Nanny or Manny?
Originally posted at http://parentise.com/live/wordpress
“Would you trust your children with a male au pair?” The title of the article in the Main Line Today magazine caught my eye - for mostly obvious reasons. I was interested in the idea of a male nanny/au-pair - it’s something that to be honest hasn’t really crossed my mind. (I think there was a “manny” on a television show that got canceled a few years ago, but other than that…) I however seem to be out of the loop, “male nannies, aka, mannies, are becoming more widely accepted–or a...
So, I sat down in my local B&N and started reading about the new phenomenon, and found that apparently, it’s not so new. According to the article manny’s/au-pairs are becoming less and less rare - and they are coming from all over the world - Brazil, Sweden, Germany…
While a male au-pair may have a “big-brother appeal”, most of them are said to be in their 20’s and placed with families ..., I found it interesting that in the article - most of the men interviewed noted that in their countries, male baby-sitters are considered abnormal, so where do they get there skills? That it turns out is a simple question - male child care givers “who want to become mannies gather their child-care experience from... They also enroll in child caregiving certification programs and classes - just like their female counterparts.
Parents still seem to have some questions about it though. A quote from Metroactive states it perfectly: “If we asked a [female] nanny 100 questions, we’d ask the male nanny...
When you hire someone (in any industry) you need to make sure they have the skills necessary to perform the role. When hiring a nanny you can go through a service - their role is to make sure that the nanny has the background, skill set and references that are appropriate. You can also do a search yourself - be sure to check their references and confirm their backgrounds (background checks).
When looking for a nanny/au-pair you should also make sure that you know what you’re looking for. Ask yourself some questions before you go into the search. Do you want someone who can drive? Is fluency in English (or another language) a requirement? Would you like someone who can teach your child (should they have an educational background)? What age are the kids (should the nanny/au-pair have experience with infants or older age ranges)? Etc.
In my opinion - forget about gender, do your research, be mindful, and be focused on their work and connection with your children. Gender - not so important. Good Luck!
“Would you trust your children with a male au pair?” The title of the article in the Main Line Today magazine caught my eye - for mostly obvious reasons. I was interested in the idea of a male nanny/au-pair - it’s something that to be honest hasn’t really crossed my mind. (I think there was a “manny” on a television show that got canceled a few years ago, but other than that…) I however seem to be out of the loop, “male nannies, aka, mannies, are becoming more widely accepted–or a...
So, I sat down in my local B&N and started reading about the new phenomenon, and found that apparently, it’s not so new. According to the article manny’s/au-pairs are becoming less and less rare - and they are coming from all over the world - Brazil, Sweden, Germany…
While a male au-pair may have a “big-brother appeal”, most of them are said to be in their 20’s and placed with families ..., I found it interesting that in the article - most of the men interviewed noted that in their countries, male baby-sitters are considered abnormal, so where do they get there skills? That it turns out is a simple question - male child care givers “who want to become mannies gather their child-care experience from... They also enroll in child caregiving certification programs and classes - just like their female counterparts.
Parents still seem to have some questions about it though. A quote from Metroactive states it perfectly: “If we asked a [female] nanny 100 questions, we’d ask the male nanny...
When you hire someone (in any industry) you need to make sure they have the skills necessary to perform the role. When hiring a nanny you can go through a service - their role is to make sure that the nanny has the background, skill set and references that are appropriate. You can also do a search yourself - be sure to check their references and confirm their backgrounds (background checks).
When looking for a nanny/au-pair you should also make sure that you know what you’re looking for. Ask yourself some questions before you go into the search. Do you want someone who can drive? Is fluency in English (or another language) a requirement? Would you like someone who can teach your child (should they have an educational background)? What age are the kids (should the nanny/au-pair have experience with infants or older age ranges)? Etc.
In my opinion - forget about gender, do your research, be mindful, and be focused on their work and connection with your children. Gender - not so important. Good Luck!
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