My mom is 87 years old. I am blessed to still have her in my life. You won't be surprised to learn that her health is not good. She suffers from dementia, and a host of other age related conditions. She is ambulatory and decidedly wants to stay in her apartment, and when the time comes die at home. She may not get her heart's desire, however my dad, siblings and I are determined to do all that is practical to make this happen. This is the rare post that I am writing in first person based on my own experiences, experience that when shared with friends are met with an amazing number of "Oh my gosh, me too!"

As a parent, keeping your children safe and happy is very important.  You also want to build a strong relationship with them and discipline them in ways that teach them respect and appreciation for others, as well as themselves. The same goes with the nanny you hire. A good nanny does more than show up on time and keep the child safe: she is united with you in your parenting and works to cultivate a strong relationship with your child.

Raising children can be difficult at times and no matter how great the relationship is that your nanny has with your kids, conflicts are bound to happen every once in a while. When they do, how do you respond? Most of the time, the factors that are most frequently at work in a conflict situation are:

Mother's Day is right around the corner, and many working mothers acknowledge that their nanny, a true helper to the whole family, plays an important balancing role for mom in her day to day life. Our Mother's Day gift is this discussion on how a mom (or dad) can have a great relationship with the family's nanny.

When you’ve found a household employee that you and your family loves and trusts, it’s a wonderful feeling. Soon, you can start relying on this person to take care of things in your absence. But, if this means that you start asking for them to work more hours during the week or on the weekends, you should know the facts about overtime versus banking hours.

Tie their shoes. Make their beds. Prepare breakfast or lunch for themselves. Load the dishwasher. Laundry. These are all essential to-dos for children to learn. Are you teaching them these kinds of responsibilities or just doing it for them? Or, is your nanny doing most of the work rather than teaching the kids essential life-skills while she’s on duty?

Once you find the perfect nanny for your family, it is important to put to use some strategies that can help establish boundaries and keep your family happy and protected. Even the most well-meaning nannies can unintentionally overstep boundaries, so make sure you set the ground rules early on. Here’s how:

Summer is a wonderful time of year that your kids are probably really looking forward to. There’s nothing like a little fun and relaxation during the warm summer months, but for you, it could be the opposite. Your schedule likely doesn’t slow down once summer rolls around and it may even be causing you some anxiety thinking about trying to scramble to find reliable childcare while you’re at work. Day camps, relying on friends and family to serve as babysitters, and taking vacation time will only go so far. The short term solution: hiring a summer nanny. Your kids will be happy to have someone to hang out with and you’ll have a stress free summer season because you won’t have to figure out childcare on a week by week basis. Here are some other perks of hiring a summer nanny.

Finding the right caregiver for your family can take time. Once you’ve found the perfect person for your family, now comes to the work of maintaining a great working relationship. Here are some helpful tips on how to manage a caregiver relationship.

The nannying career is one that’s highly rewarding. To make yourself successful as a nanny, undergoing training and committing to be a continual learner is key. A good nanny is truly invaluable. More and more people have recognized the advantages of being a nanny, which makes the competition a bit steeper. If you’re considering a career as a nanny, it’s a great idea to equip yourself with as much training as possible. Not only will it make your resume look more desirable and open doors for higher salaries, but it will give you the skills you need to be a great nanny for as long as you choose to work as one.