Nanny’s Note Makes New Mom’s Return to Work After Maternity Leave ‘Less Painful’

Nanny’s Note Makes New Mom’s Return to Work After Maternity Leave ‘Less Painful’
(Illustration - Shutterstock)
3/4/2019
Updated:
5/11/2019

The days when a father is a sole breadwinner, while a mother stays home to raise her children, is a fairly uncommon sight. With rising expenses and lofty commitments, both parents are forced to take up a job. Whereas for young mothers, the thought of leaving their child for hours apart can be painful unless a good nanny or childminder comes by.

Charlie Kirkaldy, 38, from Wokingham, England, faced a similar situation when she had to leave her 10-month-old son at the hands of a nanny (childminder).

“It’s always so hard leaving your child when you go back to work but for many it’s a necessity,” she told the Huffington Post.

One can only imagine her levels of anxiety, as the new job requires her to commute by train to London every day. The time-consuming journey would cost her an hour and 15 minutes one way.

She explained: “This morning I experienced a range of emotions: nervousness and excitement at the prospect of going back to work, but the overriding feeling was sadness and guilt for leaving my son in the care of somebody we’ve only recently met.”

Her first meeting with the nanny assured Kirkaldy that she was the right person for the job. But her fears wouldn’t have been allayed if it were not for this thoughtful gesture from the childminder.

The nanny left a heartwarming note along with some goodies on the table for the young and worried mother.

A grateful Kirkaldy shared the picture on Instagram, as she wrote: “It’s Sam’s first full day with the childminder and as I held back the tears. She slipped this into my hand. What a legend.”

The touching note read: “For you today will feel so long, so here’s a little something to keep you strong. Tissues to wipe away your tears, invisible reassurance to ease your fears.”

It continued: “Coffee to drink and take a while, to paint back on a make-believe smile. Chocolate to make it a bit more okay, and to help you get to the end of the day.”

The final words are what we all can safely agree made a major difference.

It ended with, “Sam will be fine — happy and loved — I promise xx.”

With such a caring and kind nanny, Kirkaldy knows that she can leave her worries at home. This simple yet considerate act shows how mindful the former has been towards the mother’s feelings.

“Her kindness and understanding of how hard it can be for parents brought tears to my eyes and has made my first full day apart from him a little less painful,” Kirkaldy said.

Words of praise have poured in for the nanny, especially for the wonderful manner in which she made the anxious mom feel at ease.

One user commented, “Wow, what a wonderful person she is!”

While another wrote, “This is awesome, fantastic childminder.”

“That’s so lovely. I think we all need people like this in our life,” another enthused social media user wrote.

Indeed, baby Sam and mother Kirkaldy are lucky to have the love and warmth of such an amazing nanny beside them.

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