rose is a very quiet, considered child who needed a lot of encouragement to interact with other children and express her self in and around social situations, such as play groups, drop in music groups etc. During the time I cared for Rose she learned to swim from our weekly swimming sessions. She grew incredibly confident and can happily swim underwater like a mermaid. She also progressed from her scooter to riding a bicycle and eventually removed the stabilisers. Her toilet training was completed in a matter of two short weeks as she was very much in control of her personal care and she couldn’t suffer the indignity of wet pants. Rose greatly enjoyed making up stories and had a fertile imagination. We would spend hours happily retelling her favourite stories. She enjoyed picture books but very rapidly developed a taste for story books.

Siblings:

As we know, no two children are alike, even in the same family. For example these two lovely imps are called Velvet and Teasel and totally live up to their names. Velvet is calm, placid, helpful and goes with the flow. Teasel is single minded, determined and frequently frowning with only the occasional ray of sunshine smile. When working with children with such different personalities it can be challenging to accommodate them. I try to not fall into established family patterns but encourage and allow the individual personalities to develop and flourish under my supervision.

O.P.C. (Other peoples children):

I work with children of all ages and from all walks of life. Through my agency work and volunteering I often find myself working with children who have challenging behaviour. I am able to be patient and supportive and always try to get the best out of a situation for the child and the parents regardless of the families background.

I am considered to be firm but fair with realistic boundaries and positive incentives for good behaviour and kind deeds.