Finding a Nurse

In these next few posts, I'm going to discuss more of my experiences and tips from when Felix was 0-7 years old. In this age range, a Roman child is still considered an infant, since they are vulnerable and they don't fully understand the implications of their actions yet. I believe this time to be one of the most crucial stages of parenting. This is the time when children's minds are the most formidable, which is part of the reason I took great care in selecting a nurse for Felix. Wealthy Roman women often don't nurse their own children, so our family hired a nurse to help us care for Felix. Cornelius and I wanted to have someone who was well-spoken and educated, because in the wise words of Quintilian, "it

is the nurse that the child first hears, and her words that he will first attempt to

imitate." With these things in mind, we decided to hire a nurse who could speak Greek to help Felix get a head start on his education. We settled on Phoebe, an intelligent Greek woman of strong character who assisted us in raising Felix during his early childhood. For the parents who are beginning their search for a nurse, I would reccommend considering her character and intelligence above all else. Because of Phoebe's influence, Greek came very naturally to Felix when he began his formal education, and she encouraged him to be a boy of virtue in his early years. Beyond finding a nurse, it is also important to recognize that your words and actions as a parent have extreme influence on your child. Always strive to be an example your children can follow.

vale, et animum sume,

Octavia