b'8. Be a good communicator. Effective communication is required for any nanny-familyrelationshiptobesuccessful.Communicatingwithdivorcedparentscanbechallenging. The parents may not speak to each other, and communications may bedone through attorneys. Youre often going to be stuck in the middle of a he-said-she-said situation. While it is never your job to tattle on the parents to each other, it is yourresponsibility to always have the best interests of the kids in mind. Communicate to theparents your observations of how things are going with the kids. If excessive videogame use is becoming a problem in one parents home, you can say something like, Inotice that John plays video games when he comes home from school to chill for awhile, but this is starting to affect getting his homework done in a timely manner. Thisis one effective way to frame your observations and concerns. While the parents mayset rules and guidelines, they are not the ones on the front lines during the week, sothey might not realize something is becoming an issue unless you speak up. 9. Create a calendar system for the kids to follow. Buy calendars that each childcan keep in their room to keep track of when they have practices, school holidays,appointments, and when they are at mom or dads. It is helpful to create a mastercalendar with a copy for each home, as well as one for each childs bedroom. Thisincludes appointments, visitation location, school events, and more. Once the childrenare old enough, they can help create the calendars. These can be separate from whatyou are using with the parents, or it can be used in conjunction. How to help keep communication open andavoid being the messenger10. Have a written work agreement. A clearly defined work agreement is essentialwhen working with any family, and especially when working with divorced parents. CreateanemailspecificallyforfamilyClearly define your role in your work agreement. If youre working for both parents in communications. Gmail works well as you canboth homes, clearly outline the responsibilities and protocol for each home. Treat it as access the shared calendar feature and Googletwo separate work agreements if that makes things easier. Youll also want to pay Drive, which can host important documents thatcloseattentiontohowyouhandlevacations.Ifoneparentistakingthekidson need to be shared between parents and nanny.vacation and doesnt need you, what (if any) are your responsibilities to the other Useemailtoremindtheparentsofparent? Address this in your work agreement before it becomes a problem. Youll also appointments, school functions, vacations, andwant to be clear about who pays you (and when) and be sure that everyone agrees. Its more.Usethesharedcalendartotrackthetypicallyeasiertohaveonepartyresponsibleforthepayrollandlettheparents visitation schedule and upcoming appointmentsdetermine which party will be the main contact. Some families will have a joint account and dates. that the nanny utilizes for family purchases, while others may do a reimbursementmethod. Youll also want to cover things like who pays overtime or off-night sitting. For AppslikeCOZIarepopularwithnanniesandexample, if DB asks you to sit on Saturday night, do you report additional hours to be families because they can help keep everyoneadded to your pay or should DB pay you directly that night? Working out these details organized. will help ensure a long and healthy nanny-family relationship. Each family is unique,and your work agreement will be, too. Communication logs like the one found in OurNanny Diary are also popular because nanniesDivorce can be amicable between parents, or it can be very toxic. Having a nanny who can record notes for the day, leave notes, trackis equipped with the resources and information to deal with both situations can help hours, and much more. They also offer digitalmake this transition a bit easier for everyone. downloads of many single pages found in theprinted/bound versions.KELLIE GERESWith over 30 years in the private service industry, Kellie Geres is an award-winning industry leader who specializes in working with divorcedparents, equipping nannies to transition to household manager roles, and supporting industry organizations. Kellie has been with her currentwork-family for over 15 years, evolving from the childrens nanny to family house manager, where she now oversees a busy household ofworking parents, adult children, and the most spoiled dog named Riley. Kellie serves as a virtual assistant to APNA, nanny agencies, andeducators, and she volunteers with ADCAN, the longest-running nanny support group in the US. Kellie is the co-chair for National NannyRecognition Week (NNRW), co-creator, along with Sue Downey, of Our Nanny Diary nanny printables, and she maintains several industrywebsites including Regarding Nannies and NannyTrainings.com. Kellie was named the 1997 International Nanny Association Nanny of the Year,and in 2014 was honored with the Domestic Estate Management Association Lifetime Achievement Award. Kellie has presented at severalindustry events, including Nannypalooza, INA, the All-Star Nanny Conference, and interNational Nanny Training Day. She has also beeninterviewed for television, print, and radio. Kellie resides in the Washington, DC metro area, and when she is not wearing her many hats in thisindustry, she enjoys traveling, reading, and a really good glass of wine. NannyMag.com21'