Blurred Lines

I never thought we'd be the type of family to have a live-in nanny, but we morphed into that family during COVID. Both our childcare providers were in our inner circle, when even our own immediate families couldn't be during lockdowns and surges. They've joined us for holidays and our full-time provider has lived with us during the week while she's working. She lives nearly an hour away, and we have a spare room, so it's worked out well.

So it was only natural that as soon as we started floating the idea of a spring break trip that we asked if she'd be interested in tagging along. We had the space in the vehicle, she loves to travel and we knew an extra set of hands would be helpful. She was excited about the possibility of exploring national parks with us, so we made plans that included enough sleeping accommodations for everyone, including her.

Our trip was so much better because she joined us. Not only did she actually do some respite for us (cajoling Teddy to sleep in a hotel room, so we don't have to, is definitely respite), she naturally helps out like part of the family. That might mean handing things to Teddy during the drive, helping Teddy when he's eating something messy or keeping an eye on Teddy while we explored something. 

But she also provided company for AJ, someone to explore with him. They both loved hopping along the boulders by rivers, so they'd go exploring together while we hung back with Teddy. It gave AJ an adventure buddy, and they had fun adventures. It gave AJ a bit more attention during the trip, whereas sometimes Teddy becomes the focus for both Dave and I when he's particularly needy. 

These guys were great adventure buddies.

She also joined me in the hot tub and provided another adult companion to have adult discussions. And with her calm disposition, she helps all of us chill out when we otherwise might get stressed (like locking ourselves out of a hotel room ... at 8:30 at night ... for 1.5 hours). 

It was the best thing we could have done to make our vacation enjoyable, and I think she had a great time as well. I'm thinking she might need to be a permanent part of our travel routine. 

See, it looks like she's having fun!