Saying goodbye is hard to do. When your time with a family has come to a close, we like to think of it as a “graduation” – one which celebrates that the family is moving on to a new phase in their life. It’s an important part of their NAN experience and you play a big part in helping the children with that transition.
For most of our families, graduation comes with mom’s recovery, making it a cause for celebration. Every family reaches this milestone at different times; therefore we do not specify a firm graduation date. Moms enter our program at different stages in their cancer journey and we continue to provide service until they feel well enough to care for their children. Moms usually tell us they are ready and want their Nanny Angel to be able to support a new family in need. NAN suggests to families that we slowly wind down visits from weekly to biweekly and finally monthly over a period of three months. When you’ve been providing childcare to a bereaved family, the transition can be harder, and it’s important to take time to celebrate the relationship you’ve built together.
While your role with that family as a Nanny Angel has ended, your relationship may not. Many volunteers maintain friendships with families and attend children’s birthday parties and recognize important milestones. The decision to keep in touch is entirely up to you.
While 90% of our moms do recover and move on with their lives, some are unfortunately re-diagnosed and come back into the NAN service. If this happens with one of the families you have visited, we will contact you first prior to offering the family to a new Nanny Angel.
