I have been a nanny for my sister's sister-in0law for about a year now. it has been really fun and a great learning experience. I love Laura and Adam, the couple I work for, and they have been such great employers! But recently I have grown tired. Babysitting kids everyday from 8-5 is really trying. It has tried my drawn skills, my creativity, most of all my patience, and much more. I started out great! drawing and playing whatever Gavin wanted! His cousins would come over and we would play. I was an awesome baby-sitter! Gavin and I had so much fun and the day would pass by so fast. As time went on I have grown warn-out, tired, even cranky some days. I felt terrible, I wouldn't want to be baby-sat by me either. It gets harder to be creative everyday with new activities and on top of that, behavioral issues began to increase. Gavin is one stubborn little boy. He stopped listening to me and wouldn't stay in his room. He even started to hit me. When his mom was around he was as sweet as can be. He began to say he hated me and constantly told me how he did not like me. I know he is just a child and doesn't mean it he just doesn't like to get in trouble, but after hearing that so many times, it starts to cut deeper.
I'm not say he is a terrible kid to baby-sit, most days we get a long but every once in a while we have a bad day. For a long time I have mentally been done with this job it was wearing on other aspects of my life, I would be grumpy when I came home and I felt like I just wanted to go to bed all the time. I have always been good at making the best out of things and always looking for ways to improve. I prayed that I would have more patience and enjoy my job daily. I opened my mind and tried really hard to do my best. Still, the stress of motherly duties to children that were not even mine wore on me till eventually I cracked. The other day was one of Gavin's worst days. He was rude to me all day and by the end of the day my patience was at an all time low. Gavin was climbing on his dad's work truck and I asked him to come down because I didn't want him to fall and get hurt. He refused so I grabbed him to lift him out of the truck and he bonked his head. He turned around and punched my face and my glasses flew off, without even thinking my lack of patience and abundance of furry escaped me and I hit is belly. I smacked it hard leaving a red hand print. I immediately felt the guilt and shame flood over me. I had hit an innocent child, that wasn't even mine to hit. I wiped his tears of fear, pain and anger away from his eyes and tried to apologize.
It was a little after that when he said, "Chelsea I like you, but I don't want you hear anymore."
I realized, he was right I need to leave this job before it ruins me. I love these kids and it has been such a fun job. But some good things must end. I told his mother what had happened and asked if she could find someone else to take my job as soon as possible. I think that Gavin and I have had fun but we are both ready for a change. I hope he will look back and remember me as the fun baby-sitter, not the evil lady that hit him. I was supposed to stay till january but hopefully I will be done in the next few weeks cause I'm so dang tired, I can't hear myself, after all these hours, i'll heal myself. Move, i've decided. So let me sing out, forget it all.
Time for a change, out with the nannying in with the flight attendant school.
