About Shannon

July 2014 Re: Reference for Shannon G. Dear Family, I enthusiastically recommend Shannon G. to you as a nanny for your child(ren). Shannon has been with our family for a year, and we are most grateful for the time she has been with us. My work schedule has become more demanding and, given her lengthy commute (1.5 hours some days!), we just can't match our schedules in a way that makes sense for both of us at this time. If we could "we wouldn't be letting her go, that's for sure! My son was 2 years old when Shannon began working with our family, and she impressed us straight away by finding age-appropriate activities to do with him on Pinterest. The first day, I came home to find they had read the book Give a Dog a Donut, and then crafted a matching dog together. The next day, they had read Give a Cat a Cupcake, and made cupcakes both paper and real versions. (In fact, this is a lovely perk, Shannon is an excellent baker, and often made my favorite cupcakes with my son. Oh how I will miss them!) Shannon kept up with the books and crafts and added new activities as we requested, from taking M. to a weekly baking class to engaging him with puzzles, creating a custom alphabet book, and toddler science experiments. He quickly bonded with her, often giving her hugs and snuggles and kisses. Shannon was able to really PLAY with M. in a way that makes me very impatient personally, so I appreciated it that much more. I work from home often, and Shannon did a good job managing to engage M. without many interruptions to my work aside from the occasional, appreciated hug as they left for the library or park. Though in the past we rarely let caregivers drive our child, we felt comfortable with Shannon doing so we always felt that he was safe with her. This was a big year for our family, as I became pregnant shortly after Shannon started working with us. This was an especially hard pregnancy, and I was quite sick and fatigued while still working. Shannon was a lifesaver. Not only was she the "me" I couldn' t always muster the energy to be for my son, but she also kept my house spotless so that I could spend what little energy I did have playing with my son. She worked closely with me to help prepare my son for the transition to big brother, and when his little sister arrived, she brought him a big brother shirt and showered the baby with gifts as well. To date he has shown no jealousy or anger toward little sister, and I'm sure some of that can be credited to Shannon. To be sure, she has become part of our family and we have all become very attached to her. Most recently, she has happily helped us with potty training our son, and even went so far as to bring him a cute little pottying book with accompanying potty chart. Though Shannon has not had responsibility for our newborn (as I was on maternity leave so that I could bond with the baby), she readily scooped her up and offered to help with her many times so that I could shower in peace! It was clear that she has a lovely way with babies, and she was unfazed by my daughter's general unwillingness to take a bottle! I know she would do a fine job juggling the different needs of these ages, as she has personal experience with her own children, who are spaced just a couple of years apart. I'm sure you can tell how fond we are of Shannon. Like I said, she has become part of our family and we will all miss her terribly. I know I won't find someone else who will be nearly as helpful. Shannon was always willing to go the extra mile to try to make my life easier, and she did. Again, if we could make our schedules work together better, or I could transplant her next door, we wouldn't be writing this letter! I'd happily hire her again, and would be happy to answer any other questions you may have as you consider her for a position with your family.

Melisa K.

7/21/2014