On Omnipotence

As a nanny you are required to know everything: where the extra diapers are, where the kids are, and according to the kids, where every last tiny toy in the house is.

Not a day goes by that I don't hear, 

But NORIE, where IS the...?

(Imagine a tiny, whiny voice and fill in the blank.)

This "need to know" often extends past the children to the parents. As an integral member of the household it is often left to me to have the whereabouts of important school and medical papers in mind. However, with 3 adults in house and six hands sorting through all the things that come in and out, this can get a little tricky. 

Above all a nanny must be organized and attentive.  If something slides under the couch or falls behind a the book case, I am paid to notice. 

Case in point: APC acquired the book "Pinkalicious" for Chanukah. (More on this title soon, stay tuned!) Somehow, within a few days it had disappeared. Every adult searched. Multiple times. Finally, I suggested an unlikely hiding place. There is a tiny space under the large bookshelf in the living room. I have saved books from disappearing into this space before. Perhaps it slid under there? Dad (GMC) was kind enough to tilt the heavy shelf so I could poke underneath. To our surprise, out slid "Pinkalicious." (Along with a few other titles.) This discovery might not have been made had I not been in tune with the smallest detail of the Cs home. 

Beyond skills of organization and attention to detail, I come back to the idea of communication. The reason the house runs as smoothly as it does is this simple technique. I may be forced to be omnipotent, but I couldn't succeed in this task without constant communication with the parents. 

As you can imagine, I make lots of lists.