Nanny of the Universe
I thought it appropriate to kick off our new blog with a heartwarming story.
Each month we honor one nanny who has served as an example of exceptional nanny care. The January Nanny of the Month award was shared by two amazing women who are very dear to me: Maria Lopez and Shelly Camarillo.
The Story:
Maria came into our family’s life in 1988 when we had 2 boys, Kyle who was 4 and Colin who was 10 months old. She immediately made an impact in our lives by being a wise and calm presence, pulling together the pieces of our home and loving and caring for our children while my husband, Jim and I were at work. At the end of 1989 when we announced my pregnancy with Shelly, Maria was just as happy as we were! And so the story goes, Maria was the 6th member of our family in every sense. We celebrated the good times and trudged through the hard times together. We locked arms during Maria’s battle with breast cancer and cheered the day she was able to take off her “peluca fea” (ugly wig) as her hair finally grew back after the chemotherapy treatments. As our children grew and our need for help decreased, Maria worked part time supplemental jobs for several other families; after 17 years, our employment relationship came to an end (Shelly was driving for goodness sake!).
The Next Chapter:
Shelly and Maria have always shared a special connection, which is understandable since Maria cared for her from the day she was born. Shelly learned how to make anything and everything out of colored paper, glitter, and glue, how to cook delicious food, how to understand Spanish, and most importantly, she learned about unconditional love.
Shelly began her nanny work at the age of 19 as she cared for a 9-year-old girl in the afternoons and over the summers. Now a student at San Francisco State, she works part time for a Hillsborough family with three children. I marvel at her ability to jump right into the heart of this busy family. She helps with everything from cooking to setting up for dinner parties, and even dog walking in addition to her child care duties. I enjoy watching her develop relationships with the children she cares for and how she smiles as she recounts the stories at the end of the day.
As Maria’s former employer and dear friend, and as Shelly’s mom, I could not be more proud of this dynamic duo. To see the qualities of love, patience, and humor passed on from Maria to Shelly, and to see it shared with the children and families they care for, is an honor. They embody the best of what a nanny has to offer a family and it is stories like theirs that keep me committed to the work that we do at Stanford Park Nannies.
Congratulations to Maria, our “nanny of the universe”, and to Shelly, her worthy apprentice.
