Bribery

When my sister found out that I had taken this nanny position, she had a few tips for me. Tips that I have learned are very useful.

1. Pick your battles. Every issue is not life-altering. Some things can slide, others cannot. Know the difference.
2. Stay busy. Plan crafts, play dates, and parks! You know, the whole "Idle hands are the devil's playground" (She didn't use that phrase, for the record).
3. Bribery works.

Let me tell you: that last one is gold. Take it to the bank! When I started this job, I was anticipating saying things like "if you eat all your chicken, you can have a cupcake later!" and "if you finish your chores, you can watch a tv show!" Here's something I didn't anticipate: "If you go potty right now, I'll let you leave those pants on your head. If you stand here and argue with me, I'm going to make you take those pants off your head and you will still go potty!" He went potty immediately.

Whatever works, right?