It’s A Hot Hot New Year’s Eve

This is just a quick note to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Today is set to be a hot day. It is only 10:32 am but it is already very warm (33.5°C). Apparently it will hit a maximum of 42°C today! I hope they won’t cancel the fireworks. Have a good day everyone. I hope to have a good one too. I wonder when the cold change will arrive.

Myer’s Christmas Windows 2007

We did go back to view the Myer’s Christmas windows on a weekday evening. The timing was good because we didn’t have to jostle with too many people. The only downside was that the glass of each window was almost entirely covered with fingerprints at eye level down at the end of the day. Although we have never done it before, viewing the windows early in the morning might be even better. That is if the glass windows are cleaned each morning.

This year’s environmentally friendly theme is based on a relatively new picture book called “Uno’s Garden”. The author, Graeme Base, also wrote other famous picture books like “The Waterhole” and “Animalia”.

My favourite Myer’s Christmas windows was the one based on “The Wind in the Willows”, a few years back. I also quite like the one with Gumnut babies. That was from the 90’s. There was a book about the Christmas windows but I refused to buy it and now I can’t even find it. The Good Samaritan really wanted that book at the time. I might go and see if it is at the City Library.

The picture is that of a Snortlepig. It is a character from the picture book, “Uno’s Garden”.

Update (08/01/08): I also like the one based on Charles Dickens book "A Christmas Carol".

Oh No! It’s a Voucher for Chadstone!

The Good Samaritan received a Chadstone gift voucher for Christmas from one of his clients. I was hoping for another Coles Myer Gift card but it turned out to be a nightmare instead. Neither of us would like to step foot into Chadstone again anytime soon. We are thinking about ‘regifting’ it for someone else. His brother is a good candidate. His birthday is in February and we never quite knew what to get him each year. The only problem is that he might wonder why we are so generous. LOL. If not, we will have to go to Chadstone to shop even if we don’t want to. I guess we could visit Borders at Chadstone speedily without visiting the rest of the fashion capital. The bookshop is located near one of the side entrances. Gee, even this branch of Borders doesn’t sit well with us but that’s about the only store we find tolerable in this huge shopping complex. If we really have to go there again, we ought to select a day below 18°C (with low humidity) to keep me calm. It will have to be one of those pop in and then pop out trip.

Lego – An Easy Christmas Pressie Option

Stepping foot into specialized toy stores this year, one is likely to hear the following:
· not made in China
· not made in Asia
· made in Europe
· uses only water based paints
· made to strict European specifications/standards
· made with European wood
· it is educational
· approved by child experts
· recommended by kindergarten teachers

These stores must be making a roaring trade since the series of toy recalls that happened in the last 6 months or so.

There is a culture of full on 100% commercialised Christmas celebrations on one side of the family. I, as a nanny just feel absolutely awful to have to buy so many toys for just 5 children. If the Good Samaritan is true to his word, this will be the last time we buy so many presents. I will definitely rock up next Christmas to witness the pressie unwrapping session to see the ‘treatment’ he will receive from them. Despite spending hundreds of dollars each Christmas, this uncle gets negative comments from at least two children. I wonder how he will handle the situation when all five turn on him. LOL. Is this nanny related to the Grinch? LOL.

I absolutely refused to give in to buying anything with licensed characters this year. The bulk of the toys were Lego. I didn’t just choose it because I love Lego myself. I did it because it is a trusted European brand. Fisher Price was a trusted American brand too but have a look at it now. Fisher Price toys have suddenly become very ugly in recent years and I do not blame the Chinese, because many of the toys were already made in China long before they turned ugly. Hopefully complimenting the good quality of Lego is not going to come back to bite me on my bottom.

If you look at the fine print, some sets of Lego do have components made in China. That is scary, huh? I suspect that these are restricted to the motorized parts, electrical parts and parts with simple mechanical features. I can’t be entirely sure but I still trust Lego. I don’t think the Lego Group would risk the good reputation of this toy to start manufacturing crappy components. I think Lego would only go downhill if it was taken over by another company. I can think of at least two toy brands with good reputations that went downhill almost instantly after being acquired by big players in the toy market. The big players will either expand the range of a small label they have acquired to the point that it no longer resembles its original philosophy or they will have the whole range so poorly manufactured that it will become obsolete quickly. How very sad?

Another reason I picked Lego is because of the affordability. Affordable? Are you crazy? In comparison with numerous other toys, it is considerably cheaper. Think about toys like Playmobil, Lundby and Haba. Those are not only pricey; they are almost never on sale. There was a shortage of Lego last Christmas but there is an abundance to choose from this year and I also feel that the price has come down. With stores offering 20% off Lego almost monthly, it is naturally an option I prefer in terms of construction toys.

Friendly Service Again @ MYER CBD

We went to MYER to buy a few electrical appliances after our brunch at Hungry Jacks on Saturday. As usual, I was somewhat reluctant to go there but I had to complete our Christmas pressie shopping. I was so sure that I was going to get poor service that nerves got the better of me and I began to harass the Good Samaritan. Poor fellow!

We bought a Candy Floss machine, a popcorn machine and a super nice kettle. I looked at a lady walking past us with a wok that I suspected to have a price tag of around $300, I thought the shop assistant would not be happy to serve us because our stuff came just under $200 and there was more for her to pack. To my big surprise, the lady who served us was very nice. She handled our items gently and packed them in bags, making sure that the knots weren’t too tight so we could carry them with ease. I saw that she was so nice that I took the opportunity to ask her questions on an electric urn that I thought my brother might be interested in. She responded politely. This is the kind of service that I love. It was exactly like how it used to be. I felt so good that I wanted to come back to shop on Boxing Day! That nice feeling didn’t last long though. It took only one unplanned visit to the newsagency at QV to ruin it all for me. I just can’t stand bad service!

Improved Service @ Hungry Jacks on Swanston Street (near Flinders Street)

For some reason we both woke up on Saturday morning craving for burgers. We immediately decided to pop down to Hungry Jacks before the day’s shopping started in earnest. The Good Samaritan was probably still half asleep when he returned to our table with a tray of food. He misjudged the height of the table top and let go of the tray too soon. One of the fizzy drinks bounced off the tray, spilled part of its content on the Good Samaritan’s shirt tail before landing on the floor. It was quite a hilarious sight that I can’t help but laugh at. The Good Samaritan notified a young bloke clearing tables nearby and he came over immediately to try to clean, but he was obviously new and wasn’t quite sure what to do and had to ask another guy behind the counter for assistance. Both blokes looked like newcomers from the sub-continent. (Sorry, I can’t tell Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Indians and Pakistanis apart.) The second bloke assisted the first and assured us that everything was OK. They were friendly, helpful and didn’t judge us as being pests. In fact, the second bloke even offered the Good Samaritan a second drink to replace the spilled one but he had to get it himself since the second bloke had cleaning gloves on. I thought that it was fair to make the Good Samaritan return to the counter for a replacement drink. LOL.

We eat this sort of junk food more often in Winter (at least twice a month). We eat a lot less food in the warmer months. We weren’t happy with this branch of Hungry Jacks a few months ago. They had a tendency to get our orders wrong and the meals area was pretty filthy at times (especially upstairs where the emo teens hang out). I have seen marked improvements lately. They have refurbished the upstairs meals area by installing easy to wipe-clean type furniture, and I saw an Asian (Malaysian or Singaporean) lady manager instructing the rookies on how to maintain cleanliness in this very busy fast food restaurant. Sadly, on the day we made a big mess, the Good Samaritan still noticed pickles clinging on the wall behind me. Why do generations of teenagers flick pickles onto the walls? Luckily none of them fell on me. LOL.

I did want to compliment the two blokes who helped us by referring to them with the names on their name tags. Unfortunately I was unable to read their tags because they drooped and were facing downwards.

To non-Australian readers who might be wondering what Hungry Jacks is, let me give you a simple explanation. Hungry Jacks is what Burger King is called in Australia. I can’t remember the full story as to why it is called Hungry Jacks instead. It probably is because it sounded more Aussie. Around the turn of the century, Burger King outlets suddenly appeared in Melbourne. The restaurant I mentioned above was a Burger King. They have a slightly different menu from Hungry Jacks. I also found the Burger King that used to be in Malvern to have better tasting burgers. I believe that there aren’t any Burger King fast food restaurants in Melbourne anymore. Some closed down while others just morphed quietly into typical Hungry Jacks.

Not Happy with Newsagency @ QV

To readers who do not like reading anything negative please skip this post. I usually buy my favourite magazines from either Mc Gills (on Elizabeth St) or Borders (inside Melbourne Central). I didn’t get one of them from Borders yesterday (Saturday) because the queue was just too long. I was quite happy to pop back after Christmas to get it.

When we went over to Safeway (at QV) for our groceries, I decided to check out the newsagency there to see if they have that particular magazine I was after. The Good Samaritan was also looking for his F1 magazine. Now, we don’t normally shop at this newsagency unless we are after some stamps, phone-cards or public transport tickets. At the magazine aisle, there was the Good Samaritan, two giggly young women and I. The women were looking at a magazine near the wedding section. I was looking for my magazine near the parenting section while the Good Samaritan went to end of the aisle to look for the F1 magazine. Then a bloke – a shop assistant, came over to where we all were. He walked past the women, me and then headed for the Good Samaritan. There, he grunted and pointed to an obscure sign indicating, “Do Not Read Magazines Until After You Have Purchased Them.” The bloke walked past me again just when I found the magazine I was after. I was actually surprised that they had it there. He stopped by to observe me reading the headlines on the front cover. He didn’t say a thing but I did find it odd to have someone hovering near me like that in a non-high end store. He went over to the women and told them off just as the Good Samaritan came over to warn me from looking inside the magazine. I admit that I have a tendency to look inside magazines to see what other articles are included in the issue because the front cover does not reveal all and I also check to see if any inserts (e.g. brochures, catalogues) that come with the magazine are still in the magazine. Yes! I even read the brochures on buying a goat for people in certain parts of the world. I was fuming to learn that he had a go at the Good Samaritan. I dropped the magazine and responded, “Well, I better not touch this then.” before storming out. Oh Yes! The bloke heard me loud and clear. It is now more than 24 hours later and I am still fuming! I have not experienced such lousy service at a newsagency before. The Good Samaritan is a middle child and is therefore not easily agitated by this sort of RUBBISHY treatment, but I am.

I am in no hurry to go back to this newsagency. When I found the magazine I was after, I quickly told myself that I could buy it from here from now on. But NO! They don’t need my business. They are obviously happy with the number of customers they now have. I mean what can a nanny afford anyway? They are better off making money from International students that hang around the place (referring to QV) as their lounge room and those IT professionals making ‘big bucks’ nearby. One nanny and her Good Samaritan not buying from them will not cause them much damage. What about stamps, phone-cards and transport tickets? I can easily get those from stores just outside QV. There is even a post office not far from the newsagency.

I really have never seen newsagencies with such strict rules. Why don’t they just seal each and every magazine and leave only one of each title (clearly marked as ‘Sample’) for people to browse before purchasing? Judging from the way the guy was hovering around me, I don’t think he was happy to allow me to read the front covers of the magazine. If I am going to buy every issue of a magazine without scrutinizing what’s inside each, I would have subscribed and have it delivered to my apartment!

A Day WASTED at Chadstone

I was talked into visiting Chadstone on Wednesday and it was a COMPLETE WASTE of TIME! Anyone who reads my blog regularly might already be aware that I prefer to shop at Highpoint. Yes, believe it or not, I don’t mind mingling with people from the western suburbs. They don’t bother me and the service there is mostly good. We usually visit Chadstone only once a year and we always come away feeling negative. So, why do we keep going back every year? Well, Chadstone is known as the Fashion Capital. I don’t know why but I always feel like things must have improved due to the fact that the whole world is forever flocking there. There is now even a free bus service ferrying tourists from the CBD to Chadstone. We usually go in the middle of the year and I have been putting it off since Winter, but because we really wanted to check out the Chadstone branch of Build-A-Bear Workshop, mistakenly thinking that it would be a larger store than the Highpoint one, I gave in. That store is considerably smaller than its Highpoint counterpart and the lady that served us was rather frosty when I asked for help. I didn’t see anything unique to this shopping centre either. Most of the products I saw are available in shops in the city and elsewhere. In keeping my promise of maintaining a blog with more positive reads, I am not going to bother complaining about the other stores. Before leaving the place, I was virtually on the brink of chucking a tantrum like a bad tempered toddler. I managed to keep cool. The Good Samaritan felt so sorry for dragging me along to this trip and he himself was also fuming because he couldn’t find what he wanted, that he promised to go to Highpoint with me come this weekend. Yippee! Highpoint here we come!

Holiday Notice

I have not written much about what my charges are up to for a while and this is because I am still on holidays. Little Bree left with her mum for Sydney on the Friday my holidays started. She was left there in the care of her grandmother Ettie. She will be reunited with her parents when they get there this weekend. As for Stella, her time at the Kindergarten had come to an end. She will be heading to the country with her parents for Christmas celebrations. I do not have a country home to flee to. With my own parents spending Christmas overseas, I will have a quiet Christmas in Melbourne on my own. The Good Samaritan will visit his family by himself. It all sounds lonely but I am actually very happy. I have finally managed to talk the Good Samaritan into agreeing that this will be our last ‘heavily commercialised’ Christmas. Hooray!

Walking Around with Little Children

I love encouraging my charges to walk so they don’t become overtly depended on the buggy. Many people think that children must exercise by climbing the play equipment at the park but something as simple as just walking around the block is just as good to keep little children active. They love to explore the world just outside their home too. This is made easier if they live in neighbourhoods with less traffic. Depending on the child’s walking ability, I usually start doing this from the age of around 15-18 months. The child learns to hold my hand and we start off by just walking up and down the sidewalk outside. When they are ready, we might increase the distance to walking around the block. We do not go far and never crossed any streets at first. I keep it easy and manageable. We also stop to talk to friendly neighbours. This introduces the child to people in their neighbourhood and a start to learning what it feels like to speak to other people. I believe that it is through this type of repetitive familiarisation that a child can begin to learn what feels alright and what is not. I am not saying that this is a perfect ‘Stranger Danger’ lesson but it is a positive step for the child rather than scaring them into thinking that everyone is a monster. The child’s parents are always notified if some kind of conversation had taken place.

Children like Bree and Stella are easy because they do not have siblings to distract them or egg them on. Children with siblings are trickier, which is why I am always on guard. When going out as a group, the growing tot and older siblings may start to test their freedom at some stage but this should be taken care of ASAP before they get worse. I usually have a brief chat with my charges just before any outing. We talk about the destination, what we are planning to do and simple rules or expectations. I also find conversation with the children helpful in keeping everyone together. By engaging the child that is most likely to run amok, it helps to keep him occupied and distracts him from getting into any mischief. I must say that this is not fool-proofed. Inevitably, some children may have already developed bad habits by the time a nanny comes along. These children will need lots of work on the side before walking properly outdoors as a group is possible. In such a situation, the younger sibling/s of the offending child (hopefully there is only just one main offender) will need to be strapped into a buggy until the whole group can manage the walk. This is for the younger child/children’s safety in case if there is a flare up. In households where I am left with the youngest child for most of the day while the others are at school or kindergarten, the toddler and I go, when possible, walking just before the older children come home. This is timed to coincide with the older children’s arrival because they usually get quite a buzz seeing each other.

In my many years of experience, children that I look after from babyhood behave relatively well when taken outdoors and their parents notice the difference between them and their older siblings that weren’t in my care until much later. (The parents also notice other things as well.) Not all older siblings are little devils. The cheeky ones just need some extra work to learn what is appropriate and they usually come around within weeks. This does not mean that children seen taking a walk with me look like robots obeying my every order. Working with children is unpredictable and someone will test the nanny at any moment when she least expects it. I am not a perfect nanny but I haven’t been in any potentially dangerous situations for a while. That is because I am now working with the two easiest to look after little girls ever and one of them (Bree) has been under my care since she was a newborn.

Catching Bus #11

I love walking. It helps me to clear my head (not referring to headaches) and cheers me up too. Catching the trams can be frustrating when they are jam-packed with people. So I began to walk to closer destinations like the city and South Melbourne, and I have been doing it for years now. At first, I used to walk only on cooler days and walked only one way. Nowadays, I get to my destination and back on foot except when I have a lot of shopping to carry or if the temperature is over 32°C. Another exception is when I am dressed to kill. I prefer to travel in ‘style’ on those occasions. Some people (referring to friends and relatives) drive to the corner shop and will never understand why we catch bus #11. To avoid nosey questions and those little jokes, we usually drive to social gatherings. We walk on the tan track around the Royal Botanical Gardens all the time. I don’t know why it took us so long to realise that we could easily manage walking to the city or South Melbourne without having to wait for a tram.

(Note: Winnie, my neighbour taught me a new slang. She told me that when people go somewhere by walking, they usually describe the person as catching Bus #11. This is because the number 11 looks like a person’s legs. LOL)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Have a look at one part of our Christmas tree. We put up the tree 9 days late this year. The Good Samaritan usually puts up the tree on the first day of December but he was unable to get everything home in time from the storage unit this year. I can’t blame him as he had been busy working. We hung all of the ornaments and lights on last Sunday (09/12/07) evening. We also dressed the tree with a tree-skirt I made in 2003 but the work is not done yet. There is still the choo-choo train to be added to circle the foot of the tree. The Good Samaritan did however quickly set up the nativity scene. That is more important than anything else because Christmas is about the birth of the little baby in the middle of the scene (never mind for now that documentaries try to explain that his birthday wasn’t on the 25th of December). This year, we have decided that the nativity scene should be arranged under the shelter of our Bonsai tree. We are aware that baby Jesus wasn’t born in Japan. LOL. Our nativity scene figurines didn’t come with a stable. May be we can make one out of wood someday.

Note: What is Donald Duck up to? LOL!

Let’s Go Walking Far, Far Away

Here is a song I sing to my charges who are learning to walk or those who have just mastered it. I believe that this is a song that originated from Australia’s favourite children’s television show – Play School. Well, that is where I first heard of it myself.

Let’s go walking, walking, walking,
Let’s go walking far, far away.
Let’s walk back again, back again, back again,
Let’s walk back again, back the same way.

The words are very simple and repetitive. I used to sing this song to Bree when she was just beginning to walk. Today, she is beginning to join in the song whenever I sing it. She can’t mouth all the words properly yet but she tries her best. Other older children that I used to look after from the time they were still babies, sing this song and act it out with props like Duplo figures, dolls and even their toddling siblings.

Calm Down, This Melbourne Nanny!

I have had enough of ranting and venting in the last few days. A week of my holiday is gone. Instead of reading newspapers, visiting a questionable mum’s blog and watching junk TV, I should really be using my time more productively.

Although not very obvious, I have completed the minor renovations to my blog. The reason that I have been blog surfing is because I am looking for blogs that I might like to read regularly to add them to my list here. Since I haven’t found any pleasant ones so far, I will not trim my current list as yet. I will blog surf again in a few days time. Meanwhile, I will look for something else to do to cool my smouldering head.

I might pop into the library to find myself a book on Evolution. I need something deep like this to shift my focus or I will drown in my own thoughts about people that I really shouldn’t waste my time thinking about. Books are good. They take you away from the real world not just for a moment. In fact, non-fiction books of a favourite topic are especially good because they keep you busy thinking. After watching a show called “The Universe: Beyond the Big Bang” on the History Channel almost two weeks ago, and another show called “Ape to Man” on the same channel a few days ago, I am suddenly very curious again about how the universe and us humans came to be. I find these sort of things interesting. Gee, what a geeky nanny? LOL.

Adoption: No Return Policy

I wondered how many more articles inside Monday’s Herald Sun will shock me. First, there was the news about 4 teens who incinerated in their car on the front page. Then when I got to page 23, I read an article stating that children cared for at home by nannies and grandparents throw more tantrums than kids in childcare centres. I was fuming when I finished with that and turned a page to find another shock.

The headline read: “Parents return unwanted girl, 7”. A senior European diplomat and his wife had given up the 7 year old Korean girl they adopted as a baby. The diplomat used to work in Korea and the two adopted the then 4 month old there. They are now based in Hong Kong and the wife has since produced two biological children of their own. The poor child was handed over to social workers in Hong Kong because the adoption didn’t work out. This is like returning an expensive outfit bought last summer because it is no longer flattering this summer.

This little girl speaks English and Cantonese but not Korean. She is now under the care of an expatriate foster family. Apparently, the members of Hong Kong’s Korean community are offering help. I hope they will find her a stable home soon. It must be damaging to subject a child to such turmoil. As for her adoptive parents, I hope they realize one day the damage they have done. Why O’ why are people like these blessed with little bundles of joy?

This is not the first time that I have heard of incidents like this. Way back in the late 80’s when I was still a self centred teenager, a new family moved into our street. My parents got to know them well. They migrated to Australia from Malaysia. The dad was a GP but never worked as one over here while the mum was a secretary. They had two boys. I learned from my parents recently that the couple left another child behind when they migrated. The then teenage girl was never included in the migration application procedure because there was never any proper paperwork for the adoption. They never treated her as their own child either. She was simply there to offer the GP’s wife company before the boys’ birth in 83 and 86. She wasn’t dumped on the street though. She was sent to live with the GP’s parents.

I also watched a documentary on Pay-TV about a little boy who was also ‘returned’ by his adoptive parents. The little Indonesian boy was also adopted by expatriates. I think the dad was Irish and the mum was either Eastern European or Russian. They adopted him as a baby when they were based in Indonesia. The wife already had a daughter from a previous relationship. When the couple left the country and finally conceived their own child, the little Indonesian boy was no longer wanted. The adoptive dad took him back to Indonesia and left him at an orphanage with a bag of toys. Eventually, his birth mum was tracked down. It turned out that the adoption was never legal. It was some kind of a scam. Luckily, this story has a positive ending. His mum took him home and from what I remembered, the authorities from the birth country of his adoptive father agreed to look out for him in some ways. Sorry, I can’t remember the exact details.

Not all adopted children end up with lousy families but the decision to adopt should never be made hastily without proper considerations. Some people complained that authorities or adoption agencies make them jump through hoops to get a child but I do agree with experts that they have to be careful when screening prospective parents. Children up for adoption have already experience the trauma of losing their biological families. They shouldn’t have to go through another potentially unstable situation. Children, biological or adopted, are not fashion accessories that make you look good in photos during social gatherings. They are the future and we should make sure that they grow up well adjusted, educated and cared for. Hopefully, a secure childhood will ensure that they too will grow up to be splendid parents themselves one day.

Let’s intervene; ‘We’ know what’s best?!

Little Johnny refused again and again to say sorry to the Aboriginal people of Australia. For a long time, he and his men did little to improve the lives of this important group of people. He only toyed with the idea when he obviously began to feel that his power trip was coming to its inevitable end. Oh, wait a minute. We must not forget that little Johnny and his men did send ‘help’ up north to rescue women and little children from all sorts of abuse. In the eyes of these bullyboys, ‘we’, the non-indigenous lot, must know what’s best for the Aboriginal people. Since ‘Shock and Awe’ worked (?) so well in Iraq, what is better than to send the troops in to freak out the folks right from the beginning? Genius!

Little Johnny’s project aside, let’s move to another story starring a judge from this so called Clever Country. I read in the newspaper (on Monday) that 9 males were given non-custodial sentences for raping a then 10 year-old at the Aurukun Aboriginal community on Cape York. To be exact, 3 of the males (aged 17, 18 and 26) were sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. This is not a JOKE, but wait there is more! Judge Sarah Bradley noted (as quoted from MX on Monday December 10, 2007): “The girl involved was not forced and she probably agreed to have sex with all of you (-referring to the males).” Whatever happened to statutory rape? Is it only considered to be statutory rape if the child was White/Caucasian?

What happened to the poor child? She is now 12 and she had to leave her community behind to live with foster parents. To me, that seemed like she was punished while the males got away scot-free. Unbelievable!

I seriously think that the time has come for all Australians to come together to improve the lives of this very disadvantaged group of Australians. While some people argue that there are disadvantaged people living in Australian cities and country towns that need help, we have to honestly admit that the Aboriginal people have greater problems and less access to help. I really don’t understand why the males were not sentenced appropriately. I am aware that the rape occurred in Northern Queensland but if ‘we’ are capable of mass scale intervention ‘next door’, why did this judge not use this opportunity to teach not only the Aboriginal population but the whole country that sexual attacks are not to be taken lightly? Little Johnny and his men wanted to save the lives of Aboriginal women and children from such abuse. Their bullyboy approach in the Northern Territory Intervention was never palatable to me and there was even talk about expansion. I recently read somewhere that the new Federal Government will keep the intervention going. I really hope that Kevin Rudd and his friends will look into seeking more input from the Aboriginal elders and to approach in cooperation with the Aboriginal people. A humane approach does not mean turning a blind eye when an Aboriginal person is clearly in the wrong.

(Note: I just heard from Sky News that the rape victim was placed in foster care after an earlier rape but was then returned to live in the community when she was gang raped in 2005!)

On Saying ‘Sorry’ to the Indigenous People of Australia and Helping the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels

Let’s clarify a couple of things first:

According to the Macquarie Dictionary (Australia’s National Dictionary – 3rd Edition), Aboriginal, Aboriginals or Aboriginal people are the terms preferred by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. Here in this post, I will use the terms Aboriginal people and the Indigenous People of Australia.

Also according to the same dictionary, a Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel is a native of Papua New Guinea who helped the Australians, especially the wounded, during World War II.

A certain little Johnny used to argue that we shouldn’t have to apologise to the Indigenous People of Australia. He reckoned that the current generation of non-Indigenous Australians had not participated actively in past injustices towards the Aboriginal people and are therefore not required to apologise. This little Johnny is not the only person in a population of 21 million to argue against saying sorry. He has a large base of supporters. This nanny is happy to find that he was virtually ‘forced’ to ‘retirement’ recently. LOL.

Meanwhile, a cyclone hit Papua New Guinea recently. This nanny didn’t hear anything about it on the news. The cyclone destroyed a large area, wiped out villages including whatever basic infrastructure they have established. Many people were affected. These people are the descendants of the heroic Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels. They helped to move Australians to safety when the Japanese came attacking. They saved many lives then. This nanny has now seen an ad on TV showing the damage done by the cyclone and the aid agency or organization was asking for donations. Now, if I see little Johnny as my ‘elder’ and learn from his ‘teaching’, then this nanny can save some pennies by choosing not to donate. Why so heartless? Well, this nanny was born well after WWII and she and many others were never directly saved by the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels. So, why should anyone help these neighbours out when the money can be better spent to make Christmas even more commercialised?

No, no, that little Johnny will never be qualified enough to be this nanny’s ‘elder’. She has a big heart. Along with the Good Samaritan, she is all for helping the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels and wishes that one day (real soon) the new government will formally apologise to the Aboriginal people.

Recommended The Wrong Toy Store!

Winnie is going back to Singapore with her family for the coming Christmas break. Relatives have requested her to purchase a list of things from Melbourne for them. Among the list of many things she had agreed to help them buy were Playmobil and Brio. Apparently toys like Brio, Playmobil and Lego are quite pricey in Singapore. With many people claiming to get good bargains over there, I never expected these toys to be pricier than over here. And knowing that I am quite an ‘expert’ when it comes to this type of things, she asked me where in Melbourne is the best place to get them. I told her that if she was referring to the traditional wooden train sets by Brio, I have not seen them around for quite some time. I have seen plenty of other train sets compatible to Brio though. As for Playmobil, I first suggested that she visits this little toy store located close to where we live. Winnie doesn’t like to travel far from Melbourne city and I thought that this toy store would make it easy for her to get to.

I have recommended this toy store to other friends, relatives and the parents of the girls I look after as well. Not counting the toy departments of various departmental stores, this is a pretty unique one. While the toy departments of the big stores sell pretty much the same type of toys preferred by the masses (e.g. Mattel: Fisher Price, Hot Wheels, Barbie), this particular toy store stocks only brands like Playmobil, Haba, Hama, Brio, Papo and Radio Flyer. These are toy companies known to produce higher quality toys with price tags to match.

I have just started to teach Winnie how to sew lately. She came to my apartment for an informal lesson on Sunday afternoon. She saw the presents I have bought and have yet to wrap, and our conversation turned to her lousy experience at the toy store I recommended. Winnie told me that she dropped by the store to see their range of Playmobil. She went on her own. As it turned out, she had walked pass this store in the past but she had never been inside. She said that she had wanted to visit the store with her son but had now decided to never return to that store again. I asked her what happened. She explained that the shopkeepers followed her around the store from the moment she stepped in. She said that all she wanted was to be left alone to explore the store on her own as this was the first time for her to check out the range of toys that they have. I asked her if she let that be known. She said that she only hinted after being approached for the third time. She told the employee that she will ask for help if she has questions. She told me that she didn’t understand what the fuss was considering that she didn’t even bring along her son. Seeing that the others were heading up to the mezzanine, she followed as two women behind the counter gave her frosty looks. When she came down stairs, she checked out the toys displayed around the counter. She said that she was wondering where the Playmobil were and was about to leave when she spotted them towards the right side of the door. She wanted to have a good look at the range and this included checking out the price but her attempt was blocked by another display. The ladies watched her without coming forward to help at all. Winnie’s hint earlier must have offended them. Then one of them went to help a customer and another customer came over to where Winnie was, to look at the range of Playmobil from behind the other display stand as well. This customer called out to the remaining lady at the counter for a price check of one of the Playmobil sets. She checked and replied courteously. Seeing that the lady was finally helping, Winnie asked also to price check a few items. The lady was frosty and made Winnie feel like she was interrupting but the other customer had already left the store.

I felt sorry that Winnie had such a negative experience. I have been to this store in the past and have purchased items from them. I too find that they can be overtly ‘helpful’ at times but like I have said earlier, this is practically the one and only proper toy store close to us that stocks quality toys. If only we live in a bigger city with more stores stocking more variety to choose from. Sometimes shopkeepers and store owners think that people who dress down do not have the means to shop at their store. Ideally, one should never be judged by how one dresses but in the real world, even this nanny dresses accordingly when planning to go into ‘fussy’ stores, including this particular toy store. Winnie always looks smart whenever she goes out. So, the problem may not be how she was dressed. It might well be another problem that we usually prefer to believe does not exist anymore. Another common belief is that if a customer has to price check an item, then he or she is unlikely to afford that item. This is because it is believed that people who can afford anything and everything will buy an item they fancy regardless of the price. I work for people who are considered to be financially comfortable (more comfortable than me anyway) and I can tell everyone that the belief above is STUPID.

As for her continuing search for Playmobil for her relatives, I have suggested another toy store. I have asked her to find out the exact sets of Playmobil that the relatives want and then give Kinderplay on High Street a call to check the prices. I told her that the last time we bought Playmobil was from Kinderplay and that was a long time ago! We aren’t sure if Kinderplay still stock this brand but we were very happy with their service when we used to shop there. If she would like to visit the shop in person, I also asked her to try another toy store on the same street called Boy and Girl. They too stock good quality toys.

Picture of the Tree Skirt

Here is the picture of the mini tree skirt I made for Stella on Wednesday night. Thank you for reading my blog.

Stella’s Homemade Christmas Decorations

While we spend money to buy expensive Christmas decorations each year, many children like Stella are happy making their own Christmas decorations. This is what we have been up to in the last few weeks. Stella was given an old table top Christmas tree and she had decided to have it placed in her bedroom.

The first thing we did was to straighten the tree because it was a little bent. After we chose a spot for it within her room, I discussed with her the kind of things we might want to make to decorate it. I wrote down what she wanted to make and the materials we needed. We go through this list before and after each Christmas craft session to prepare ourselves. (I think that Stella is starting to read very well because she is now starting to read what I write.)

We started with the tree topper. With great difficulty and with some help from me, Stella cut out the outline of a star on a piece of thick cardstock. While she painted the star yellow and added glitter using the glitter glue pens that she loves so much, I cut out a third of an empty toilet roll. I dressed this up with a layer of silver-foil. This ring was then attached to the back of the star with some sticky tape once the star’s decorated surface was dry. The ring helps the star to sit securely at the top of the Christmas tree. While we were waiting for the star to dry, I drew straight lines on coloured paper chosen by Stella for her to cut out strips. Stella concentrated hard to make sure that the strips she was cutting were straight. As I help her along, I explained that even though we were planning to make the garland (paper chain) the following day, we had to get the strips ready that day because we do not normally have ample time on Thursdays since we go to the park to meet Lachlan and his nanny.

Instead of buying a garland, we have decided to make one by joining up loops of paper strips. This was rather tricky for Stella. The colours she had chosen were pink (of course), red, green and blue. I started the paper chain to show her how it is done. She watched closely as I staple the ends of a strip together to create a section of the chain. Then, it was her turn. She had to be mindful not to accidentally squash the paper loop that she was about to staple. After quite a few attempts, Stella gave up. I think she feared that she might squash the growing length of chain. I took over and I also showed her how we can drape the chain around the tree to see if we have achieved the right length yet. After a while, she decided to give it another go herself and this time I helped to make it easier by placing the rest of the chain away from her so she was only working with one end of the chain immediately in front of her. I think she felt more confident knowing that she was less likely to squash the sections of the chain that were already made up. The procedure of stapling the ends was also quite tricky for her little fingers even though we were using a very small stapler. I could see that she was anxious but at the same time she was dead set to get the job done. Before long the chain was ready and we wrapped it around the tree. I could clearly see that she was very proud of the end results.

After showing off the paper chain to her mum last Thursday, she reminded her that we will need photos for the next stage of our project. The parents didn’t fail. They provided us with a box of photos to select from. We picked out a photo each of her mum, her dad, herself and one of the three of them taken on her birthday this year. We also managed to find one of her uncle and her maternal grandparents. (Stella does not see her paternal grandparents but that is another story that I don’t wish to get into.) I then introduced one of my stencils that I use for scrap-booking at home. I let her experiment it a little by tracing the shapes out on paper. When she was ready, I pointed to the circle shape and told her to trace a few of those on cardstock for her to decorate. She chose to use markers for them this time. She traced pretty well with one hand and stabilized the stencil with the other hand. While she was doing that, I covered the surface of the photos we selected with a layer of clear book-wrap that I have brought from home. She watched with great interest wondering what I was doing. I explained to her that the book-wrap works as a layer of laminate to protect the photos. She actually picked up the word laminate and used it when explaining to her parents later! LOL. Using the stencil, I carefully traced the circle shape to the back of each photo, preparing them to be cut out later. I had to make sure that the photo of the person is properly centred within the traced outline. After Stella finished decorating inside her set of traced shapes, I cover them also with a layer of clear book-wrap. Stella commented, “This is a very big sticky tape.”

The both of us took a break. We had Anzac biscuits and a drink before getting back to our work. I needed Stella to have a break because the next step required her to concentrate well. Pointing to the outlines of the traced shapes and before I got to finish explaining, Stella piped in, saying that we got to cut them out like the star (tree topper). LOL. I can easily cut them all out for her but I wanted Stella to participate as much as possible and she wasn’t hesitant to give it a go. At her age, cutting straight lines like cutting out the strips for the paper chain is pretty manageable but curved lines can prove to be quite a challenge. Nevertheless Stella took up the job of cutting the shapes out with determination at first. She was happy with the outcome of the first one. By the third one, she began to doubt her quality. She kept asking if they looked alright. Then she dropped a hint about asking her mum to fix them up. After cutting another one out, she asked (without making eye contact) if I could fix up the ‘ugly’ ones for her. She complained that she couldn’t stay on the line properly. I knew that this wasn’t going to be easy for her and being a perfectionist, I couldn’t help but want to fix them up for her. LOL. I stayed firm and didn’t give in. I encouraged her to cut slowly and also praised her for her efforts. She persevered. The circles were not perfect and I know that any adult or a much older child could do a better job than Stella but the importance was that she tried and did her very best. Once the ten traced circle shapes were cut out, all we had to do was to punch out a hole at the top of each for me to loop a piece of ribbon. Stella enjoyed using the table top punch machine in the office. This is easier to use than the ones that are shape like pliers. The ribbon loops are a safe way to attach the decorations to the tree. The metal hooks that we use at home on our tree to hang Christmas ornaments are just too dangerous for a child. When we sat there admiring her little tree, I saw a very proud Stella. The imperfect circles no longer bothered her. They actually looked prety good. All the hard-work was worth it. She turned to me and said, “I really like making things with you, @#*-@#*.” Who said being a nanny is all about nappy changing?

I gave Stella a little surprise yesterday. (It was my last day of work) Overnight, I quickly whipped up a tree skirt for her little Christmas tree. I dug out some left over Christmas theme fabric that I used years ago to make the underside of our tree skirt. I gambled a little by using my wok to trace a circle and luckily it turned out to be the right size. It was a no frills version. It was not lined and therefore has no batting but I did add two pairs of ribbons for closure at the opening. The outer edges are just simply finished with bias cut binding that was turned down and topstitched -this was the hardest bit. I sneaked into Stella’s room to dress the tree when she was napping. Her air conditioner was on and she was sleeping soundly facing away from the tree. As I was stepping out of her room, the floor boards creaked loudly. “Those damn floorboards!” I thought. Luckily, it didn’t wake her up. LOL.

When Stella got up, she called out for me from the top of the stairs. She sounded really excited. I pretended not to know what was happening and dashed up the stairs. She took my hand and guided me to her room to show what she had discovered. This nanny was just lousy. I simply couldn’t stop smiling. Stella was just too smart to be fooled. She saw my face and then asked, “Did you make this @#*-@#*?” I admitted and she gave me a hug and thanked me without prompting. She talked about her Christmas tree on the way to the park and on the way back from the park. She told Lachlan about it and when she got home, she decided that she was not going to wait any longer. She begged to call her mum. They spoke for a few minutes and then another round of begging to call her dad. For some reason, we couldn’t reach him and when we did, he dropped out within seconds. It was weird. So, Stella waited for her parents while listening to one of my Christmas CDs and talking about helping to decorate the family’s HUGE Christmas tree soon.

Christmas Decorations

Here is what I meant by getting caught up in the silly season and spending like there is no tomorrow. We buy special Christmas baubles or decorations to add to our growing collection each year. We have been doing this for a long time now. Our favourites are the Hallmark Keepsakes. When there used to be a Disney store in Melbourne, we used to buy the special baubles released annually. This year, we saw this range of Sesame Street hand-crafted glass holiday ornaments and just had to get one. The truth is that we wanted more than one but allowed ourselves just one to stick to our budget since we have already spent on 4 Hallmark ones. We chose Cookie Monster over Elmo.

Yes, this is the same nanny who frowns upon licensed characters and yet the majority of her Christmas decorations are based on licensed characters. How pathetic? LOL. I do try to limit the amount of licensed characters products in our home and I do sometimes wonder how I can seriously exclude them when we have children of our own. It is not entirely up to me though. The Good Samaritan loves to collect things like these and he has a say in how we spend the $$ as well. In fact, he has a bigger say in how we decorate the Christmas tree. It is something that brings him a lot of commercialised joy. LOL.

Bonnie’s Boy Child

My friend Bonnie had her baby last Friday. Her hubby called to let me know on Saturday. Bonnie had complications and was resting when he called. I asked for permission to visit them on Sunday and he agreed. My neighbour Winnie wanted to tag along too. She had never visited anyone in an Australian hospital. Since she had already met Bonnie a few times, I thought they wouldn’t mind.

Bonnie called me on Sunday morning. She sounded happy and was looking forward to showing off her baby boy to me. I took the opportunity to let her know that Winnie was coming along too. “The more the merrier.” she said.

When we got to the hospital, Bonnie was napping. Her hubby was just outside the door to her room holding a squirmy bundle in his hands. He went back into the room to notify her while we waited outside. While we waited, an exhausted looking mum was being wheeled back into the next room. Bonnie’s hubby came back to invite us in. When I was getting ready to leave the apartment, I visualized Bonnie sitting on her bed holding a little baby when I entered the room. That’s exactly how she posed when I entered the room. LOL. The proud parents told us that we came at the right time. Her baby had just been fed and was just being taken out of the room to give his mum a bit of rest when we arrived. Knowing that I was dying to meet him, they passed the baby to me. He was all wrapped up, exposing only one hand and his face. I love looking at babies’ hands and I just can’t resist counting his fingers even though the parents would have realised by now if any were missing. I can also see that he had fine blonde hair underneath the wrap. The room was meant to be air-conditioned but it was quite warm (to my expectations) and the baby was all wrapped up. Within minutes of holding this newborn closely, he was asleep and I returned him to his crib while his dotting dad placed a thin blanket on top of him.

At birth, the baby weighed 7 lbs. He was born on Friday and was still struggling to be breast fed on the day that I visited. Just like any other young babies, he usually wakes up hungry and has little patience to wait around for a feed. According to Bonnie, he seems to forget how to latch on at the start of every feed. They freaked out on Saturday when they found out that he had lost weight. They obviously didn’t know that it happens to many newborns. Bonnie said that she will continue breastfeeding even though it is a little uncomfortable at times. The nurses praised her for the efforts she put in.

I didn’t bring any gifts with me for the visit. I have decided to bring them along when I visit them at their home later. No one was sure of the baby’s gender throughout the whole pregnancy. Bonnie joked that she didn’t want to know. I have bought a few brand new baby outfits from Ebay. (Okay, okay, I admit that I am a little clucky to be buying them.) This is the only way a poor nanny can afford fine European fashion. So, I think I may select one of these or purchase another baby-grow. I recently saw that Bonds had released a new type of baby-grow. What attracted me is that they are designed and made in Australia. As with other Bonds baby clothes, the price is reasonable. If I get that I can see for myself if the design is really that practical. Bonnie’s baby boy can be the guinea pig to try out this new design. I do have to be careful though. It is usually in the months of December and January that I blow my budget on shopping for unnecessary stuff.

Changing The Topics

Tomorrow will be my second last day of work for the year. As I have already said so recently, I will be renovating this blog. I have already changed the template and photo. The next thing that I would like to do is to change the list of topics each entry is tagged under. I am planning to do this slowly, spreading it out over days. I hope I am not going to mess up too much.

Unsuitable Gifts

Bree received plenty of presents for her second birthday. Many of these were not things Bree’s parents would like her to have. Since they had allowed her to open most of her presents, they are now slowly gathering them up to either give them away or pack them up and re-introduce them later.

Here are some gifts that will be donated. Some are still in their original packaging.
· Children’s Laptop
· Wiggles Electronic Drum
· Plastic Ride-on Car (Bree is in the process of learning to ride a tricycle!)
· My Little Pony
· Battery Operated Guitar
· Toddler’s Laptop
· Bratz Baby Doll
· Battery Operated Ambulance
· Play-Doh sets
· Electronic Alphabet/Phonics
· Children’s DVDs

Here are some of the gifts that are likely to be packed away until a later date:
· Giggle Wiggle Game
· Elefun Game
· Mr Potato Head
· Doll’s Pram Set
· Leap Frog My First Computer
· Pop-up Tent
· Puzzles
· Mega Blocks & Lego/Duplo

Most people think that children enjoy noisy, light flashing battery operated toys with lots of buttons to press. As a nanny, I find that they really like simpler things. There is a gift that Bree particularly likes. It is a set of plastic musical instruments (maracas, rain-stick, recorder, tambourine, drum-sticks and a pair of castanets) stored inside a bucket shaped like a drum. She loves the recorder but because she is not very good at blowing, she gets a pleasant surprise whenever she accidentally manages to blow and make a sound. LOL. She also loves looking at the beads inside the rain-stick, falling down noisily. (The noisy sounds are not created by the press of a button. The child is actually witnessing the beads making the sounds as they fall.) Another gift that Bree enjoys playing with is the Sit n’ Spin. I have seen wooden version of this toy used in child care centres and kindergartens. She is supposed to sit on the round platform with the steering in between her legs and steer to spin round and round. At this stage, she is learning to do it all by herself. She doesn’t like to be assisted but she does need help to get started. There is a metal version at the park but Bree still finds it too much to handle. Stella and her playmate, Lachlan on the other hand can’t seem to have enough of this. LOL.

I do not think that Bree’s parents are ungrateful people. They are just careful with what is given to their little girl. There are parents out there who do not mind the toys that Bree’s parents are giving away. This is why they are giving them away rather than throwing them out. Many of the toys (including some picture books) are also being packed away until Bree is old enough to use them properly. They actually wanted to keep the Play-Doh sets but they have been told that the Play-Doh may harden if kept too long. So, they are deciding whether to donate the sets as a whole or keep only the utensils that come in each set and give away the Play-Doh only. Meanwhile, Bree still has a wide selection of new and existing toys and books to keep her busy. I also noticed a big increase in the number of plush toys and dolls since her birthday. People obviously still find it easier to select plush toys and dolls for girls.

An Art Area for Bree

Stella’s parents bought Bree an easel and rolls of paper from IKEA. Stella also selected a couple of picture books for her little friend. The easel, paper and art supplies are all stored in the laundry for now. Bree’s mum had decided that she would prefer her daughter to do art outdoors, under the covered area, just outside the kitchen and family room. This is where we do finger-painting and table washing these days. Until her mum finds a desirable cupboard for all the art supplies, finger-painting and drawing will be the only art activities on offer. The supplies for these activities are now neatly stored in an old basket. The intention is to give Bree a good start. They wanted her to learn to ‘care’ for her supplies like Stella (who also began learning to look after her things from around age 2 apparently). This does not mean total responsibility. They just wanted her to begin participating. I hope they will find a good size cupboard for everything to be stored properly. It is easier for the child to participate if everything has its own space and are stored logically.

This nanny is all for helping the child to become independent. I believe that toddlers and young children like to live and play in an organised and tidy area. I think that it even helps them to calm down. On top of that, toddlers and pre-schoolers like to pitch in. Many people misunderstand their intentions and label them as troublemakers but most of the time they really want to learn how things work in their environment. It is therefore highly beneficial to include them now while they are still interested. It will help to develop good habits. Their efforts may be sloppy (as compared with adult standards) but that will improve with practice. This sort of ‘work’ also gives them confidence in themselves. Step back and see how delighted they are when they have accomplished something rather complicating like cleaning one’s own little table.

Bree’s Backyard Big Toys

I have been wanting to blog about this for a while. Bree turned 2 in November and received plenty of gifts. Her grandma, Ettie and her parents bought her an outdoor play equipment and art supplies. The play equipment was delivered late and Ettie didn’t even get to see it all set up by the workmen. This house did originally have a wooden play fort with a swing situated along the back fence but it was old and had started to fall apart. I never quite like the idea of letting Bree explore that. I was very happy that it was removed late in Winter to make way for new equipment.

The new play equipment consists of a simple fort/platform with a roof, a wave slide, a small sandpit (under the platform), monkey bars and two swings. To get up to the platform, the child can either climb up the ladder or the wooden wall with climbing stones similar to indoor rock climbing. I went to inspect it while Bree was napping. My instant thought was that it was too big for her. I also thought that Bree will need a swing seat for toddlers. The swing seats that came with the play equipment are the typical wraparound style suitable for children over the age of 3. Children of Bree’s age are better suited to using a seat with back support and restraints.

I was looking after Bree on the day the workmen came to put it together. I had to keep it a secret from Bree because her parents wanted to surprise her when they got home. We went out for lunch when the workmen arrived and when we got home, Bree went straight to nap. After her nap, she had her afternoon tea before going out again to the park. With the blinds down, she didn’t even bother to take a peek. Her mum came home at around 4:30 pm and her dad came home about half an hour later. Together we ventured into the backyard. Bree stepped out after her parents, being careful because she used to tumble over the threshold. As her parents were immediately in front of her, she didn’t see the swing set at first. When she did, she dashed ahead laughing and saying, “Wings”. That is the way she says the word ‘swing’. Her proud father immediately lifted her up and placed her on one of the swings. She held on to the ropes tightly even though her dad had one hand around her and pushed her gently with the other hand. Her mum was like a little girl swinging next to her own daughter. It was quite a funny sight because I have not seen Mum let her hair down very often. It all went pear shaped when Bree’s dad let go of the hand around his daughter’s body to give her a stronger push. This caused the swing seat to rock and that stunned the tot into tears. It all happened just as I was about to suggest getting a toddler swing seat. Bree’s dad immediately put one hand around her again and one hand supported her back. Poor Bree, her legs were stiff and they jutted out in front of her and her feet were trembling. Her mum came to the rescue. She lifted her up and showed her the slide. She cheered up a little sliding down the wave slide. Her father made a comment about the swings being different from the baby seats at the park. Her mum suggested buying another seat and almost instantly turned to ask me where to get one. Informed as usual (on things like this), I suggested Toys R’ Us because they have a dark green one that matches the set. I advised them to be cautious when buying the swing seat. They have to make sure that the attachments at the end of the ropes are compatible to the swing hooks on this swing set. I also suggested that they contact the retailer to see if they have a toddler swing seat for equipment from the same manufacturer to ensure compatibility. Since they were asking for my opinion, I also quickly asked if they were going to invest in adding tan bark to soften any accidental falls. It turned out that they had already made arrangements for that. Goody!

Bree was swinging on a new swing seat a week later. In his hurry, Bree’s dad forgot to buy play sand for the sandpit. The sandpit is left empty for now but Bree is just as happy using it as a cubby since she is still not very good at climbing the ladder to get up to the platform on her own. Both parents agreed that although the play equipment is way too big for Bree for now, it will give her many years of fun.

Concerns Re: New Challenges for 2008

I spoke to the girls’ mothers in regards to the plans for next year again. I have told them that I am happy to do what they have requested. They were very happy of course. Bree’s mum had been wondering if I was not happy with what they had put forward because it had taken me so long to respond to them. I didn’t say much because I had been very busy with my studies in November. I did think about the new challenges in my spare time.

Before I started working for these two families, I was working for two families from hell. (Regular readers of this blog may be aware of the families. I can’t seem to stop blogging about them because I don’t think I got over what happened. This nanny is quite sensitive.) It started out as a nanny sharing situation as well. Those two mothers were sisters and took full advantage of me. I guess it was partially my fault because I gave in to their ‘nicely disguised’ demands but employers are usually pretty skilled in squeezing the absolute most out of their paid staff or they will feel ripped off. So, when I started working for the current two families, I made doubly sure that the families will stick to what we have all agreed upon. These two mothers are not biologically related but they are business partners. For two years I looked after the girls separately on different days of the week, in their own homes. I knew all along that this arrangement couldn’t go on forever because the girls are growing up and their parents may have changes to their priorities. This was confirmed when Stella’s parents decided recently that she is going to primary school in 2008. For a while I thought that the family would stop hiring me, leaving me to look after Bree only. Bree’s parents (especially her mum) too have been talking about increasing my hours.

I had looked into their requests carefully and scrutinized possible scenarios that may come up in 2008. Since the new challenges include looking after the two girls together in different homes, I spoke to the mothers about the following. I had to make sure that they (the parents) were prepared to handle any consequences as a result of these changes maturely in a civilised manner.

· From my experience in the past, the children will almost definitely react to the changes and it is impossible to predict how their behaviour will be affected.
· Germs Do Not Discriminate – Being the only child in their own families, the girls (especially Bree) will now spend a part of their day playing together and may come in contact with each other’s germs. There may be more occurrences of childhood ailments.
· Emergency Child-Care Option – While both girls are very healthy and hardly ever get sick, especially Stella, the parents must make alternative arrangements if one child is very sick and requires isolation from the other child or if the nanny falls ill. I told them that I do not wish to see the blame game. This isn’t something new. It is more of a reminder.
· Little Poppets See, Little Poppets Do – While both girls are naturally sweet and seldom get into any trouble, they (especially Bree) are likely to learn from each other. This includes copying bad behaviour.
· Log Books (the child’s journal) will not be shared. The child visiting the other child’s house must bring along her log book. This is to keep information somewhat confidential. Believe me; some parents protect their own privacy more than the general safety of their own children.
· Punctual Pick-up Time – The parent in charge of picking up the visiting child should be punctual. I do not wish to leave the house until the visiting child has been picked up by her parents even if the parents of the other child are already home. I explained that some parents may at first welcome the idea of looking after another child after a long working day but this is likely to cause resentment in the long run. I have seen how accommodating parents were taken advantage of.
· Food & Basic Supplies – I instructed both mothers to discuss among themselves about food and basic supplies before filling me with the details. They have to be frank to each other. Ideally, the visiting child should bring her own food & drink but sometimes children enjoy making and sharing a snack together. There is also the issue on provision of other basic supplies. For instance if Stella would like to do a painting, then Bree, who is visiting, should also be given the same opportunity if she wishes to do so as well. Sharing a bit of paint may not cost much at first but if this happens regularly, some people may start to grumble. Surely people who hire nannies are able to afford little things like that. Well, this nanny has experienced parents from Toorak squabbling over juice, strawberries and chicken nuggets (on different occasions)!

I think these were most of the concerns that I raised with the mothers. They probably think that I am crazy to be so thorough. The reason that I am so mindful is because of my past experiences. I have enjoyed working for the current two families and I do not wish for it to turn sour just because of new challenges in 2008. I believe that if the two sets of parents are frank with each other expectations and work as a team with the nanny, the arrangements will work out not just for the children but for everyone concern. I have my fingers crossed and wish too that everything will turn out alright.