NANC & Nannies Helping to Shape the Future

About two years ago I was introduced to Joel* a Chicagoan with an intriguing story. Joel is a multi-million dollar businessman who is frequently named as one of the top ten entrepreneurs in the USA. Why you ask am I telling you about Joel? Well, as Joel tells it he and his twin brother Jake* were raised by their nanny, Maeve*. Joel's mother has a serious mental illness and was unable to care for her twin boys throughout their childhood. Fortunately, for this family they hired Maeve* a Nanny who took her job seriously and concentrated on providing them with the guidance and love that they so needed. Maeve died last year and when Joel and Jake were making the funeral arrangements they were amazed to be overwhelmed with requests to speak at her funeral from their childhood school & neighborhood friends. Maeve's influence and love spread beyond simply her charges. In the days following Maeve's death Joel received many cards expressing condolences. Joel said that many recounted the author's memories of Maeve helping them with their homework, turning a cooking project into a science experiment and helping the children build a treehouse. Even up to the point of her last hospitalization Maeve continued to guide and advise Joel telling him that "she didn't raise him to look like a hooligan that he needed to learn to keep his shirt tucked in"! As adults Joel & Jake would often eat dinner with Maeve and much to their chagrin she could still silence their arguments with a single raised eyebrow. Joel credits Maeve for providing the emotional stability, consistency, unconditional love & discipline that made him into the man that he is today.

While we as nanny all have different job descriptions, roles and family dynamics, what we do have in common is the opportunity to make a difference in our charge's lives. We are blessed with this chance and I know for me the single most rewarding part is that I am able to help shape young lives just as Maeve did. It is my hope that by creating a credentialing program we can truly begin to raise the bar and change the publics perception of how to define a nanny.

~Mindy Pannell
Nanny for 10 Years






*Name changed to protect identities.