b'I listened to my doctor and took the muchneeded time off from work. While I was off, ItookadvantageofthetimethatIhadtobegin searching for a new career path. I hadno clue what I was searching for; I felt so lost.Yousee,mydoctorhadtoldmethatIneeded to change careers, and soon. He toldme that my career as a nanny should be over.IfeltlikeIwasmourningthedeathofmybabies. I cried daily for two weeks. I felt lostbecause caring for children is my passion, mycalling,mysenseofbeing.Howcouldmydoctor ask me to give up my life? As I continued to search online, I stumbledacrosstheInternationalNannyAssociation(INA)website.AsIwasreading,therewasone thing that caught my eye: InternationalNanny Training Day (iNNTD).While I continued to searched other websites,iNNTDkeptswirlingaroundinmyhead.Finally,Iwentbacktodigdeeperandlearned that there was going to be an eventin my area. Inside my head I was screaming, I found it! This is where I belong! This is what Ive beenI knew I needed to act fast or I would miss missing! My village! My tribe! My community!" the deadline to register. I wasnt working atthe time, so it was hard to make the decision For the next few months, I immersed myself into many Facebook nanny groups. I felt like Ito invest my money in the unknown.was playing catch up from the 16 years that I had been a nanny, alone with no village. Ilearned so much about the nanny community, the issues and struggles we face daily, theBoy, and I glad I did. When I reflect on my business side of nannying, and new activities to do with my little ones. experience, two words come to mind. GAMECHANGER! Ibegangoingonplaydatesandevenattendedmyfirstnannyconference,Nannypalooza. I was hooked! Everything that I learned from my nanny community and myI was shy and scared when I arrived at my first nanny conference changed my way of nannying and my attitude towards my career. Ifirst iNNTD event because I didnt know what incorporated my newfound education, skills, and resources on the job, and the resultsto expect. I didnt know anybody and I felt were amazing. My employers became more comfortable approaching me with child-out of place. I followed the directions given related questions and began asking for my professional advice. This led to the parentsto me and found a place to sit. The young becomingmoreinvolvedandconfidentincaringfortheirchildren.Inoticedanlady sitting next to me introduced herself and immediatechangewiththechildreninmycare,too.Theyrespondedbettertotheconversation, the type I had been longing for, boundaries put in place by both me and their parents. The overall tone of the homebegan.became more relaxed, and my work environment became a place that felt incrediblyhappy, knowing that we were now working as a team in bettering their children.Thisnannyintroducedmetoseveralothernannies and to the organizers of the event. The familys excitement inspired me to take more professional development classes andTheconnectionsdidnotstopthere.We further expand my nanny skills. To balance my desire for continuing education with mybecamefriendsonFacebookandIwas budget, I began looking for alternative ways to get training and continued to invest in myadded to several nanny groups. To say I was career and in making connections with my peers.overwhelmedisanunderstatement.Ineverknew local training for nannies existed, and I Looking back, I didn\'t realize how isolating being a nanny can be. Finding my village, mydidnotknowthattherewereFacebook community, and my tribe has forever changed me and exposed me to nannies who whogroups just for nannies. encourage, inspire, and push me to be the best nanny I can be. It can change you, too. NannyMag.com19'