Jaro has worked for Wendy Harrison, a solicitor, as a nanny for Theo, 16, and Harry, 12, for more than two years

Wendy says Our boys interact far better with male nannies. They actually get on with them, whereas they just tolerated female ones. Before, I’d get home from work and there would never be talking. Now I’ll find them talking about bands I’ve never heard of, on the floor fighting, or all sitting there with their laptops. I think they related to previous female nannies more as mums than as girls. With Jaro, it’s different. He’s like their big brother. They’re completely relaxed with him.

Jaro is not the alpha male — if he was, it might go horribly wrong. Perhaps he should be more dominant, but I don’t think he wants to lose their friendship. He’s not competitive, which is good, because the boys are. And he’s reluctant to dob them in; he has to be in an extreme situation before he’ll do that. He’s also intuitive; he’s good at working out why they’re unhappy or not getting on, and he’s a good appeaser. Rather than tell them off, he’ll explain why they shouldn’t do something.

His domestic skills are short of what you’d expect; his cooking is not very imaginative and he’s not so good at cleaning. But he’s skilled in terms of relating to the boys. He’s also an aggressive driver — the boys will probably become hideous boy racers. However, he’s good at maintenance around the house, which none of our female nannies has been, and that teaches the boys important skills. From a security point of view, I feel better with a man around.

With female nannies, you always feel that they are bitching to their friends and are quite temperamental. Jaro doesn’t suffer from mood swings. He’s completely straightforward. A man is easier to handle, easier to instruct — and there are no issues with female rivalry.

Jaro says I love my job. Where I work is like a second home, and it feels like I’m having a second teenagehood — who doesn’t love playing computer games? I like communicating with people: just being is my living.

I’ve been a manny since 2000. Most of my friends from Slovakia have been nannies, it’s a natural way to start life here. You learn so much more being with a family — language, culture — than living with five foreigners in a flat.

Originally, I wanted to be a musician, so I try to teach the boys a few tunes on the piano and guitar. I feel pressured to move them in the right direction. When you’re dealing with teenagers, you are seeing them through a very important period. I’m trying to encourage calmness where they create chaos. They’re hard physically, and arguments quickly brew if things don’t go according to plan. I try to help them deal with their emotions, but the boys don’t confide in me. If you asked me if they had any problems, I’d say no. It’s hard with teenagers, because they’re trying so hard to be cool and not show their emotions. You can’t say, “Is there something you want to talk to me about?” But I try to make them understand that I am open to this stuff.

They obviously love their father very much. They don’t see him a lot, but he’s a role model to them. I don’t see him often, but he gives the impression of being very confident.

As they have a nanny, I think they see less of their friends. When I was their age, I hung around girls a lot more. The boys definitely don’t need more female influence, though. They need to be more mannish and tough. They’re not girlie, but sometimes they get wound up over silly things, and we say to each other “You’re such a girl”, like it’s the worst thing you can be.

He doesn't let her cross the line

Jackie Pennell, a university lecturer, first took Mark on two years ago, when Isla was four months old

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