I'm just a nanny. But when I started asking myself the question, "What are the fruits of my labor?", I began to realize my job is a lot more important than I give it credit for. This shift in belief about what I do has changed the way I work. (Most days---I'm not perfect here.)
Back story---I tried college for 2 quarters. I majored in dating Justin, and minored in skipping class, eating Jimmy Johns, and seeing concerts at the Newport via my student loan stipend. I felt aimless. All I knew was that eventually I wanted to be a stay at home mom, so why was I going into debt to flunk out of school?
After withdrawing from OSU I tried working at a Caribou Coffee. There were a few things I learned in my short time there. 1) I like expensive coffee drinks. 2) I get stressed when long lines are waiting on me. and 3) It's easy to forget the espresso and serve people very expensive hot chocolates when you're rushed. I didn't last there past a week. And as an immature 20 year old I lied my way out of that job so I didn't have serve out my two weeks. That night I backed into a parking meter and pulled part of my 1989 Honda Accord bumper off. No need to worry, the problem was solved with some rope, tears, and an expensive dinner I had no right to be consuming. Most likely paid for with previously mentioned student loan stipend.
After my coffee shop fail I began searching for nanny jobs, thinking of it as mom college. I still have no idea how I was hired on with my first family. A 20 year old with high school babysitting as my only experience apparently qualified as enough for this family with 4 kids. (Day #2 I decided I no longer wanted that many kids of my own.) 10 years later and I'm still nannying, now with my 4th family. I plan to be with them until we have kids of our own.
When asked what I do, my answer tends to be "just a nanny." I've often felt like I didn't have an important or "real" job. But once I started thinking about the fact that I directly affect the attitude, feelings of worth/worthlessness, love, joy, enjoyment, manners, respect, etc. of a human life, something clicked that never had in the past. That's important stuff! What I do matters and how I act and react at work matters, even if I don't have a college degree. (Just the enjoyment of a few years of paying back student loans.) This thought process really shifted how I view and treat the kids I care for. Keeping this truth in the back of my mind grants more patience and love when I feel defeated and want to yell. Which is not usually an easy task with 3 kids fighting over who gets the middle seat in the van. (That's right, I roll in a Honda Odyssey at work, and I like it.) If children are so important to Jesus, then I need to stop belittling my job of helping to raise them. I understand it will always be a work in progress (even when they are my own), but I can now more easily wrap my mind around the striving towards having more moments spent in peace rather than anger, not just making it to 6:00 so I can go home.
But seriously---how can people so small be so frustrating sometimes?! God made them cute with delicious smelling heads for a reason.
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