War Comes Home to Winthrop Manor_An English Family Saga by Mary Christian Payne

Author:Mary Christian Payne [Payne, Mary Christian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: TCK Publishing
Published: 2018-05-29T05:00:00+00:00

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Josephine was very large and exceedingly uncomfortable. While carrying Andy, she had experienced no discomfort, but this child continually kicked, to the point that it actually brought pain to her abdomen. It was as though the little thing wanted out of the prison of her womb. Josephine looked forward eagerly to the delivery date. She prayed the infant would calm down, once it had been released from its confines.

January passed quietly. Though the weather remained bitterly cold, there was no snow. Josephine spent the majority of the month interviewing applicants for the position of nanny. She was greatly impressed with many of the girls she spoke with, but none met her exact qualifications. She felt she would instantly know when the proper person presented herself.

Finally, as the stack of applications dwindled, a lovely young lady made her way to the door. Mrs. Shellady placed her in the small waiting area off the great hall. The girl’s name was Hope Reed. She was a truly lovely young lady with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a sweet smile. Mrs. Shellady interviewed her first and had been impressed with her credentials. She had completed training at a fine London school for household help of the finest grade. After spending over a half hour with Hope, she passed her along to Josephine.

From the moment the countess set eyes on her, she was almost one hundred percent certain she had found her nanny. They spoke of many topics, and then Josephine asked the one question she had asked a dozen or more times, only to be given a disappointing response. “What is your philosophy regarding discipline?” she put to Miss Reed.

Hope sat silently for a moment, as if she were trying to decide whether to be honest or not. Finally, she spoke. It was obvious that honesty was the only way she knew.

“Countess, I’m not certain I truly have a philosophy regarding discipline. That would be as if I were treating each child as though their make-up was the same as every other child’s in the universe. It’s my belief that every youngster is different, and I have to take that into account. It’s up to me to understand what is creating a particular disciplinary problem. If, for instance, a child is causing havoc in the nursery, I feel it’s my responsibility to figure out what need isn’t being met within his or her personality. Then, I will try to find a more productive means to meet that need—more productive for the child and for the atmosphere as a whole.”

Josephine had been looking for just such an answer for weeks. So many prospective nannies gave a pat answer, such as “placing them in the corner, taking away a privilege, or ordering the child to stand in the hallway for a given period.” The young lady in front of Josephine clearly believed in finding the root cause of disruptive behavior and then meeting it with a way that would benefit the child and anyone else present.

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