The Role Of The Caregiver For Children
More and more families in which both parents work outside the home. Reconciling work and family life is a real challenge, and parents must leave their children in the care of someone else. It is here when the role of the caregiver takes on great relevance, becoming almost one more member of the family.
The role of the caregiver
When it comes time to return to work, there are several options when it comes to childcare. Many families choose to hire a babysitter or babysitter to take care of their little ones. The main differential advantage compared to, for example, a nursery school, is the personalized attention.
Precisely for this reason, the caregiver becomes a very important figure for children. He is a person with whom our children share their day to day; she listens to them, calms them and serves as emotional support. He is the one who feeds them, heals their wounds and, on occasions, even showers them and puts them to bed if their parents have not yet arrived.
The bond that the children generate with the caregiver is very great and beneficial for them. If there are healthy emotional ties, the self-esteem of our children will be reinforced, it will help them to become more sociable people and will make the periods of absence of the parents more tolerable.
How to choose a good caregiver?
Taking into account the importance of the role of the caregiver, it is convenient to reflect on what qualities the person who is going to occupy such an important place in the childhood of our children must have.
Many families hire the same person to take care of the children and housework. This generally implies that the person does not have a specific qualification regarding child care. If the possibility is available, it is always much more convenient to separate the two tasks and choose a caregiver with training in psychology, pedagogy or early childhood education.
Especially when children are young or when they have special needs, it is important that the person in charge has adequate knowledge. The ideal caregiver must be able to understand the evolutionary stages of the little ones and accompany them in the best possible way through them.
Shared values between parents and caregiver
Another fundamental factor when selecting a caregiver is to be sure that she shares with us values and vision when it comes to raising children. Or, at least, that it will respect our way of educating and our rules. This agreement is essential for the little ones to feel safer and happier.
Some of the most important values that the ideal caregiver should share are the following:
Democracy in the role of the caregiver
It is important that he is a person who, instead of imposing, offers our children the opportunity to make decisions and reach agreements. Giving the brothers the freedom to choose and negotiate among themselves which board game we are going to play will forge in them a more confident and assertive character.
Empathy
It must be a person capable of emotionally containing our little ones when they suffer. Someone involved and who manages to make children feel listened to, valued and loved.
Positivity as one of the essential values within the role of the caregiver
It is preferable to address children positively, telling them what to do rather than what you do not want them to do. “Please put your toys in the box” instead of “don’t leave the toys lying around . “
If, in addition, the orders are accompanied by explanations, they will help the children to act out of conviction and not blind obedience. “If the toys are on the ground, someone can step on them and break them unintentionally . “
Self-control
An indispensable quality when dealing with children is calm and patience. We need a caregiver who does not lose her way in the face of a child’s tantrum, who gives her space to express herself and brings her back to normal with respect and without yelling.
The interview is the ideal moment in which to discover if the person applying for the position of caregiver shares these important values with you. Ask him everyday situations to see how he would respond and, above all, watch how he talks about his previous jobs. A person with a vocation will speak with emotion and affection about the previous families.
