You won’t cure her
jealousies, but you will show her a side of you that is just for her – a woman
to woman friendship. Allow your child to see you doing this, so that the child can
learn good role modeling, and the child can see your approval of the nanny in
front of the nanny.
If you find your nanny is eating you out of house
and home, then you need to do something differently.
One choice is to buy more food.
Another choice is to ask the nanny to make a list of
what she would like you to buy, which can open a dialogue about food.
You can ask the nanny to be in charge of food
shopping. She can be delegated food shopping for her and your child or for the
whole family.
If you suspect your nanny has an eating disorder,
get some professional advice before talking to her about it. Ask your own
family doctor for a referral for someone to talk to.
If your nanny is eating what you consider to be
junk, and you don’t want your child to be coveting every bite of your nanny’s
pork rinds and gummy bears, while staring at his or her own plate of steamed
broccoli and string cheese, then you have to talk to the nanny about this
problem. Ask her if she would consider not eating sugar or fried food, or
whatever you dislike, in front of your child, because it is becoming a problem
for the child. If you phrase the issue as the child’s problem, then it doesn’t
appear so much to be a personal insult.
When dealing with food, you should not make the
nanny feel ashamed if she eats more than you think is enough. Not everyone has
the same body type or metabolism and it is not your job to regulate your
nanny’s diet or body.
It is very easy for a nanny to covet your things, and theft
is sometimes a problem. If you suspect things are missing, ask the nanny if
she’s seen them. If you have proof that she has stolen things, then you need to
fire her and call the police. There is no reason to
