You should know the advice I give is based on real world experience. I’ve spent the last 25 years working with children and families in a variety of settings. For the last decade I’ve worked as a nanny, but I’ve also worked in daycares, preschool, after school programs, and as an art teacher for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders at a private Montessori school.

Obviously a nanny’s main duty is to take care of the kids, but I quickly came to realize my job was also that of a family helper. My goal while working with each family was to make their lives easier, to contribute my efforts in a way that would create a happier, more peaceful home. I tried to leave each family I worked for better off when the job ended than they were before the job began.

I often suggested little things to make the family’s life go more smoothly—whether it was about engaging age appropriate activities, setting clear boundaries for behavior, or reorganizing the games and toys so the kids could more easily find things and put them away in their place. Families welcomed my suggestions and found them useful in the daily lives.

I realized that what seemed a logical or clear solution to me, wasn’t as obvious to parents simply because most of them hadn’t spent much time around kids, aside from their own. Many parents also asked whether their child’s behavior was “normal” or “typical;” again I found it was simply due to lack of experience that led them to ask these questions, things like if the amount of tantrums their two year old was having were similar to what other two year olds were having.

My experience as a nanny made me realize I had knowledge to share that could make the lives of families better, thus Calmer Waters Parenting was born. Now I can help multiple families at a time and I’d love to create a ripple effect of calmer, happier homes. Whether you struggle setting up a bedtime routine, mealtime has become a battlezone for your family, or you need ideas about how to peel the kids away from their iPads I can help. Rather than an environment of chaos, arguments, and tension, I want to help guide your family to a place of calm, harmony, and a feeling of unity. I’m not promising you perfection and smooth sailing 24/7, but I’m confident working together we can create a family dynamic that is more peaceful for everyone. So let me be your toddler translator, your preschool peacemaker, your kid communicator. Let me help navigate your crew to Calmer Waters.