Our Final Week With Our Nanny

The kids are enrolled in their new daycare and are scheduled to visit next Friday to meet their teachers.  I've thought through our new morning routine and conducted trial runs.  They are technically ready to go.  I am ready to go.  And then I realize that I'm in denial that our nanny only has one week left.  One more week of me being able to dash out the door even if the kids are still in their pajamas because I know our nanny will finish dressing them and getting them ready for the day.  One more week of asking the nanny to do me a favor and run an unexpected errand for me or put dinner in the oven.  One more week of the kids seeing the friends they've gotten to know over the past year and a half and one more week of soaking in the beautiful Portuguese language.  I hope our nanny stays a part of our lives, but I'm in denial that her presence in our everyday lives is coming to an end. 

What I learned about having a nanny, at least a good nanny, is that she doesn't just take care of your children, but your whole family.  Our nanny brought our kids to see me while I was in the hospital and drove me home after I was discharged so Chris wouldn't have to miss yet more work.  She took care of my children when they were sick and was thrown up on, not once, but twice.  The only one childless among her friends, she shows off pictures of my kids and boasted their accomplishments as if they were her own.  Her mom back in Brazil even displays a framed picture of one of Oliver's drawings.  (For the record, I don't have a framed anything of Oliver's.)

Having a nanny means giving up privacy.  Ours knows the dynamics of our family - good and bad - better than anyone else.  She's seen my kids' worst behavior and me in my pajamas.  She knows we're not very organized, we have a sweet tooth for chocolate and cookies and that we wait until the trash can is overflowing before we take it out.  There are no secrets.  But in exchange Chris and I gained someone we trust with her kids as much as each other.  There are few people who love and know your kids as well as you as you do and the more people you have in your life who you trust without question, the better off your whole family is. 

I'm feeling sad and anxious when I think of this upcoming week.  I hope it goes by quickly because I hate drawn-out goodbyes, but not too quickly that I can't see this final week as a week to be enjoyed.