A Week Without the Nanny

Anyone with a nanny, especially a good one, knows how important he or she becomes to running your household. From changing diapers to preparing meals, a good nanny turns your house into a well oiled machine.

So when our nanny requested a one week vacation my wife and I naturally wondered…

• Would we still get any work done?
• Would our well oiled machine flame out?
• Would we pass our son back and forth like a hot potato

Turns out the one week vacation was the best thing that ever happened. Sure I didn’t crank out work at the same clip, but I connected with my son in ways I never imagined. This week turned into a solid reminder that working less and earning more is really about living better. We still did get work done, the machine kept its oil, and the hot potato game never materialized.

Now… don’t get me wrong… I’m not looking to get rid of the nanny entirely. I just came to realize that having a nanny is not about outsourcing child rearing. It’s about an extra pair of hands to help balance the working time and family time.

So for those of you out there balancing work with child rearing… by all means reach for that extra pair of hands to help. Just don’t look for those hands to permanently replace your own!