They greet us at the door with a smile, help tie our shoelaces, wipe away our tears, patiently comb out the playdough from our hair, and dab antiseptic on the scraped knees. These stories are about our nannies who always supported us in our childhood.

• I work in a kindergarten. I sat on the bed, putting a boy to sleep. He said he was going to marry a girl named Anya. I knew he always liked another girl, so I asked him why.
  He replied, “You see, it’s better to be with a girl who plays the same games with me, shares her candy, and whom my mom likes (their moms are friends), than with the one I like. Yes, she’s pretty, but she’ll never play with me and will eat all my candy herself.” And that’s when I realized that some kids are wiser than me. © Overheard / Ideer
• I work as a nanny. It’s such a joy to hear words of love and gratitude! To see how children grow up together with their parents. I’ve noticed that all the families I work with are happy.
  Each family is their own chapter in my life book. Their own way of life, their own rules. Moms call me Mom, and dads all work for the benefit of the family. Each child is gifted and unique in their own way.
  I always dreamed of having many children, and it turns out that it’s enough to become a nanny. © Overheard / Ideer

I looked after the neighbors’ daughter, and she really liked playing with my phone.

• While I’m at work, my son stays with the nanny. I hear a piercing cry. I don’t go out. Let them sort it out.
  I understand that it’s a tragedy of universal proportions. I go out. He lost in a lotto game to the nanny. Well, you have to learn gradually. © natavakhitovaaa / Threads
• I found the notebook of the girl I babysat under her bed, where she was grading the nannies. The previous one had a big minus for “bad stories.” I realized I was going through a tough audition.
  To get an A, I had to learn all the dinosaurs and master making cocoa with a perfectly smooth froth. Kids notice everything, even if they pretend to be engrossed in a cartoon.

Kid I babysat wanted to sit with “Blue” the pit. I texted his mom and she said just leave him there. I watched him as he fell asleep, then it took forever to wiggle him out and put him in bed.

• I work at the daycare as a manager. I sit at the reception. A 6-year-old girl is sitting with me.
  She says, “Ms. Lily, do you have kids?”
  Me: “No, I don’t.”
  She: “Do you have a husband?”
  Me: “No.”
  She: “Do you have a boyfriend?”
  Me: “Nope. Why do you ask?”
  And then she says, “My dad has a brother.” © lyubov.from.kz / Threads
• For the last 10 years, I’ve been working as a nanny. Before that, I worked as a child psychologist. I moved to another country where my degree wasn’t recognized. I decided to work as a nanny until I could study here and take exams to validate my degree.
  But I got so caught up in being a nanny that I realized it’s my dream job. I’ve always been very fortunate with families, both with the kids and their parents. I maintain relationships with all the families I’ve worked with.
  For 10 years now, I’ve been going to work like it’s a celebration. But to all my old and new acquaintances, I say that I still work as a child psychologist. I love my job, but I’m a little embarrassed about it. © Overheard / Ideer

My sister went to a Cambodian kindergarten to teach English. This was a local girl’s adorable reaction to seeing a handful of colored pencils being brought in.

• Every day my mom asks me what I ate at the daycare today. I enthusiastically tell her how delicious the soup was at lunch and the pancakes at snack time. I’m a daycare teacher. © Overheard / Ideer
• During nap time, one boy whispered to me, “My mom said you look like a kind witch from a cartoon.” I spent the rest of the day trying to figure out which one: the one with the apple or the one with the candy house?
  Later, it turned out she meant Maleficent because of my high hairstyles. I never wore buns to work again.
• I’m a daycare teacher. When I feel sad or tired, I give a couple of kids big soft brushes and ask them to paint me. They brush my face, arms, neck, hair — and it’s such a joy! I love my job. © Overheard / Ideer

My dog doesn’t seem happy with me being a nanny. Jealous?

• I worked for a couple who installed cameras in every room. It seemed like a normal practice, but one day, a voice came from the camera speaker, “Nanny, don’t add that much salt to the soup! I can see everything!” I nearly dropped the ladle.
  It turned out that she was watching me live from work. I feel like a participant in a reality show.
• For several months, I worked as a nanny for good people. Their 8-year-old son was polite and tidy. I picked him up from school, did homework with him, went for walks and fed him, waited for his parents to return from work, and then went home.
  During that time, I ate well, slept well, woke up every day with a smile, was in a good mood, and earned well. And then, unfortunately, I got a job as a nanny in a kindergarten. Now, I’m not getting enough sleep, and the salary is meager. © Overheard / Ideer

I work as a nanny and today I dressed the part.

• Preschool teachers are truly remarkable people. About 3 or 4 years ago (maybe more), an elderly lady called out to me. She said I hadn’t changed one bit. There I stood, confused, desperately straining my memory to figure out who she was.
  — Don’t recognize me?
  I just shook my head.
  — I used to be your preschool teacher.
  Only then did I remember. She recognized me. How on earth (?!), more than 40 years have passed, and I haven’t seen her since kindergarten.
  — Still love meatballs with mashed potatoes as much as ever? — she asked with a smile.
  I was stunned. It’s been my favorite dish all my life, but I don’t remember loving it in kindergarten.
  She recalled many more things, like who I was friends with, who I loved (which was quite a revelation, as apparently, I had a crush on every girl in our group), who’s no longer with us…
  In general, these preschool teachers are amazing people. © Just Story / Telegram

Do you have a story about your children or from your own childhood? Share it in the comments below.

And here are more stories about nannies whose work day ended in a massive plot twist.