It's hard to believe, but early next week marks five years of mannying. I have grown so much since I first started in 2016. I have learned a lot along the way. The most important thing I've learned is how strong the influence of a male role model can be.
One of my favorite things about mannying is starting with a family and seeing the confusion, excitement, and devious plotting on the children's faces. Confusion because the kids have never had a male sitter before. Excitement because of the new experience. And devious plotting to see what they can get away with. I have seen these looks on almost every child I've worked with. I especially love working with boys and seeing their excitement. I've had boys tell me that they've never had a boy sitter before and that they're so happy to finally one. I had one kid tell me he wanted to be a manny when he grew up. I had another kid tell me he was surprised at how fun and kind I am. This was all part of why I wanted to be a manny. I wanted so badly to break the mold of teenage/college aged females being the only child care providers to get recognition.
I think I shared before about my first full-time mannying interview. The mother said I was perfect for the job, then went on to hire a young woman instead. About six months later, I interviewed with this mother again. She again told me how perfect I was for the job. I went on to work with her three amazing boys for about four years. It was annoying that she didn't hire me at first, but that's the norm for me. It all worked out in the end, though.
I remember a few years back, a popular childcare website (which I happen to use) ran a commercial with a bunch of kids telling what they were grateful for about their sitters. Each child began their sentence with the word "she". "She does this", "She taught me that". The commercial infuriated me, especially since I used that exact website to find jobs. Fortunately, they changed their commercials around, so I can't complain anymore.
While working for my one family, I continued to apply to date night/weekend jobs. For every fifteen jobs I would apply to, I would hear back from one, maybe two. This all changed about four months ago. With everyone going back to the office, my email exploded with parents begging me to watch their kids. I guess it just takes desperation to ask a man to watch your kids. In the past year, however, I have added two regular weekday families (one before school, one after), a weekend family, and two date night families. While people are indeed desperate, I'm also finding that parents are more open to the idea of a manny. I've gotten a couple of responses from mothers excited to have found someone to work with their sons. It also helps that I worked really hard to create an impressive profile. I definitely stand out against the female competition.
My after school boys have told me multiple times that I am the best manny. They also like to repeat my mantra "I'm not a nanny, I'm a manny". We turned it into a joke. They tell me I'm the worst nanny, which I then thank them for. I then tell them they're the worst little girls, which they thank me for.
I absolutely love my job. I look forward to going to work everyday. I look forward to hearing the thrilled "He's here!" after I ring the doorbell of a home. I look forward to the toothy smiles that greet me when I enter the home. And I especially look forward to hanging out with boys who could use some positive attention from a male role model.
Happy five year mannyversary to me and my families! I'm so grateful for all of you!
