Like a Second Mother
NANNIES AND HOUSEKEEPERS IN THE LIVES OF WEALTHY CHILDREN
Barbara Blouin – The Inheritance Project/Trio Press
Growing up with a nanny is an integral part of affluence. In the best case scenario a nanny stays with a family for years and gives the children in their care her unstinting love and support. She can become a “second mother” who has a profound, but unrecognized, impact on her charges. The Second Mother gives voice to the importance of this bond with stories told from the point of view nannies who provide this too-often undervalued care and of adults who remember their nannies’ love. In some cases the nanny wasn’t a second mother but the mother without whom the child would have been emotionally orphaned. Often it’s through his or her Nanny that a child takes in the outside world, how they learn about the varieties culture, class, and race…
If we want the next generation to become healthy, vibrant adults, who will, in turn, be capable of nurturing their own children, it is time that we address in earnest the questions raised by this book how we parent, how we work, and how we love.
Tracy Gary, Activist and Philanthropist. Raised (lovingly) by her nanny
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