Has the Traditional Handshake Become a Thing of the Past? Recently, I was talking with one of our nannies at Tried & True Nannies & Sitters about something surprisingly simple: handshakes. As nanny agency owners and mentors, we’ve always encouraged nannies to offer a confident handshake when meeting a family for the first time. A good handshake has long been considered a sign of professionalism, confidence, respect, and enthusiasm. But somewhere along the way, things changed.

Let’s be honest. No one expects a teacher, nurse, business owner, athlete, executive, or even a hairstylist to grow professionally without mentorship, continuing education, and guidance. Yet somehow, that’s exactly what we expect from nannies. Families expect nannies to understand contracts. We expect them to know industry standards. We expect them to negotiate compensation. We expect them to advocate for themselves professionally. We expect them to understand payroll laws an