Saying Goodbye to Being a Nanny

Oh, this one is hard for me to write.

My passion for working with kids has been present since I was very young. Babysitting was my main job throughout my teenage years and after graduating from University I took a job nannying right away. That first job lasted almost a year and I loved every minute, so I knew I wanted to continue with it. I remember spending sunny afternoons at the park with two adorable one year old's and thinking "Whoa is this really something that I get paid to do?!"
Of course saying goodbye to those kids was tough- they were the first kids I looked after in my nanny career, but I made it through. I still see them from time to time and am thrilled that they are doing so well. They were an important chapter in my life.

I was very ready for another nannying opportunity at this point, so in the fall of 2010 I accepted a second nanny job and wound up caring for those children for three years. I watched them grow from babies who were learning to take their first steps to being ready for school this fall. They were my constant companions five days a week. We had so much fun together. I cannot watch Toy Story, eat jujubes, go to the local mall, wading pool or see a photo booth without thinking of them. That's just a handful of the many special things we did together.

Every job has it's tough moments, and I'm not going to say that being a nanny was all sunshine- but spending time with those boys and being there to watch them grow made any tough moments very worth it. With them going to school and pre-school this fall- my time with them came to an end. I struggled with this for months, saying goodbye knowing I would no longer see them everyday. It's always hard to spend that amount of time with anyone you care about and have that change immediately. I will still be able to visit them, which I am thrilled about, but of course that is not quite the same. I will make the best of it though.

August 2nd, 2013 was my last day as a nanny. It was a tough day for me, and in the days since I have missed the boys and my job a lot. I decided not to continue with nannying after this because I am getting married soon, and ready to start my own family. Plus I just could not imagine getting attached and then having to eventually say goodbye to any more children right now- hands down the toughest part of the job. As I mentioned in a previous post, I did accept a new job with a great company and I am excited about the opportunities for me there. But I know that I will always look back on my nanny career with fondness. It taught me patience, it gave me confidence and it undoubtedly prepared me for motherhood.

The families that I worked for threw me a little party on my last day. Such a sweet thing for them to do. There was even a cupcake cake- brought in for me because they knew how much I loved cupcakes.

Seriously. Amazing.

Then the boys gave me one of my favourite gifts of all time- a charm bracelet with a little boy charm to represent them. Words cannot express how much I love it. I wear it all the time.

I won't be sharing photos of any of the children I looked after here (nor do I mention any personal details) because this was my job. I have never felt comfortable writing about my job here, but still felt that this post was an important one to write- as I move on to another phase in my life.

It's been an adjustment these past few week for sure, but I know that good things are in store. Someday, when I have children of my own, I will tell them about this time in my life-and about those amazing kids that held my heart.