For moms and dads who work at home, establishing rules with the nanny can be difficult. Because you're sharing a space, it's essential that your child knows who is boss during business hours. Follow these tips and guidelines that will help you establish the best ways for your nanny to get her work done while you get yours done.
- Have a weekly or biweekly meeting (though not in front of the kids) to discuss how things are going.
- Avoid interrupting conversation between the nanny and children when they are engaged.
- Don’t intervene. Even when a child is crying, throwing a tantrum, or having some sort of problem at school, let the nanny handle this as though you were working out of the house.
- You and the nanny should set up a routine for mealtime, naptime, bathing, bedtime, and social activities. If you need to step out of the home office, try to do it when the kids are otherwise engaged.
- The day should operate as if the parent commuted to a job outside the home. Say a quick goodbye each day and then head to the home office.
Although maneuvering between work and home mindsets (when office and home are in the same place!) can be confusing, it can be done successfully and smoothly as long as you and your nanny respect each other’s workspaces. In fact, it could be the best of both worlds—the people who care most about the kids are all in one place!
