Have you ever watched the show Supernanny on ABC? It is one of my favorite shows on TV. Partly because it makes me feel better about my own parenting skills, but mostly because I learn something I can use in my own family every time.

I think the biggest thing that it offers families is a completely detached outside perspective. As a parent, you get are so completely wrapped up in those meltdown moments and even in just your day-to-day interactions that it is impossible to see your own mistakes clearly. You watch the families on the show and think "well that is just so obvious", but you would be hard-pressed to identify those same "obvious" things within your own family. Having that objective observer who can tell it like it is helps us shed light on our own personal blind spots.

Therefore, I propose pretty much exactly what you see on the show, minus the camera crews: A skilled childcare provider comes to your home for a week to help you identify your own parenting missteps. The "format" would follow the show's:

1. For the first day, they simply observe the family's interactions without getting involved. That's the whole day, all the way through bedtime.
2. On the second and third day, teaching begins on the areas that were identified as needing work.
3. On the fourth day, the family is left on their own to try to implement the skills they've learned.
4. On the fifth day, the nanny returns to follow up on any issues that came up when the family's were left on their own.


I also have some thoughts on different levels of packages at different price points to make the services available to more families.

The key to success would be finding very experienced, caring nannies who have a no-nonsense, but warm, attitude and can communicate effectively with the parents.

Ideally, if a service were created that carried the brand name of the Supernanny show, I think it would be a HUGE success. ABC, interested???

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