A few days ago, one of my colleagues said to me after a particularly frantic day in the ED, “You guys aren’t Charge Nurses, you’re Charge Mommies.” She is right. This is what we do:
- tell all the kids don’t fight and play nice
- fix boo-boos
- give hugs as needed, or tissue
- make sure all the kids get lunch
- find things
- repair broken toys
- clean up little “accidents”
- greet guests, and ensure they’re fed and comfortable
- make sure everyone keeps the place tidy
- assign chores
- deal with the unpleasant relatives upstairs
The one thing I don’t do is enforce discipline. No spankings or time outs. I have a Manager Mommy for that.