For my latest column in New York Family Magazine, I interviewed John Brandon, the founder of MyManny, on the growing manny trend in NYC. Below is a snippet from the article, but you can read my full interview here.
Childcare: Manny-ing Up
Why More Families Are Turning To Male Caregivers
First, let’s just make it clear to everyone what exactly the term “manny” means.
In a traditional sense, a manny is simply a nanny who is a male. However, over the course of the past few years, the term has come to mean a big brother, male babysitter, mentor, role model, coach, and tutor. For me, I like to define manny as “a guy with good character who wants to make a difference in the life of a child.” So in that sense, a manny is for both boys and girls. There are young girls out there who need male role models in their lives just as much as boys do.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. I don’t want this to come across as sexist or disrespectful, but I know many people are uncomfortable with the notion of a male nanny. We typically picture nannies as women, so many wonder why a young man would want this type of job. How do you alleviate people’s uneasiness with this?
Again, it’s about education. If I educate the public on what a manny really is, it alleviates their doubts and fears. Would you let your child have a male teacher at school? Or a male little league coach? Those male teachers and coaches often have kids stay after school or after practice to help them one on one, and we don’t think anything of it. I’m not inserting grown men into the role of a traditional nanny. I’m reinventing what it can mean to be a nanny and a caregiver. Why not have a young, athletic and/or artistic/musical guy around your kids who can teach them things and encourage them to live an active, healthy lifestyle. I realize that what I’m doing is progressive, but I see the difference it is making in the lives of kids.
Here’s to all the wonderful male AND female caregivers out there!
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