Lin Ferguson
Kathryn Mewes is a sprightly woman of a certain age who wears sensible clothes, has a no-fuss hairdo, rides a proper bicycle with a large basket on the front which fits her suitcase perfectly.
This is the opening shot on new British programme The Three Day Nanny screening Thursdays at 7.30pm on TV3.
If you're thinking it's a modern Mary Poppins but without the candy-striped skirt, straw boater and chirpy songs - sorry wrong nanny.
This is about professional nanny, Kathryn Mewes, answering the cries for help from desperate, sobbing parents.
Nanny Mewes is on the road for three days at time to help these out-of-whack families struggling with picky eaters, world class temper tantrums, endless sleepless nights and unbelievably grouchy, nasty kids.
Using her three-day plan of action, she moves into households which are being ruled by delinquent teensies to give parents the tools they need for a happy home. It turns out to be the instructions and warm talks variety, not hefty hammers and sharp chisels. With 20 years of experience, this well-spoken, well turned-out nanny champions the viewpoint of the child.
The first programme was in East Grinstead starring 3-year-old twins Alfie and Harry who were, not to put too fine a point on it, a couple of whirling, screeching dervishes.
I would have been tempted when the parents opened the door with the kids wailing in background to dash off saying I'd got the wrong street, or country even.
But as our Nanny Mewes said she was there to help the parents by showing the skills needed to deal with their children.
Parents Susan and James were quite frankly terrified of their small boys so the house was constant chaos. Small boys with snivelling mulish faces who refused to eat dinner, go to bed, go to sleep or quit bashing each other. These two were a couple of shiny, slimy-faced little horrors.
A supermarket shopping scene was like something from the Twilight Zone
It was astounding to see these parents (mum worked, dad stayed at home) so inept, without a clue that they were actually dealing with children.
So after two years of abject misery, they put themselves on the list for Nanny Mewes.
Seeing the lack of control they had over these firebrand twins (they were red heads) it seemed like our professional nanny was going to have employ some Poppins's type magic to get these boys even remotely normal.
And she did.
The parents were coached that they were allowed to say no to their offspring, then given a bagful of mummy, daddy exercises to use on errant kids.
In three days it happened. The boys became little men instead of frustrated babies.
Mummy and daddy finally allowed them to be big chaps who could do things, even down to peeing in the big toilet not the little dinky one that played nursery rhymes when you piddled.
So it was a little bit supercalifragilistic ... tantrums on the back burner.