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Some kids hear their names a lot. I recall a little guy in a childcare center who heard his name all day. "Sam, come down from there! Sam, walk please. Sam, stop it!" Sam had a hard time following the rules. His behavior and his attitude chipped away at the patience of us childcare providers. He needed lots of reminders. We started resenting that - resenting him.
I think now about how he must have felt hearing his name shouted across the room.
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Rosie, a young nanny friend and I were sitting in an adorable Mexican restaurant when she asked me how to approach the fights her nanny kids had been having. I modeled some empathetic phrases she could use when the older sister feels hurt as well as a few questions she could ask to hold each child accountable for her actions. After talking through several scenarios, Rosie said: "I get it, I need to be sincere!"
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Probably the most important principle in my work as a nanny is that children deserve the same amount of respect as adults. But that doesn't mean they should hold the same amount of power.
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Remember calling out, "olly olly oxen free" while playing hide and seek? That same confident, friendly tone works well when giving kids directions. I use it while walking down the sidewalk with 5 kids in tow
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