Interviewee: Daiane Lopes-Smith, Williston, VT
Interviewed by Sophie Spielman, Amherst, MA
Date: October 3, 2020. Via Zoom
Topic: Working as a Nanny in the Age of Covid19
Sophie Spielman: Okay, my name is Sophie Spielman … I’m currently in Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Where are you currently living, Daiane?
Daiane Lopes-Smith: Hi, my name is Daiane. I live in Williston, Vermont.
Sophie Spielman: Awesome. So today’s date is October 3, 2020. So Daiane, can I have permission to record this session for my school assignment and my school archive?
Daiane Lopes-Smith: Yes
SS: Alright, thank you so much. So Daiane, how old are you and where were you born?
DLS: I am 26 years old. I was born in Brazil, in Rio Branco City, in the state of Acre.
SS: What is it you do for work?
DLS: I am a caregiver. I am a nanny.
SS: And how many years have you been doing that?
DLS: I have been doing that for a long time. I kind of started when I was a teenager, keeping up an after-school job, thing. But professionally, I’ve been doing, since 2017, as a kind of full time job. Since 2017, so 3 years.
SS: So compared to before the pandemic started, how is your job different … now?
DLS: The Job is very different. When I was taking care of the twins, I was taking …
[James P. C. Smith, 28, elder brother of Sophie Spielman and husband of Daiane Lopes-Smith suddenly sit-falls into view wondering what we are doing and interrupts interview momentarily.]
DLS: Before the Pandemic, childcare was very different, and the thing that changed my job the most was the rules about social distancing. I used to work full time with twin boys who were 5 years old. Like any other kids they have lots of energy they need to burn out. Their brains need to be entertained with something, so we used to go out a lot. Everyday we used to have activities planned. We used to walk trails, go visit the farms, we used to go to the playground a lot, we did A LOT of play dates, because they weren’t in school at that time so I was working full time with them. That is the thing I think we miss most during this pandemic, because we couldn’t see their friends or go to someone’s house or on the playground.
Now, after quarantine, we have started to go to playgrounds again. I think we started going to playgrounds about a month ago and it was a little hard for them but also hard for me. They will see another kid also with face covering or mask but it was hard for them because when a kid comes up to them and asks if they want to play, or slide, or run around with me and they cannot. It was frustrating for them but also for me. Because I had to give my whole — totally, well I was giving that much already, but now was way more — I was giving more than my 100% full attention. I was constantly talking with them, playing with them all of the time. I wasn’t able to have any sort of a break anymore, because I’d tell them “You cannot play with this kid, come play with me.”
SS: So you were giving 100% of your attention 100% of the time?
DLS: Yes. And before it was great and also it was beautiful. The kids might have no social skills so they would have some friends to play around with. It would kind of give me a break. But now things are harder, more stressful and exhausting. Those were the things that changed for us. We miss having contact with other people, other kids. To have the daily things going on.
SS: I can only imagine. How do you feel the demand for your profession and your services has changed since the pandemic started?
DLS: I felt it a lot. I had some offers for new jobs. I was on a website called Care.com. It’s a website where you can find nannies, babysitters, caregivers, stuff like that. Before the pandemic, it was a little hard to find jobs, especially ones that fit your profile, the kids’ age you want to work with, your experience, everything. It was way harder. But after the two crazy months at the beginning of quarantine, I started to get a lot of messages from families saying, “Hey are you available? We are looking for a nanny. We are COVID free,” all the stuff.
I felt a rise in search of families looking for nannies because everybody is working from home. Everybody needs to keep up with the work and they need to entertain their kids. There were a lot of job offers. I felt that each family was offering me better and better payment or telling me they were flexible with hours. Usually when a family hires a nanny, they have a whole list of the services they will need, such as doing laundry or cooking the meals, but since the pandemic started, they will tell me, “You don’t need to cook or you don’t need to do any laundry. Just stay with them [the kids] while I am working, while I’m on this call for my job, in this meeting at this time.” These offers were way more flexible for me.
SS: So what parents need right now is for you to keep their kids away and occupied while they work during the day? They can still do all the adult and parenting stuff like cooking and cleaning, I just need my kids away from me while I am working?
DLS: Yes, totally, yeah. About 2 weeks ago, I used to work Monday through Friday and there were a few times when the mother came to ask me to also come on Sunday. [Mutters to self] Was it Saturday or Sunday? I think I did two weekends. James used to come with me on weekends. She asked, “Can you come this week because I want to go to yoga? Just for 2 or 3 hours, I just have to go do groceries, I would like to do yoga …” Stuff like that: I want to go for a walk with my husband. It’s totally like, “Keep my kids entertained for me so I can have some fresh air or something.”
SS: So the parents are usually at home while you’re watching the kids?
DLS: Yes. Both the parents work from home.
SS: Do you have any special experience that has made you particularly sought after by employers to watch their kids?
DLS: I think it is my experience with twins has made me more…
SS: You could deal with a lot.
DLS: Yes. When families see that you work with twins, it’s like you have a superpower. Back when I was an au pair and hoping to extend my second year and looking for new families to live with, 80% of the families who contacted [me] were families with twins. I think that was the thing that made me.. made them notice me.
SS: So that’s a good edge to have? Being able to say “I can handle twins, I really know kids.”
DLS: Yeah.
SS: Do you feel your job is more or less stable now since the pandemic started? For a lot of people, they’re worried about their jobs, but it sounds like you’re getting a lot of offers.
DLS: I think I am more stable now. Before the pandemic I was having a little, I wouldn’t say hard time, but I wasn’t happy being a nanny anymore. I was going to look at another career, other kinds of jobs. I was 25 years old so I wanted to change and start getting more professional in another career. After the Pandemic, well that had been my plan and then the Pandemic came and I felt that … I sent a few resumés to other types of jobs and it was really hard because no one was hiring, no one’s doing anything. But with the nannying area, the need for childcare is way bigger now. Like I said, I have more offers, so I feel like if I stop working with a family or something doesn’t work out with them, I know I can have another job being a nanny, working in childcare. Especially now during the pandemic.
SS: Are you always accepting new job offers or are you only working for one or two families at a time?
DLS: No, I’m just interested in working for one family. I can work full time, and I already found it. I was working with the twins [when] I got this offer for the job I’m working now. Two months ago, when the mom was pregnant 8 months, so she was like, “Hey in 8 months [she means “two” but accidentally repeated the number said last], my baby will be born and I’m looking for someone already.” So I closed the deal two months ago.
SS: Did you start working for her as soon as the baby was born?
DLS: No, the baby came a little early when I was still working with the twins. I started working with the baby this week and he is seven weeks old. It was after the whole family would come. It was the first baby of the family, all grandparents and aunties were in the house, all to help the mom adjusting with the baby, giving her the help she would need.
SS: Are you open to hearing job offers or are you happy working with the family who’s hired you now?
DLS: I’m happy working my job now.
SS: Has your hourly pay rate changed since the pandemic started?
DLS: It did. I got a raise which was really nice. Pay has recently been much better for me.
SS: So parents asking you to entertain their kids: are they asking you to do any school-related activities?
DLS: They did. When the school year started, the second week of September, I think, I started to do the homework, because they (the twins) were in kindergarten. They (the twin’s parents) bought a bunch of learning books. I was responsible for taking 30 minutes with them and work with them on the workbooks. Actually, it was a little pain in the ass because I don’t have any background in teaching so it was a little hard, especially to have two kids doing the same activity and levels. I could definitely see they were at different levels. One of them would understand way easier and do it way faster — the activity he has to do — while the other one was a little behind, so it was a little hard. The last week I worked with them, they just got the iPad, so it would also be an online thing going on. But I didn’t have the experience to do that with them. I just did on paperwork in books.
SS: When you started working with the newest family, did they ask for any medical information relating to COVID19?
DLS: Not related to COVID. They asked for a few medical information. About vaccines. And they asked me, “Have you had COVID?” The basic questions that everywhere you go, they will ask, “Have you had contact with anyone with COVID in the last 2 weeks? Have you been out of the country?” I told them no and I think they took my word.
SS: What measures are you taking to protect yourself, your family, friends, and community? Because you are going out into the world and interacting with more extensive people.
DLS: I’ve been staying in a small circle of friends, in my community circle, it’s kind of like a closed one. Of course, we [James and Daiane] have more friends, but we are choosing to hang out with certain people that we know that they have some kind of protection. So I kind of have a smaller group, like my job, James’s co-workers, my boss, five of my husband’s friends. One of them — they’re my friends too, she’s a nanny toowe kind of know the people we are talking and being around or together with.
SS: Daiane, thank you so much for doing this with me. Is there anything you wanted to add to the conversation, any notes or topics or anything you found particularly interesting about your situation as a caregiver in this pandemic?
DLS: I could add that, for example, my new family, the one I just started working for this week, we were talking two days ago about COVID and she was asking me, “What I was doing for the weekend? Do you have plans? Last week what did you do?” And said, “Last week, gone to dinner with some friends I hadn’t seen in a long time and it was great.” And we kind of got to the point of COVID worry and she said, “Just so you know …” She works in a hospital so she takes all the precautions, everything. But she wasn’t worried about me going out and stuff like that. She said, “We understand you need to have some…” Sorry I don’t have the words for it right now but she okay with me going out and said, “Even if you get COVID and pass it to us, we won’t be mad at you, it’s not your fault.” I felt she was super chill about it, and said, “We are young, it won’t affect the baby, we are fine. You don’t have to worry, you don’t have to be quarantined when you are not at our house and you can[not?] go out and do your thing, they just say be cautious, but we will be fine if you get it and pass it to us.” and I was like… “Okay.”
SS: That sounds really respectful of your individuality and the fact that you’re human and need to sometimes go out.
DLS: With the mom of the twins, it was way different. She was telling me not to go anywhere inside, don’t talk to anyone, wash their [the twins] hands all the time. She was very worried about me and the kids coming into contact with anyone who had COVID, even though they had COVID in the beginning. So I had two different families going on. One was way chill who says, “If we get it, we’ll be fine. Don’t worry, keep your life going on and doing your thing you always do. Okay, be cautious but it’s fine.” And the other mom who was way stricter.
SS: I wasn’t expecting you to say that. I wasn’t expecting a family with such a young baby to be so relaxed, but they sound very understanding, which is what people need right now. To have compassion for the things that other people need and sometimes you need to leave your house.
SS: Thank you Daiane, I’m going to end the recording now.