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Pink and blue

Boys and girls are individuals from the first weeks of life, but they are not born significantly different in behaviour or temperament as a result of their sex. There are no sex differences that support some of the confident predictions by adults about how children will turn out. The influence of nurture can be seen very early on, when many adults assume that a crying baby boy needs a lively bounce, whereas a fretful baby girl needs a calming cuddle. In your childcare training you will have discussed the practice of equal opportunities in gender - how we treat girls and boys. But when you work as a nanny, you need to consider how to apply these ideas in somebody else's home, with a sensitivity to parents' preferences in their own family.

In your childcare training you will have discussed the practice of equal opportunities in gender - how we treat girls and boys. But when you work as a nanny, you need to consider how to apply these ideas in somebody else's home, with a sensitivity to parents' preferences in their own family.

Your working role is different in a nursery or school. There your responsibility is to understand the policy of the setting and what it means in practice day by day, and to communicate this understanding in partnership with all the parents. As a nanny you may face a wider range of situations to resolve, and feel pleased that you are in tune with what this particular family wants for their sons and daughters, while helping the parents to keep in tune with what their individual children are feeling.

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