01x15 - Lawrence Family

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR: They're every
parent's worst nightmare.

[bleep]

[screaming]

NARRATOR: Kids
completely out of control

and taking over the household.

[screaming]

These families have reached
the end of the rope.

They're in desperate
need of help.

No, I'm not!

Yes!

NARRATOR: They only have
one alternative left.

It's time to dial "Nanny 911."

[phone ringing]

LILIAN: Hello.

This is Nanny 911.

NARRATOR: We've gathered a
team of world-class nannies

from all over the globe.

Each week from Nanny
Central, they will watch

a video of a family in crisis.

[screaming]

And decide which nanny
is best suited to help.

They will then have one week to
take our families from living

hell to a family bliss.

Not once did these
children get praise.

They do say thank you.

You can ask them.

NARRATOR: Can these
families be saved?

STELLA: You called me to come
fix your family problems.

But if you think you can do
a better job, get on with it.

Get in that bed
now and stay there.

NARRATOR: Parents of
America, help is on the way.

[doorbell ringing]

How are you?

NARRATOR: Tonight, daytime
for Jim and Tammy Lawrence

is a little slice of heaven.

I have an absolute
perfect life.

NARRATOR: But nighttime sends
stay-at-home mom and landscaper

dad straight to hell.

Every perfect
family has issues.

NARRATOR: Mom has lost all hope.

[crying]

And Dad has lost his wife.

I want my wife back.

NARRATOR: Can Nanny Stella
perfect the perfect family?

STELLA: He's not traumatized.

You guys are traumatized.

NARRATOR: It's the night the
lights went out in Georgia.

STELLA: You think you can do
a better job, get on with it.

NARRATOR: Tonight
on "Nanny 911."

[music playing]

[kid screaming]

My name is Tammy,
and I've been

married to my husband Jim--

For seven beautiful years.

We have two beautiful boys.

Oh, no.

I have an absolute
perfect life.

James.

You do the cookie thing.

Here we go, cookies.

You carpool to school.

You have the perfect boys.

[kid wailing]

And even the dog to
go along with it.

I think we have too
much love in our house.


Next time, won't
you sing with me.

That it's scary.

[giggling]

Jacob, he is so joyful.

[kid wailing]

He tries to make you
laugh all the time.

JIM: No.

I think James is just
a very sensitive boy.

TAMMY: Hey, James.

You want to come out?

[music playing]

James is definitely shy.

I think he gets that from me.

TAMMY: James, come here, bud.

We can't shut it.

You can't stay and spend
the day in the pantry.

[kid wailing]

We have got a big
black lab named Dude.

Hello!

James and Jacob
love the dog to death.

They feel like he's
another brother to them.

TAMMY: Dude, it's your turn.

Nope, you have to draw.

People think that we
have the perfect family.

But--

[screaming]

--they're not with us at night.

[screaming, wailing]

As soon as that clock
strikes six o'clock,

we know we're in for
another big night.

JIM: Under the covers.

Go back to bed.

You can do it.

James panics at
night, just poof.

Stop now.

[crying]

Stop.

Stop.

[crying]

I mean, it's almost
like a panic att*ck.

He's traumatized.

Tell me what you're
afraid of so Mommy will

know how to deal with it, OK?

He says I'm scared of monsters.

[crying]

And then I get no
time with my husband.

We're very close,
don't get me wrong,

but you know, that
nighttime thing.

JIM: I want my bed back.

And most importantly,
I want my wife back.

TAMMY: Every perfect
family has issues.

It's just hard.

[crying]

Our whole life
revolves around our boys.

[wailing]

And we just want to
make it right for him.

[crying]

TAMMY: I don't know
what to do anymore.

[music playing]

[wailing]

LILIAN: What did
you think, ladies?

Bedtime looks like
an absolute disaster.

My ears are ringing
from that boy's wailing.

It seems like this mom and
dad need a proper wakeup call.

How long are they going
to let the boys sleep in bed

with them?

Until high school?

Yes.

These boys are far too old to
be sleeping with their parents.

Stella, you should be the one
to tackle this little problem.

[music playing]

STELLA: I'm Nanny Stella,
and I'm from Burnley

in the north of England.

And I've been a
nanny for 15 years.

[music playing]

[wailing]

I've been called
to Atlanta, Georgia

to help the Lawrence family deal
with their nighttime theatrics.

[wailing]

These kids are
really acting out.

And I've only got one
week to drop the curtain

on this family drama.

It sounds like the
Lawrence family

needs a little toughening
up, Nanny Stella-style.

[doorbell ringing]

[music playing]

TAMMY: Hello.
- Hi.

Hi.

I'm Nanny Stella
from "Nanny 911."

Nice to meet you.
I'm Tammy.

- Hi, Tammy.
- That's my husband, Jim.

- I'm Jim.
- Hi, Jim.

- Pleasure.
- This is Jacob.

Jacob.
Hello.

- Can you shake hands?
- Can you shake my hand?

There's somebody else.
Are they hiding?

I know there's somebody
else in this house.

TAMMY: There is someone else.

Oh, do we have to
play hide and seek?

I think so.

James was hiding behind
the chair in the living room,

but I coaxed him out.

Hello.

Where are you?

Oh, hello.

TAMMY: There's James.

JIM: Come say hi.

STELLA: Are you shy?

JIM: Come say hi to Miss Nanny.

TAMMY: Her name is Stella.

Can you shake my hand?

Oh, you're shy.

You won't be shy soon.

You'll get to know me.

I think we're
going to have fun.

TAMMY: Wow.

There she is, full costume.

And I was thinking, what
have I gotten myself into?

STELLA: OK, basically what
happens on the first day

is you have to
pretend I'm not here.

TAMMY: Uh-oh.

I just observe
your family life.

And then I devise
my plan and tell

you what we're going to do.

OK.

STELLA: The first thing I
notice is that the children

seem terrified of outsiders.

Yeah, it's almost lunch.

Do you want to
play with the boys

while I get lunch together?

STELLA: But upon closer
inspection, they appear overly

attached to their parents.

And Mom and Dad's
coddling definitely

isn't helping matters.

Dig in.

No, with my hands?

JIM: That's why they're
called chicken fingers.

You eat them with your fingers.

I got you that
sandwich you like.

STELLA: Lunchtime
was very pleasant.

The table was set.

Everybody sat down
to their places.

But something isn't right.

You don't have to have it.

It's for your carrots.

James, that's the
dip you always eat.

[whimpering]

STELLA: The house is
eerily quiet, almost sad.

And the kids are, too.

It's ranch.

You always eat that dip.

You want honey mustard?

TAMMY: OK, well, then--

JIM: OK, but then you're eating
what you have on your plate.

STELLA: These boys definitely
have an unhealthy attachment

to their parents.

Nobody has to sit with you.

No one ever sits with you.

STELLA: They only communicate
through whining and whispering.

Go sit down.

JIM: James, sit closer
to me right here.

How's that?

Even though he wasn't being
rude or angry, very subtly,

he whimpers and whines.

And by the end of
this little session,

he was actually sitting next
to his mom to eat his lunch.

Jacob, do you want
Daddy to feed you?

STELLA: And it didn't
take long for Jacob

to follow suit and whine his way
to the other side of the table.

What a lovely family
picture this has become.

With kindergarten approaching,
this babyish behavior

must be nipped in the bud.

[music playing]

At playtime, the
first thing I notice

is that the boys are
extremely rough with the dog.

And yet as soon as
Jacob simply falls down,

Dad picks him up and cuddles
him for a good 10 minutes.

You want to just lay down?

STELLA: And when
Jacob whines, Dad

gives him everything he wants.

TAMMY: Where's the other stick?

You like when
James sings to us?

STELLA: And then,
one of my pet peeves.

A four-year-old drinking
out of a sippy cup

is way beyond the years.

JIM: You were thirsty, huh, bud?

It's diabolical.

Instead of teaching our
children how to use a cup,

we give them a sippy
cup so they don't spill.

[music playing]

At bedtime, the sippy
cup debacle continues.

And for children this age,
that is extremely unhealthy.

It's not good for their teeth.

It can create overbite,
speech impediments.

It's certainly not
healthy to lie down in bed

with a sippy cup,
drink milk, and then

leave that milk on
your teeth all night

without brushing your teeth.

Come on, buddy.

STELLA: But James and
the giant sippy cup

is nothing compared to bedtime.

TAMMY: It's not going
to be a fight here.

[whimpering]

STELLA: In the Lawrence
house in the daytime,

the manipulation is subtle.

But at nighttime, all
hell breaks loose.

TAMMY: You're not sleeping.

[whimpering]

STELLA: James's
separation anxieties

are clearly boiling over.

He refuses to go
to bed by himself.

I just want to talk to you.

Stop where you are.

Stop.

James, this is ridiculous.

It's not a game.

JIM: Come here, James.

STELLA: It certainly
looks like the inmates

are running this asylum.

Tell me what you're
afraid of so Mommy will

know how to deal with it, OK?

Tell me.

Tell me why you don't
want to go in your bed.

What?

STELLA: Screaming,
crying, and whispering.

James is obviously terrified
to spend the night by himself.

[indistinct speech]

STELLA: And the way the
parents solve the problem

is to push the beds together
and sleep right between them.

At this rate, these
boys will never grow up.

Night night, Dad.

STELLA: I intend to have
strong words with Mom and Dad

about this in the morning.

[music playing]

How are you doing?

TAMMY: OK.

You're looking very nervous
there, the pair of you.

A little nervous.

STELLA: I don't want
you to be nervous.

My biggest observation is you
are playing by their rules.

They're not playing
by your rules.

The sippy cups.

Take another sip.

So perfect.

You absolutely
want them to go.

And they need-- they need to go.

If we took the sippy cups
away, they would freak out.

The fact about them
not sleeping alone,

they actually don't sleep alone.

You actually sort of
have a communal bed

going on in their bedroom.

We.

Do You're not getting
a good night's sleep.

They're not getting
a good night's sleep.

And I think you get
worried that you're

hurting him if he's upset.

Children are entitled to
be upset and have tantrums.

He's not traumatized.

He's in charge.

You guys are traumatized.

Interesting.

And that really made me,
you know, jump back a minute

and say, is that true?

It's the difference
between caution and fear.

Tell me why you don't
want to go in your bed.

Tell me why.

You want your
children to be cautious

in that big outside
world, but you don't

want them to be scared of it.

You're right.

You know?

So I'm here to help you.

And I promise I am
going to help you.

But you're going to have to
play by Nanny Stella's rules.

OK?

So next step is for me to
create my rules and my plan.

And I'll come back and
we'll talk about that.

- Can't wait.
- Great.

Thank you.

See you soon.

OK.

Here we go.

On the outside, we were smiling.

But on the inside, we knew
how difficult and impossible

this was going to be.

[music playing]

STELLA: After a
day of observation,

the Lawrences'
problems are clear--

the parents
mollycoddle their kids.

So today, I'm giving the
family their own set of rules.

Know what this is?

TAMMY: No.

This is my special nanny book.

JIM: Hm.

STELLA: And this is where
I have my nanny rules.

JIM: Nanny rules.

Nanny rules.

TAMMY: Stella came in
with the nanny rules,

and I could tell James and Jacob
just looked at me like, uh-oh.

My first rule is that
children must respect parents,

each other, and animals.

And also not be--
not be rough to Dude.

OK?

All right?

Because he's a dog, and he can't
tell you sometimes that you're

being too rough with him.

They are a little
hard on Dude.

[whining]

At mealtimes, everybody
must feed themselves,

and only themselves.

JIM: I didn't think
having to give a few bites

to the boys was a big problem.

This one is a big one.

This one-- there's no--
there can't be any more

sippy cups in this house.

[music playing]

TAMMY: When Stella said
no more sippy cups,

I think they were terrified.

You guys are really big boys,
and you don't need a sippy cup.

And the other thing is everybody
sleeps in their own beds.

Stella said there's no more
sleeping in any other bed.

You have to sleep
in your own bed.

I could tell, James
just looked at me,

his heart was just crushed.

James?

Hey, James.

You don't have to worry
about it because Nanny's

here to help you.

JIM: My stomach was
going in knots when

she gave us the rule
that everybody would

be sleeping in their own beds.

It's going to be hard.

[wailing]

It's going to be hard.

[music playing]

STELLA: And with that, I have
some things I need to show you,

OK?

Because there aren't going
to be any more sippy cups,

you get new cups, a James
cup and a Jacob cup.

You're liking this idea, James.

I can tell.

With no time to
waste, I've quickly

set about tackling the
Lawrences' first big problem--

the sippy cups.

Tammy?

Jim?

Can I just have
one quick minute?

Sure.

STELLA: I decided,
because we have

the issue with the
sippy cups, that it is

time for the sippy cups to go.

I think to avoid the
urge of ever having

the dilemma of to give
the sippy cups back,

I should take the sippy cups.

So where would I find them?

Because I know they're
hidden from me.

Right there.

TAMMY: Do you think
that possibly--

STELLA: Oh my god.

TAMMY: Probably had about

They're just convenient.

You can fill them up,
throw them in a bag.

You don't have to worry
about spillage anywhere.

And yeah, we had a lot.

STELLA: I don't think my
nanny bag is big enough.

Oh my.

Good gracious.

TAMMY: She started
cleaning house,

even going through
our cupboards to make

sure we weren't hiding any.

STELLA: I'm here to
help, not to pacify.

OK, boys, that's it.

No more sippy cups.

JIM: In two hours, they're
going to be throwing tantrums

to get their sippy cups.

[wailing]

Even though the boys
don't need the sippy cups,

it's hard to break
a habit that you've

had for such a long time.

Do you want to
get a jar like that?

[screaming]

Jacob was just plain out mad.

He was like, what do
you think you're doing?

[wailing]

[indistinct speech]

[wailing]

Jacob even took a table
and pulled it around

into the kitchen, trying
to climb up to see if he

can even get a higher view.

Maybe one was up in the pantry
somewhere hiding or something.

But he was bound to find it.

[whimpering]

Mommy doesn't want to talk
to Jacob when he's like this.

[crying]

STELLA: Tammy must
see that being firm

is ultimately best for
her kids and for herself.

But she's obviously
going to have

a really hard time doing it.

TAMMY: It's hard to watch
them go through that.

Tough love is tough.

[music playing]

STELLA: Even though the boys
don't need the sippy cups,

it's hard to break
a habit that you've

had for such a long time.

Mommy's going to let
you go sit in your room

and cry this out.

And you can come back in when
you're all ready to talk.

STELLA: While losing
the sippy cups

may be traumatizing at
first, kids learn quickly.

So I'll be very interested to
see how the boys handle dinner

tonight without the sippys.

I'm going to come and
sit with you so that we

can start with our rules, OK?

Oh, this looks
like a nice dinner.

I actually situated
myself at the table

and expected to be really
hands-on instructional.

But I actually
didn't have to be.

It was as though my
presence at the table

was enough to take charge.

Can you reach that?

Good job.

And drink it.

Oh my goodness, and
it's not a sippy cup.

I thought you didn't know
how to drink out of a cup

if it wasn't a sippy cup .

Jacob didn't use the sippy cup.

He used what I call
the big boy cup.

And that shows me they
are ready for change.

Good job.

Tammy and her baby coddling is
the real problem in this house.

It's time to prepare
Tammy for the night ahead.

I wanted to tell you about
the plan for tonight.

OK.

STELLA: My idea would
be to definitely

to separate the beds.

You know, just pull them apart.

I mean, if it's a part
about being comfy cozy

and sitting and
reading and cuddling,

then it should definitely not
be laying down in bed with both

of them at either side.

TAMMY: I had a game
face for the most part,

but the more I thought
about it, I was thinking,

I'm traumatized just even
thinking about putting them

through this.

One of you can stay
in the room in a chair

until they go to sleep.

And I think tonight
it should be you, Mom.

TAMMY: I think the
hardest part for me

was the emotional detachment.

Does that make sense?

Yeah.

STELLA: Do you not
like it, though?

I-- yeah, I can try that.

She was traumatizing herself
before we even got to bedtime.

But you know, it's really about
sleep training a five-year-old

and a four-year-old that
they need to be able to put

themselves to sleep.

TAMMY: I feel like
I'm traumatizing them.

STELLA: Yeah, but look at you.

You look traumatized.

Yeah.

STELLA: I promise you, you are
not traumatizing your children.

Tammy's reaction
is unbelievable.

She has to understand that she
must stop coddling her boys

if she wants to raise
strong, healthy men.

My job is the
welfare of children.

OK?

I would not do anything to
hurt anybody's children.

If they can't learn to be
strong, their boys never will.

OK, everybody.

It's first night of
new rules for bedtime.

TAMMY: I was holding my breath.

My palms were sweaty.

I was having
difficulty breathing.

What's going to
happen is this, OK?

Dad's going to leave.

He's going to go
out of the room.

And Mom's going to stay here
while you two go to sleep.

But she's not going
to lie down with you.

She's not there
to play with them.

Absolutely not there
to lie down with them.

Just there to affirm that
she is in the room with them.

Good night, boys.

Within seconds, all
hell broke loose.

[wailing]

James would not stay in his bed.

No, you're not allowed.

You're not allowed to do this.

We just have to keep
putting you back in.

[wailing]

TAMMY: It's hard to see
your kids go through that.

I still get emotional
thinking about it.

But, um--

STELLA: I want you
to tell me, actually.

Do you think he's upset, or do
you think he's angry at you?

He's having a temper tantrum.

I pointed out that
this is a bad behavior.

[wailing]

And she agreed with me.

So I said to her, what would
you do for bad behavior?

I'd put him in timeout.

No, no, no!

TAMMY: I think the hardest
part was, you know,

physically pulling James.

[wailing]

I feel like I'm
disciplining him,

you know, for something
that I've done, you know?

Don't come out of timeout.

You're in it.

You're in it because you
wouldn't stay in bed, James.

You're in timeout.

[wailing]

JIM: The hardest part
of this whole ordeal

is knowing what Tammy
was going through.

It's tearing me up inside.

I wasn't worried for the boys.

I was worried for Tammy.

Don't even hug me.

STELLA: Tammy is the one
that created this problem,

and she has to fix it quickly,
before they go to school.

[wailing]

JIM: We never said
anything to each other,

but we said a lot just
through our eye contact.

And I think what we were
saying to each other

was this isn't going to work.

[music playing]

[wailing]

This being the first
night, I didn't

think it was going to work.

Don't come out of timeout.

You're in it.

You're in it because you
wouldn't stay in bed, James.

You're in timeout.

JAMES: Mommy!

Mommy!

[wailing]

JIM: At some point, we may have
to get into bed with them, just

to get them calmed down.

STELLA: The crocodile
tears tricked Mom

back into bed for the night.

[crying]

It's OK.

STELLA: And the next day
was more of the same.

You OK?

STELLA: This coddling must end.

It's time to show Tammy what
tough love really means.

Last night with Tammy
was a complete failure.

So tonight, I'm giving her one
hour to put the boys to bed.

JIM: Last one in bed
is a smelly skunk.

STELLA: When that hour is over,
Tammy must leave the room,

no matter how much they cry.

TAMMY: We're not sleeping
in your bed anymore.

We're just saying night night.

JIM: James, do you
want to go to timeout

before we even get into bed?

TAMMY: Nanny Stella's
going to be so proud of you

guys tomorrow.

No.

You don't want a
timeout, sweetie.

It went crazy from the minute
she tried to sit in the chair.

TAMMY: I'm only
here for one hour.

You only have one
hour to go to sleep.

No!

[crying]

STELLA: James was
beside himself.

He was clinging to
the edge of the bed,

dangling his foot off the side.

He was trying to get to her.

[wailing]

Jacob was feeding off him.

He was going crazy.

[wailing]

It was far worse than I
thought it was going to be.

[wailing]

OK, timeout.

You got out of your bed.

STELLA: Tammy dealt
with Jacob correctly

by putting him in timeout.

James had totally figured out
the game because of the way

he was in her face at
the end of the bed,

but he never got out of bed.

So consequently, he didn't
have to go in timeout.

The rules that were
set, he played by.

He just tweaked them
to suit himself.

You have to stay in your bed.

STELLA: The boys were acting
as catalysts for each other.

One was calm, and one was upset.

Then the other was upset,
and the other was calm.

You can't get out of your bed.

STELLA: And Tammy
constantly found

herself torn
between disciplining

the boys with timeouts
and supporting

them by sitting in the chair.

[whining]

STELLA: James would stop crying
the minute Tammy left the room.

He is the best manipulator
I have ever seen.

TAMMY: James isn't
getting out of bed,

but he's throwing a fit.

The whole setup
of that night was

to have one hour in the room.

After the one hour,
then it doesn't

matter if they come out.

You just keep
putting them back in.

You're ready to
sleep by yourself?

OK, let's do it.

STELLA: Even though the time was
up, she sat back in the chair.

So the night failed.

JAMES: Mommy!

[music playing]

STELLA: Since these boys
play off one another

and prey on their
mother's anxieties,

the only answer is to put
them in separate rooms.

However, given Tammy's
extreme attachment issues,

this is going to
take some convincing.

So today, I'm going
to take these parents

to task once and for all.

So the task at hand now is to
talk about the bed situation.

Again, it was exactly the
same performance as the night

before, but more escalated.

James fuels the fire.

And Jacob follows suit.

I believe that that catalyst
effect wouldn't happen

if they were in separate rooms.

We've come in, and we've
taken away so much from them.

You've taken me away.

You've taken sippy cups away.

And I feel like by
separating them,

you're taking them
from each other.

STELLA: OK.

I keep thinking
about how I grew up,

and I shared a room with
my brother for, you know,


And I loved it.

STELLA: It's not that I want
to say to you that everybody

has to separate their children.

But your children being
together isn't working for them.

TAMMY: So what do you
think would be different?

They're right across the
hall from one another.

Don't you think that they
would wake up just the same,

one cries, the other is up?

I think the process of
getting them through this

would be easier.

Yeah, they could hear
each other making noise,

but it wouldn't be
the same catalyst.

They are big boys.

They don't have sippy cups.

They don't need
Mommy to go to sleep.

They don't need
Daddy to go to sleep.

And they could have
their own rooms.

I believe it's going to
be harder for you two

to separate them
than it is for them.

I don't like it.

STELLA: OK.

JIM: Well, not only that.

If it was good enough for me
and my brother growing up,

then it's going to be
good enough for my boys.

TAMMY: I'm not a
yeller, but I wanted

to stand my ground there because
that's what I believed in.

I don't want to do it.

I don't even think I can.

JIM: I get very
upset, very mad when

I see Tammy upset like that.

My boys need each other.

And they're going to
stay in that room.

And that's final.

You called me to come
fix your family problems.

But if you think you can do
a better job, get on with it.

I hoped, by this point,
we would be further along

in agreeing on our strategy.

What Jim and Tammy
must realize is

the longer they coddle their
children, the more likely

their little boys will
grow up to be big babies.

TAMMY: These were my babies.

And she was an
outsider coming in.

And now she wants
to separate my boys,

take them away from each other.

I just don't know if
she's right on this one.

You're right.

We've taken so much from them.

It's been traumatic.

Taking them away
from each other is--

that's a tough step.

STELLA: Is it safe
to come back in?

When I know I'm right,
I always come back.

I hoped they would
take me at face value

that I do know what
I'm doing and trust me.

You keep talking
about separating them.

They are two
individual children.

You are not preparing them
for the rest of their lives.

You're just keeping
them happy right now.

I believe if it is sold
to them in a positive way,

in a fun way, this
is not a punishment.

This is a reward.

Mm.

I don't know.

But I see the boys turning
the tide a little bit

with other issues that
we've addressed so far.

STELLA: I can only
ask you to try.

I'm willing to try this.

Great.

JIM: Give them their
separate rooms.

I'm not crazy about it, but
I respect your experience.

TAMMY: My problem is
I've got one boy's room.

Now, do I look like
the kind of nanny

that would take one child
from a boy's creative bedroom

to a guest room?

TAMMY: OK, we're
trusting you on this one.

STELLA: Now that Jim and
Tammy have taken the huge leap

and actually put a little
faith in what I'm saying,

it's time to get
the boys on board.

So today, we'll be
decorating their new rooms.

James, how many big boys
do we have in this house?

Two.

And how many big boy rooms
do we have at the moment?

Well, we have one over there.

And we're going to make this
one another big boy room.

TAMMY: I was amazed how
James's eyes lit up.

STELLA: We have to all help.

So a pillow for you.

Thank you.

When making big changes,
it's important to include

the children and keep it fun
so they feel that the decision

is as much theirs as yours.

Hey, you know what
I forgot to ask?

Who's going to have
this room, and who's

going to have the other?

I was absolutely shocked
that James took it that way.

STELLA: And if Jim and Tammy
simply stick with the plan,

these big changes will
become big accomplishments

in no time at all.

What do you think about
having two big boy rooms?

You really do?

How come?

TAMMY: I was amazed.

You could almost feel
his independence.

I mean, he really felt
like he was a big boy.

STELLA: You are a
big boy, aren't you?

And soon, it was time to show
the boys their new rooms.

First came Jacob's room.

[gasping]

Who's going to
sleep here tonight?

You?

Who else is going
to sleep in there?

Oh, great.

Everybody was really happy.

Jacob really liked it.

It was-- that was a good result.

OK, do you to go
look at James's room?

Then it came time to
go to the guest room

that was now James's room.

TAMMY: Oh my goodness.

He now is a big boy
in his big boy room.

And I was thinking, oh my
gosh, what's next, college?

So I think I'm going to
sleep in this bed tonight.

No?

Wait a minute, who's
going to sleep in it?

With who else?

The way that the
bedrooms had gone off

made me feel really good.

While today was a happy
one, the true test

will come tonight,
when the boys will

be sleeping in their own rooms.

All right, let's read one
book, and then we'll go to bed.

We decided that I was going
to take Jacob and Tammy was

going to take James.

[music playing]

TAMMY: No, I can't
sit that close.

JIM: I'm going to
sit right here, OK?

You just go night night.

It's here or nowhere, OK?

I can always move
it out of the room.

JIM: I'm sitting in the
chair after I put Jacob down,

and I thought, any minute
now he's going to bust out

of the covers and
jump on the floor,

and who knows what's going
to happen after that?

Where did he go?

I don't know.

I'll fix your covers.

I would say within 10 minutes,
James had fallen asleep.

It worked.

Yes!

It's unbelievable.

STELLA: Tammy came out,
and I got a big hug.

She was so impressed
with herself.

TAMMY: This is great.

It felt like victory
for Mom, you know?

STELLA: I knew that if they
stuck to Nanny's rules,

that they could
absolutely do it.

Unbelievable.

It's unreal.

And then out came Jim.

[music playing]

What a huge milestone for us
to be able to put the boys down

within 10 to 15
minutes and then have

the whole night to ourselves.

We didn't know what to do.

What are we going to do?

It's 7:30.

This process usually
takes, like, two hours.

I don't know what to do
with myself right now.

Well, I think I should let
you make the most of your time

together.

[giggling]

Good night.

[music playing]

Over the next few
days, I watched

the boys shine with their
newfound independence.

TAMMY: Roll them in the hole.

Roll them in the hole.

Woo!

STELLA: They were drinking
from big boy cups,

feeding themselves,
sleeping on their own,

and Tammy and Jim were
letting them do it.

[music playing]

And with the new
rules firmly in place,

even Dude is feeling the love
of children whose days are

as structured as their nights.

Along came a bird.

Then there were--

Seven.

STELLA: I really think
they are going to make it.

And all that's left
to do is say goodbye.

[music playing]

Hey, everybody.

TAMMY: Hello.

I've got to say goodbye.

TAMMY: When I first met Stella,
you know, the thought actually

crossed my mind, what are we
doing with her in our house

in the first place?

But in the end, I
think we all won.

Our shy days are over.

STELLA: Are you
being shy, Jacob?

Can you come down here, please?

Goodbyes are always hard.

Look, Dude's
saying goodbye to me.

OK, Dude, sit down.

I just want to tell
you boys I have

had a lovely time with you.

It was a happy goodbye because
this is a really happy house.

You are probably the most
well-behaved kids I met.

The difference between night
and day was phenomenal.

But now, there is no difference.

So once I go, are you still
going to do everything?

You are?

Are you going to be a big boy?

Mhm.

I am so proud of you.

JIM: Nanny Stella
comes into your home,

sprinkles her special
Nanny Stella dust,

and magical things happen.

You did an awesome job.

Thank you for everything.

And you've got
two awesome kids.

Yes, we do.

Thank you.

And a very awesome wife.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

TAMMY: Nanny Stella was able
to walk through that door,

address our issues,
and make us take care

of the issues with our kids.

It's huge.

STELLA: I have to go now, guys.

I hope you'll be good.

I hope you'll keep
up all the good work,

because what you
have to remember

is I turn up when you're
least expecting it.

All right?

Have a lovely day.
- Thank you.

Thank you so much.

See ya.

Bye bye.

STELLA: While the Lawrences
now realize that there

is no such thing as
the perfect family,

they just might have
learned that tough love

is the sweetest love of all.

[music playing]

What is it?

It's a letter
that Nanny left us.

TAMMY: Let's see the letter.

JIM: Dear Lawrence family,
thank you for a lovely week.

In your driveway, find a small
token of my appreciation.

Now you can motor around
your neighborhood in style.

Oh my gosh.

[music playing]

Unbelievable.

JIM: This is too much.

Oh my god, this is awesome.

Unbelievable.

[music playing]