728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Child Care Issues › Nanny of the Year

Nanny of the Year

A Real Life Mary Poppins

By Megan L. Fowler, MSJ

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

The Life of a Nanny
So when Marni Kent, a Denver-area career nanny, won INA's prestigious Nanny of the Year award for 2002, she was thrilled. "Being a nanny has taught me to be a more positive, happier person, and I've learned so much from the kids," she said when she heard the news. "Being a nanny is the best job in the world!"

But what does being a nanny actually entail? "We are not glorified babysitters by any means," says Kent. "Most don't do the things that I do." In Kent's case, she is actually known as Colorado's "Mary Poppins." No, she doesn't prescribe sugar after foul-tasting cough syrup nor does she play in sidewalk chalk paintings with cartoon figures and racing carousel horses. But she does carry a "carpetbag of tricks."

A Real Life Mary Poppins-Meet the Nanny of the YearYes, an actual carpetbag complete with clay, brown paper bags (to prevent fights over the popcorn bowl), decorative projects, books and other "fun things that kids would want to do while I'm around," she says. "My carpetbag is my little bag of tricks that nobody gets to see in, and the children get excited to see what project we are going to do later. Then they don't miss Mom and Dad so much."

Kent even has befriended nearly every kid in town. "Sometimes other kids will call me during the day if they are sick, or they will come over after school if their parents aren't home," she says. "It's like a big family."

The difference between her and Poppins, however, is that Kent doesn't float in, do her job and disappear behind a cloud of chimney smoke. Instead, she stays with her families for years at a time. "I don't mind the Mary Poppins reference," she says. "But I am a multi-tasking person." Sundays are generally the only days Kent has to herself: "My husband is so into football that I get a chance to relax and make time for me."


Pages:  1  2  3  4  

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.