Hello!

My name is Talia. I've been caring for children- anywhere from a few months to thirteen years old- sometimes up to eight kids at a time for over ten years now. I decided to publish this blog because I've seen the worst when it comes to behavior and attitude. And I'd like to help.

Each week I'm going to give a different method for a particular problem. I've been wanting to do this for quite awhile, but was unsure whether or not anyone would use it, or find it helpful until one night. I was reaffirmed while watching Supernanny on television (the woman is a genius, and we happen to employ some of the same methods! I felt quite vindicated.)

Every parent will have a time where they will say to their eldest child (usually the first time Bobby Joe discovers that yes, in fact, their parents are human and yes, in fact they have made mistakes) “Well it’s not as if we had a manual- they don’t write one for raising children, you know.” While this is the truest statement ever spoken for oh-so-many reasons...I think it’s about time in this new age of everyone being busier than the pope himself to give the parents some help.

It is hard to be a parent these days. Not only are you having to schlep all of your kids to their various extra curricular activities, but you have your own job and responsibilities to handle, not the least of which is running a household. Trust me- I know all of this. And you're right, there is no manual for raising kids. Not a one.

When reading this, be aware that every child is different (obviously). But there is one thing that in this politically correct world, some parents are afraid to admit (and outsiders are afraid to TELL those parents). A child needs discipline. A child MUST know where the boundaries are. It takes time, especially with older children to establish- or reestablish these boundaries- but it’s worth it and necessary. A lot of what I'll say will have to do with how to get there and how to avoid common bumps in the road.

How do I know squat you might ask? I’m 22, unmarried and childless. What right on this lovely earth do I have to give ANY parent advice? Well, to put it quite bluntly, I am the one who has to deal with what is left over. I am the babysitter and the nanny. And let me tell you- it is not fair sometimes. Not one bit. We aren't allowed to yell or scream or anything of that nature, and we certainly have no basis for authority what so ever. So we are forced to get creative. To get into the psyche of the child. If you are terrified of leaving your child with a babysitter not because you do not trust the cute 20 something- (okay, I'm fishing) but more because you are unsure of what horrors may befall him or her- this blog is for you.