Today the INA would like to introduce you to Cecily Laing. She is from Melbourne Australia and is this year’s Placement Solutions Nanny of the Year as well as an INA 2016 Nanny of the Year Nominee. Cecily has been a nanny for 18 years and recently attended her first INA Conference. She had a great story from her trip home that we asked her to share with us.
INA: Can you share a positive story of your time as a nanny?
Cecily: So three weeks in the US sadly had to come to an end. I started off at the INA conference where I was able to meet so many wonderful people and learn so much. I then popped off on tour and traveled from Chicago all the way down to New Orleans where sadly I had to pack up and go home. It was with a sad heart and an exhausted body that I headed to the airport for my 1830 flight out to LAX. Upon arrival I found we had been delayed…..oh well that happens. Except no one was saying how long that delay might be as it was weather related and it could go on a bit. So people wandered around, read books, checked social media, chattered to others, slept and rocked cranky tired children. Almost six hours later we finally boarded our flight. This very tired nanny was hoping for a quiet flight with a bit of tv watching so when I boarded my next flight I could sleep all they way back to Melbourne.
I was seated between two parents and their 6 month old baby girl, we quickly renegotiated the seats and I ended up with the window. Perfect. Flight got up in the air with minimal fuss, considering the weather and then the fun started. The lovely young French couple starts getting nervous as their little girl begins to fuss, cue over excited play from the parents and an over excited, over tired (it’s midnight) baby who is just getting louder and more restless. Great this is not what I was hoping for. I bide my time and throw them a few smiles, have a little interaction with the baby, make some small talk and then ask if I can have a cuddle? The mum says yes, albeit a bit nervously, and hands the baby over. I talk calmly and quietly to her, show her the lights out of the window, all the while rocking her ever so gently, and keeping my voice nice and low.
And guess what……….sleeping baby in about five minutes! The mum looks at me, pokes her husband to show him and looks close to tears, she was exhausted. She then goes to take her sleeping daughter from me and I said to her she may as well get some sleep and I was happy to continue holding the baby, the look on her face said all the words she couldn’t. Three minutes later both parents are asleep and I’m reclined with a sleeping baby in my arms watching tv quietly as I had planned!
Three hours later the announcement that we were starting our decent woke the parents and the baby. I handed her back and soon after we landed. As we got ready to disembark the dad turned to me and thanked me for being so kind and helpful and said I was an angel, and I guess to over tired, over anxious parents I was.
INA: If you could give other nannies one piece of advice, what would it be?
Cecily: Trust yourself, stick up for yourself, be legal, be honest, be awesome!
Thank you, Cecily, for sharing your story with the INA.
If you or someone you know would like to be highlighted in our Many Faces of INA Nannies series, please fill out our simple form found here or contact the INA office at memberservices@nanny.org