Everyone thinks being a nanny is easy. They think a nanny is with kids all the time and they get paid to play games, watch movies, and have fun. However, there's so much more to it. There are tears, laughter, and hard times. Not all of the kids I babysit are easy kids, but I have learned from all of them, and I am thankful for all of them. These twenty things are aspects of nannying I wish someone would have told me about.

1. You get bombarded with hugs and kisses every time you see them.

Make sure you're ready for slobbery kisses and tight hugs to wash away the stress of the day. This gesture helps you immediately forget about life's problems.

2. You can hear kids yelling with excitement (you hope) when you get to their house.

Sometimes it feels like nobody is excited to see you, and you're just walking through life unnoticed. Then this happens. I guarantee you that you will feel like the most important person in the world to these kids.

3. You become aware of how terrible you were to babysit.

Remember those days where you played "cops and robbers" and put your babysitter in jail for an hour? Or the times you took out paint and painted yourself (or your friends)? Yeah, me too. I was an awful kid to babysit. To my old babysitters--I'm sorry and I now realize why some of you quit.

4. Have a lock on your phone--They will open it and take a ton of pictures.

I've left my phone on the table a few time while I went to the bathroom or into another room. Never again. Over 100 pictures later, my memory was full. Thank goodness for a delete button!

5. You learn what ugly crying really is

The kind of crying where your eyes swell, boogers are running down your mouth, and somehow your hair gets all messed up. Yep, it happens all the time. Until you've seen a kid ugly cry, you don't know what ugly crying really is.

6. Babies fall asleep in your arms

One of the most precious aspects of babysitting is having babies fall asleep in your arms. By this point, you'll want to fall asleep too. Instead, you end up adoring the munchkin and think about how amazing it would be to be a mom. Beautiful.

7. You will have hard days. Try to laugh about it--it will be okay.

Kids will scream at you. They will push you way past what you think you can handle. Sometimes, they will even make you cry or question if you could ever have kids of your own. Some days will be really hard, but not all of the days will be like that. Hold on, better days are coming--I promise.

8. But you will also have some of the best days you could have ever imagined

Sometimes awful days are completely forgotten about due to the the love of a child. The little girl in this picture always brightens up even my worst days. When I feel like my world is falling apart, her smile reminds me of all of the things I'm doing right in my life.

9. You can make blanket forts anywhere--and you will.

Whenever you walk into a living space, you'll think of ways to build the most epic blanket fort. After I went out on my 21st birthday, I came back and built a fort with my best friend--we even put the TV in it. Just because you're an adult, doesn't mean you can't pretend to be a child sometimes.

10. Always act like you love the things they make you--even if you don’t like it.

Kids will make you the weirdest drawings. Some of them won't even make sense. All that matters though is that they thought enough of you to put time into something for you. Accept it with a smile, and maybe even some tickle torture afterwards.

11. Dance parties heal everything

There's something about letting loose and forgetting about life's responsibilities that heals everything. Embrace your awful dance moves--the kids don't care.

12. You never pee in peace

Remember when your mom always told you "Wait until you're a mom, you'll never have "you" time"? She wasn't joking. Sometimes kids are scared of being alone when it's dark out, even for a few seconds, so they sit right outside the door and talk to you while you're peeing. It's definitely something you have to get used to.

13. Their nap time becomes your nap time.

If you're babysitting the right way, the kids will get exhausted. They'll be laughing or running around so much, all they'll want to do is sleep. You'll want to sleep, too, but you really can't. You always have something to do.

14. Allergies are not something to mess around with.

People always talk about their allergies, but you never realize how severe allergies really are until you babysit. Epi-Pens are life savers when a kid's throat is closing up. If they are allergic to nuts, never have any nuts of any kind on you--ever. Take it seriously.

15. You feel like a mom (and you really want to be one).

I definitely have family-fever. Not even baby-fever. I just want a family, and babysitting a lot only makes the desire for a family that much stronger.

16. You learn your parenting style early on.

Time out or spanking? Yelling or civil conversations? Separating the kids from everyone else, or taking away play time? You'll learn early on what works for you and the kids--remember: it's okay if different things work for different families.

17. You can relate to too many of the children’s books you read.

When I read this to one of the kids I babysit for, I started cracking up laughing. This is 100% me. I always say I should stop eating, but I keep doing it anyway. Frog and Toad understand me.

18. You know “the poop face” all too well.

This is the face none of us ever want to see. Usually it happens with kids under the age of two... and usually they're wearing a diaper. This face means so much more than a diaper full of poop. It typically means new/clean clothes, a bath, a load of laundry, and washing your hands at least five times to try to get rid of the smell.

19. You are actually a human jungle gym. Embrace it.

Pulled muscles? Neck pain? The kids don't care. They will climb all over you. You have to be comfortable with them crushing you--remember, they're innocent. They mean no harm. Embrace it.

20. Sometimes they’ll call you mom. It's alright.

It's always funny when the kids I babysit accidentally call me mom. Sometimes they catch themselves, and sometimes they don't. Just laugh about it, and tell them you love them. You'll be a mom one day, but embrace life without kids. It changes everything.

Nannying is the most rewarding and difficult job I have ever had. I babysit so many different types of kids, and I've learned a lot about my parenting style through nannying them. Once you learn what works for you and the kids, it will be much easier. Nannying is so much more than a few hours spent with kids each day. Nannying is about being a role-model for children and being able to learn about yourself in the role of a parent.