Until We Meet Again

It is basic knowledge that it takes nine months to form a child. You watch it grow and are forced to wait patiently for almost forty weeks until you can meet this person you have created. Throughout that time, you are preparing for their arrival. You start by reading books, talking with other parents, buying all the things necessary for when your baby arrives. And when the day finally comes and you are holding what you have been waiting so long for and you can see that all your hard work was worth it, you know you are now a better person because of the existence of this child. I can honestly say my experience of being a nanny is exactly like this.

When I took this job in April, I had no idea how long I would stay or even what I would gain. I only knew that my reason behind being here was to figure out what career I had in mind and if I really did want to spend majority of my time with children. Being a nanny was the best job for me to figure it all out.

Like the beginning of a pregnancy you start by getting comfortable with this huge change that you are experiencing and adjust your habits to better accommodate your baby, that was no different for me. I had to adjust to no longer being a college graduate who was only responsible for herself, but to being a mother of three. Having had experience with children I was somewhat prepared for the day-to-day challenges that I faced. However, it was the bigger ones that called for assistance. During a pregnancy, couples are forced to come to face with how they are going to raise their child. The subjects of politeness, tolerance, punishment, and many others are all on the table when discussing how you want your child to be. I met the same struggles with my girls. Whenever I was faced with something I questioned, I went to their parents to see how they would handle it or how they wanted the girls to respond. Together the three of us would confront the issue and find the solution. Much like new parents when making decisions.

Expecting parents not only face the decision on how to raise their child but they begin to change their lifestyles as well. They no longer a free to go as they please and they realize that many decisions they make could not only affect them but their child as well. I quickly learned that my presence has a huge impact on the girls. They wanted my opinion on the clothes they would wear and wanted to know exactly what I was doing on my days off. While I was learning about them they were also learning about me. It didn't take too long for me to see some of my own interest reflecting on them.

When my youngest discovered my favorite color was purple, hers quickly changed from orange and pink to purple and pink. As for my middle one, I told her once of my love for playing cards and now it is her who reigns the champion of Crazy Eights. And because of our joint love of fashion the oldest is quickly becoming more stylish than her nanny. All these things are just a small part of who I am but they are things that have influenced my girls and reflect who they are. I'm not saying their influences won't change but it has shown me the affect I have had on them.

As the final transformation for an expecting mother, I believe it would have to be the personal changes she makes throughout her pregnancy. She is no longer the person she was before but a better version of herself. And for me, I am a person who's life was changed in nine short months all because of three little girls. Somewhere between rocking out to One Direction, watching them change clothes six million times (only to end up wearing what they wore yesterday), bribing them to brush their teeth and hair, jumping around to the Fresh Beat Band, braving the cold for a soccer game, not scoring Justin Bieber tickets, pretending to an Olympic gymnast, painting 3 sets of nails, and trying to teach the puppy tricks, I became a better person. I have grown to love this family as if they were my own and I know that because of what they have taught me and how they have showed their love for me, I am able to leave them with confidence that we will all be fine in the end.

Just like with a pregnancy, a new life is born in the end, and in my situation that new life is mine. I am soon leaving this family to start a new chapter in my life and I will cherish every moment I spent with this family. I know that because of them I am ready for any challenge that I may face once I leave. The most difficult challenge does not come from starting a new life but leaving the one I have behind. I must remind my girls that we will always be in each others lives and I not only want to know about what they are doing when I'm gone but also be apart of their lives as much as I can be. As our time together closes I remind my girls and myself that we are not to say goodbye because goodbye can sometimes be forever but we are to say until we meet again. So to the three little girls who have taught me more than they will ever know, I love you all and I cannot wait until we meet again.