Investing in Your Sitter’s Parenting Skills Is Investing in Your Kids

To many of us, the task of selecting the right babysitter/nanny for our family’s needs is a daunting one.  We make sure they are CPR and emergency trained.  We check all their references for responsibility and reliability.  And we road-test them with the children to make sure they are just the right fit. Once we find an individual or individuals we trust enough to leave our children with, we breathe a huge sigh of relief and feel extremely lucky.

The relationship with our chosen childcare professional can extend for weeks, months, or even years, depending on our needs and the reliability of the individual.  We invest a lot of time at the front end of the selection process, but how do we ensure that our sitters and nannies are equipped to handle the needs of our children as they grow and change?

Consider investing in parenting courses for your children’s caregivers.

Educating the Village: Parenting Is a Community Effort

More and more, parents of all socio-economic backgrounds are seeing the value of parenting courses to give them the tools they need to handle the ups and downs that come with raising kids.  Parents who take child-rearing classes have a better grasp on what to expect, learn more about parenting and discipline styles, and can feel more confident and in control as parents. Perhaps you’ve already taken a course or two and have seen for yourself the positive results in your own family.

But these classes aren’t just beneficial to parents.  Grandparents, extended family members, teachers, and especially childcare givers can gain insight on how to discipline both kindly and firmly, while fostering self-esteem in our children. Basically, anyone who belongs to the proverbial “village” raising your child will benefit from a parenting course.

If you’re ready to take a parenting course, try our Online Parenting Course!

Childcare Is a Skill Set

It is comforting to know that our sitter or nanny can perform CPR in case of an emergency.  Hopefully she will never have to use this skill, but it’s important that she has it.  Ask yourself these questions: Does your childcare giver know what to do in case your two kids start to fight over a toy?  What about if your daughter refuses to brush her teeth?  Or what about if your son insists on watching more TV than is allowed?  Will your childcare-giver have the skills to handle these far more common situations with the grace and calm your kids need?

A good parenting course will equip your babysitter or nanny to handle any situation that might arise.

Practical Skills Taught in Parenting Classes:

• How to stop a fight
• How to win/win negotiate
• Ways to enhance your child’s self-esteem without over-praising
• How to set boundaries
• How to come up with logical consequences when boundaries are crossed
• How to encourage cooperation
• How to deal with a tantrum

Most importantly, your childcare giver will know how to do all of this in a way that is respectful to her and is respectful to the child.  Children learn best by example, and if everyone that is around them is modeling effective communication then they will learn how to effectively communicate themselves.

I Would Like to Sign My Sitter Up for Parenting Courses. Where Do I Start?

If you haven’t already taken a parenting course yourself, we recommend you either take the same course before or after your sitter does, to make sure the parenting philosophies you use are in agreement with each other and that there is consistency.

In most cases, nannies and sitters would jump at the chance to take this kind of course when offered to them. The fact that they have completed such a course only makes them more marketable as a professional childcare workers.  More importantly, the skills they learn will just make their jobs easier and much more pleasant!

Once the sitter has agreed to take the class, it’s time to select a course in your area.  Talk to other parents in your play groups and at your child’s school to ask for recommendations.  You might be surprised at how many of your peers have already enjoyed the benefits of a parenting course.

Find Parenting Classes Online

You can also consult the internet.  PeaceInYourHome.com is a parenting website that can help you locate a qualified instructor where you live.  PeaceInYourHome.com offers robust online courses complete with video demonstrations, written lessons, and supplementary material to enhance the learning experience.

Sign up for a FREE TRIAL by clicking here.

Whichever route you choose, just know that the investment you make in educating your child’s care giver is an investment you make in your child. Your children’s sitters, nannies, and teachers are helping you raise your children. Make sure they know how to parent.

Learn more about Peace In Your Home’s online parenting course by clicking here.

by Pamela Layug Laney