Dear Nanny/DM

In your care I place my son, in your care I lay my worries of his wellbeing, in my home and heart I welcome you.

It’s been 6 months of nothing but bliss with him, it’s been 6 months of continuous bonding, of building love and trust, of nurturing this purity and feeling and it has been great, it’s been uplifting, saddening even sometimes but mostly it has been a changing feeling.

My boy does not understand much for now, but his perception in life will majorly be shaped by the world we give him, the foundation we lay now, the love we offer now.

My time with him is somewhat limited given the demands of my work and the need to give him – and you – a good life, you will therefore be a great source of influence in his life, his wellbeing will majorly be anchored in your treatment and care of him. Am trusting you with part of me, am trusting you with my very blood, am trusting you with my world, kindly be gentle with him.

If you allow him, he will teach you the wonders of life as he has mine, he will open your eyes to the beauty of simple things, he will teach you how to love, how to trust, how to submit and how to find pleasure in simple things like toys, shadows, colors and even sound.

If you allow him, he will mold your perception in life and open your heart to the joys that liveth in giving, in caring, in shaping a life – he will reward you with a smile and that smile will be curved in your heart.

He will have his days; days when you feel he’s too exhausting, he will throw tantrums, soil his nappies, cry uncontrollably, refuse to be fed and even to sleep, these times will be trying dear nanny as they are to me, but in these difficult times, I beseech you to be gentle with him, lovingly firm with him, teach him the power of self-soothing in these moments, show him love, bring back his smile.

Am alive to the heart-wrenching stories of inhumanity that has been meted in some babies by their caregivers, but am appealing to your humanity, to the inherent goodness that each one of us is born with, am appealing to your emotions, kindly, treat my baby as you would yours -  we are all he has, let’s make that count for something.

Do not be the one to puncture his belief in humanity, do not be the one to take away his innocence, do not be the one to clip his wings even before he blossoms into a butterfly, do not be the one to cocoon him and kill his sense of wonder, of curiosity, of exploration, do not be the one to sow seeds of hatred into his tiny beautiful heart rather be the one to guide – as I will – his first adventure into this journey we call life.

He is such a sweet boy this one, he will brighten your days if you allow him.

When you feel overwhelmed, feel his little fingers on your forehead, allow him to bless you, allow him to feel your sadness, his emotions will synchronize with yours, he will empathize, if you allow him. Allow him in your world, in your sadness and joys, let him know that it’s okay to be sad but most importantly teach him to lean on his strength to overcome any discomforts in life.

In your conversations with the Most High, allow baby to stand in the gap for you, his little hands hold, in supplication to Abba Father, because of his purity and sacredness of his thoughts, tell him to join you in prayer, ask him to intercede for you, ask him to pray with you – he will.

They mimic our world- these little ones, what we do and say impact greatly on them. What we watch and listen to shapes their world a great deal. Dear nanny, I implore you, may my baby’s holistic development be of paramount importance to you as it is to me.

I’d have loved for you to stay with us for as long as you possibly can, to be part of our family, to have such a strong bond with him, that he may have great stories about you when he comes of age, I’d love for us to come pay you a visit someday and for you to see him once more and be proud of the man you helped shape.

But for now nanny, teach him how to enjoy and marvel at his milestones, allow him to enjoy being a baby and only know love in his life, for to live this life will require faith, love and courage.

Be gentle with him, be a good influence in his life

He’s such a sweet little boy, he’s my son and he’s all I got.