Hiring Nannies
What house rules should I set for a nanny or au pair?
The house rules that you set for a nanny are different from house to house. Mine, for example, might be that no visitors are allowed. If you have relatives in from out of town, or if you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, I want you spending all of the time watching my kids. One of the things I personally would do is that I wouldn't hire a nanny that is like a babysitter. In other words, a person that will just sit there and the kids do whatever they want to do. I would want educational activities or sports or something going on where they're actually working over there with the children. Your house rules are going to be what activities you want the children to be involved in. Obviously it's going to deal with bed time, and it can also deal with homework. It's going to deal a lot with nutrition, because what your nanny thinks is good nutrition for your kids might not be the same as you. In some cases their idea might even be better, depending on how parents feed their kids. It's also behavioural. You're going to need to have some rules about how to handle bad behavior, or misbehavior, because if it's okay to send a child to the room or to give them a time out or do some other type of punishment, you have got to make sure that the disciplinary actions are identical to what you do in your own home. This is because kids need consistency, as it gives them a great sense of security. They love having boundaries and rules, even if they don't seem like they do. They need something that they can count on. Therefore, you don't want a situation where they can know what they can get away with the nanny and what they can get away with mom or dad, and kids will figure that out in a second. You need consistency. House rules would certainly involve any type of disciplinary consistency.
