Hello. Pleased to meet you. You gonna shake jojo's hand?
...whose sets of twins under the age of
Keep their hands full.
Where's the baby?
I don't have the time to hold you, honey.
With a stay-at-home dad pulling double duty in the morning...
Rich, I got to call you back. One minute, okay?
...and a working mom who takes charge at night...
Jo steps in to lighten the load...
What he's doing is hoping that you'll give in
And just pick him up.
...and turn their frustration into fun.
[ Cries ]
♪ Be good, be good, be good, be good, be good ♪
♪ Be good, be good, be good, be good ♪
♪ Johnny
♪ Be good, be good, be good, be good, be good ♪
♪ Be good, be good, be good, be good ♪
♪ Johnny
♪ Johnny
Let's take a look and see who we've got here.
Hi, I'm joanne.
And I'm michael. We're the burnetts.
I'm a self-employed general contractor
Who works most days from home.
Yeah, I'm a teacher.
I work monday through friday, : to :.
What a juggle.
We have children.
My oldest boy, zachary, my -year-old --
I have joint custody with his mother,
So zachary's here on certain days.
Then we have john and joseph,
Identical twins, years old --
And lastly, michael and molly, -month-olds.
Two sets of twins! They have got their hands full.
Life before the twins was wild and crazy.
We ate out every night, we traveled,
We were never home and always had a great social life.
Oh.
I'm home during the day with the children most days.
Is there anyone in the office I can talk to?
I need to be able to speak with people.
And four children running around at once
Makes that impossible.
I'm sorry -- I forgot I had you on hold all that time.
What I pretty much do is I just try to wing it.
Don't touch, michael. No!
Just trying to make it till :, when mom comes home.
Mommy's home.
Hey!
Usually, there's only one person here
With all the children at one time.
[ Crying ]
There's not enough time in the day
To give each child individual attention.
Hold you? I only have two hands.
When do dad and mom get a break?
I never expected life to be like this.
And we're looking forward to college.
Let me see.
How do they handle this day in and day out?
I would love to be able to bring in someone
To help us out, like an au pair.
I refuse.
They're my children, and I will take care of them.
I'll sacrifice what I have to to raise them my way.
Hmm.
[ Keyboard plays ]
What happened?
Jo: they need another set of hands.
Supernanny, our life is chaos.
Please, supernanny, get here soon.
This family clearly needs help, and I'm on my way.
[ Doorbell rings ]
Aah!
Ah, the doorbell.
Hello. How are you?
Fine, thank you.
Pleased to meet you -- jo frost.
Nice to meet you, jo frost -- michael burnett.
What's your name? This is molly.
Hi, molly. Hello, molly.
[ Chuckles ]
Sweet.
My first impression of jo,
When she walked through the front door,
Was I thought she was very cute, very english,
And I had a great first impression from her.
Who have we got here?
This is john.
Hi, john. Pleased to meet you.
You gonna shake jojo's hand?
Pleased to meet you, john.
And who's this, over here?
That is john's twin brother, joseph.
Hi, joseph. Hello.
This over here is michael.
Aw.
Say hello, michael.
Hello. Hiya.
[ Chuckles ] and it's breakfast time.
Breakfast time. Yes.
Well, today I'm here just to watch you
And all your children, okay?
So I'm gonna step back.
And just carry on as normal,
As you would during your day, okay,
So I can take mental notes and observe you guys.
All right?
You want peanut butter, john?
John: yeah. Okay.
What time do the children wake up in the morning?
They wake up usually between : and :.
Is this normal time for the children to have breakfast?
Normal time.
Yep, they eat breakfast between : and :, normally.
Jo: when I came in, it was gone :,
And the children were having breakfast.
And I thought that was quite peculiar,
That the children were eating breakfast
So late in the morning.
[ Chuckles ] shall we see where the little one's going?
Be careful with the peanut butter.
[ Coughing ] oops!
Honey, you can't eat the peanut butter like that.
It's too thick.
But as you can see, with so many of them --
Where's the baby? [ Telephone rings ]
Hello. Look, I got the babies in my hand.
I'm gonna call you back in a few minutes, when I can talk.
Well, he's climbing up the stairs, michael.
Mikey.
Come on, honey.
Oh, there he is.
Mikey.
Mikey.
Daddy can't hold your hand. I have the babies.
Here, hold my pants.
Jo: you need to be an octopus, dad.
[ Baby crying ]
Joseph, daddy cannot hold you right now.
[ Telephone rings ] daddy -- work.
Hello?
Joseph, I can't hold you right this second, honey.
Jo: dad's got his hands full.
He's got two sets of twins, and that's hard work.
At the same time, he also holds down a full-time job.
It's crazy. I don't know how he manages to do that.
[ Telephone rings ] hello?
I haven't had a chance to check my messages.
Well, I must say, as a nanny,
It's incredibly hard to not want to give you a hand.
[ Laughs ] [ laughs ]
In the morning, it's chaotic.
I don't know that there's any solution,
Other than, "hey, get help," you know what I mean?
Jo: it's obvious that michael's in over his head,
Trying to manage his children and maintain his business.
It's putting an enormous amount of pressure on michael.
I've talked to my wife about an au pair,
Sent away for the information.
I wanted to do the au pair,
And my wife felt that she likes her privacy.
I think joanne's being very unrealistic.
So, what happens now, michael? It's :.
Yeah, I'm gonna put michael and molly in now for a nap.
[ Smooches ]
The kids have just woke up, they've not even played yet,
And it's back to sleep again.
My goal is I need to make it through till :,
Till the help arrives.
What are they putting in there, a church?
[ Bell tolls ]
I don't know.
[ Bell tolls ]
Or if we have to throw in.
[ Bell tolls ]
I cannot believe that dad puts molly and michael down
For a -hour nap when they've only been up for hours.
It's ridiculous.
It's obvious he does it
Because it's convenient for him and his work schedule.
Michael: which one you want -- "lion king" or "snow white"?
"Snow white"? Okay.
It didn't take long for me to realize
That michael didn't have any structure in his day,
Because he just kind of babysat the kids, really --
Watched them.
Oh, thank our lucky stars for "snow white."
Children need stimulated in the morning.
They were just kind of hanging out in the house,
And they looked bored.
Coming up on "supernanny," jo digs for answers with mom..
Have you ever hired anybody like myself?
No.why?
...and pulls dad out of the stone age...
We are living in .
...when "supernanny" returns.
♪ Be good, be good
Joanne: hey, guys. Who's that?
Hi! Whatcha doin'?
Mikey, give me kisses. Give me kisses!
I didn't want to break your moment.
Pleased to meet you -- jo.
Joanne -- nice to meet you.
Did they have lunch, mike? No.
So you're making lunch now, not dinner?
This will be lunch for michael and molly.
Bye. See you.
The minute mom got home, dad handed the kids off to joanne
And took care of his business.
So, a lot is happening right now
Than what it was when dad was looking after the kids.
There's no balance in this house.
In the morning, they're all sleepy, there's no stimulation.
And in the afternoon, they're like live wires.
And everything comes after half past :, when mom gets home.
[ Crying ]
Joanne: come here.
[ Baby screaming ]
I'm coming. All right, molly.
Mikey, no, no.
What, honey?
Come on.
All of joanne's children want to be picked up all the time.
Because every time they do put their arms out,
They get picked up, so that's what they've learned.
She's balancing one child on each hip.
Don't do that, john. You're gonna get hurt, honey.
[ Laughing ] you dress the kids the same?
Yes, I'm a little bit fanatical about that.
So if one gets something dirty on their shirt,
You change all two of them?
All three of them.
Your piggy toes are stuck. Wait a minute, moll.
Okay, what are you gonna play next?
Joseph? Joseph? Joseph, no! No!
Joseph, look at me. Do not do that again.
Jo: whilst the children were playing in the playroom,
Joseph decided to pull the plug out from the keyboard.
Joseph, you do it again, you're going in time-out.
Did you hear me?
Mom had told him not to, but he didn't listen.
[ Sighs ]
So, what's happening now?
He's gonna go in time-out.
He's gonna sit on the step for three minutes.
Naughty step -- I think I know that one.
Come on, joseph.
[ Crying ]
[ Baby crying ]
No!
Joseph!
Uh-oh, what happened? Mommy will fix it.
Jo: and joseph was allowed to carry on playing.
If that's discipline,
Then there definitely isn't any in this household.
My big question I've got to ask you
Is have you ever hired anybody like myself?
No.
Why? Why not?
I wouldn't put them in day care right now.
I jut never felt comfortable leaving them with someone
That's not...their family.
I just feel like they're my kids
And I want to take care of them.
So, what time do you guys get to eat tonight?
We just discussed that.
We said once we get the kids to bed,
We'll order something.
And we'll pick it up or have something delivered.
I thought you said you wanted me to eat it.
What?
Joseph: eat it.
Jo: from the minute joanne walks in the door from work,
Not once did I see that woman take a break.
So, the kids love their baths.
[ Laughing ] they do.
Yeah.
See? Good. And mommy reminds you to say...
[ Shouts indistinctly ]
You are a queen!
♪ And dried up all the... ♪
[ Smooches ] aw.
[ Baby softly crying ]
All right, so, mom, this is when the housework begins?
This is it. All the kids are in bed.
This is when I start cleaning up the mess
That was made today.
I'm gonna be in my office, joanne.
So, mom, do you do all the housework then,
At this time of night, while dad's in the office?
Joanne: yes.
No help?no.
Mom told me she's got at least three hours of housework.
That's gonna take up till midnight,
And that woman's been on the go
Since she's walked through the door.
That's a long day.
[ Dryer whirring ]
I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.
All right.
Don't work too hard.
You'll never get to bed at this rate.
Bring me a woman who's happy doing house chores
At half past : at night for hours,
'Cause I'd really love to meet them --
'Cause I know I wouldn't be happy.
[ Vacuum whirring ]
When I first meet a family, I observe carefully,
Take mental notes, and watch the dynamics of the family
And how they interact with one another.
Joanne and michael, I've watched, I've seen,
So let's go and have a chat in the other room, okay?
Joanne: I was very nervous about someone coming into my house
And giving me advice.
Michael: I don't know what she has up her sleeves.
I'm actually scared to death.
How fantastic --
You've got sets of twins under the age of .
And I've really got to take my hat off to you,
Because it really is a lot of hard work.
Thank you.
Jo: joanne, you work as a teacher.
And, michael, you work at home.
But at the same time,
You're also at home with your children.
But there is a lack of balance
With what you are both trying to achieve as parents.
And your children are suffering for that.
The routine... Is michael's routine.
You have a schedule that works for you,
So that you can pick up the phone, deal with work,
And make sure that you look after the children.
Correct.
But you're not using your time effectively,
Because when you are with them,
You watch over them rather than interacting with them.
Yes, I agree. I can see that -- yes.
The children sleep so many hours during the day,
But rest from what?
It's convenience.
It is convenience.
It is convenient, yes.
Dad loves it when they sleep.
I get more work done when they're sleeping.
But at the same time, joanne,
Michael's trying to hold down a job
As well as manage kids
Under the age of years old,
Because nobody else is allowed to do it.
Why?
I'm just not comfortable.
Next to me being here, he's the next best thing.
Do you see the pressure that that now creates
For michael?
You come home from work,
And your afternoon, from : to bedtime,
Is really based on compensating
For what lacks during the day.
Then it becomes overwhelming.
Let's talk about the children's independence.
John and joseph should -- and I say "should" --
Know how to put them trousers on,
That shirt on, and those shoes,
So that they can feel a sense of pride.
So that they can become independent.
But, "mommy, mommy! Daddy, daddy!"
Hands up all the time, on your hips /,
Is treating them like babies.
And on another note, michael, it wouldn't hurt you
To make life a little bit easier for joanne.
Why can't you put the plates in the dishwasher?
Joanne handles the "traditional"...
Things that women do,
And I handle the traditional things that men do.
We are living in....
The pair of you could get those chores done,
And you could have an evening together.
You have to be more than willing to take a leap.
And that's why I'm here,
To be able to help you as a whole, as a family.
I think that she hit a lot of points that I already knew.
When she told michael he needed to step up
And help out a little bit, I thought that was good.
So...are we ready to get started?
Yes.
Ready for hard work? Joanne: yes.
Yes.
Well, let's get started, then.
Michael: it makes me very nervous --
Something about that grin she had at the meeting,
When she said, "are you ready to go to work now?"
Or something to that effect. [ Chuckles ]
Coming up on "supernanny," jo lightens mom's load...
Put him to the side.
...and steps in when joseph takes a stand...
If you do not listen to mommy,
You will go and sit on the naughty chair.
...when "supernanny" returns.
♪ Be good, be good
Jo: I'm bringing a new routine into the burnett house.
It's going to give them complete structure to their day.
They don't have that, so it's gonna be really good
For dad, mom, and all the children.
The family routine!
All right.
We're gonna get the children up at a decent time
And have them up at :.
Between : and :,
We're gonna give the kids breakfast, all right?
Between : and :, we're gonna do managed play.
: To : is molly and michael's naptime.
And it's a relaxing time after lunch.
You can get on with work and just clear up from lunch,
Which does mean putting the plates in the dishwasher.
[ Laughter ]
Can we do paper plates?
At : to :, mom --
Into the playroom and have some fun with the kids.
You've not seen them all day.
: To : -- start to prep dinner.
Mom and dad evening --
It means you've got your evening
Earlier than what you were having.
This family routine in place for your household
Gives you structure,
And the children need that.
It makes them feel secure,
Because they know what's coming next.
It looks like we're gonna have them busy enough
That it should flow smoother.
Great, so let's give it a go.
As soon as possible, let's start it rolling.
It looks good.
I think that the schedule
Will definitely make things less chaotic for us.
If we get more time to spend together at night,
I think it will be wonderful.
And I am looking forward to that.
I just hope we don't create any more twins.
[ Chuckles ]
Joanne can't possibly get what she needs to get done
During the day
When she's got two children stuck either side of her.
So when this happens,
Where he wants to be picked up all the time,
I want you to talk to him at eye level and say to him,
"Mommy's going into the playroom.
"You've got a choice.
Grab mommy's hand or you can come in on your own."
What he's doing is hoping that if he cries long enough,
You'll give in and just pick him up.
Joseph, listen to me. Listen.
Mommy's going into the toy room.
You can walk in holding mommy's hand
Or you can walk in by yourself.
Okay, so then put him to the side.
So put him to the side.
Then take molly, and we're going to the playroom.
And then take molly by the hand...
[ Crying ]
Move him out of the way.
You want to hold mommy's hand?
So, mommy, go.
We're going to the toy room. Come on, molly.
They'll follow you through.
When joseph started crying,
The first thing I wanted to do was pick him up.
And it was absolutely breaking my heart
And the most difficult thing I've done in a long time.
Jo: so, with him realizing
That you're not going to be picking him up ,
You're putting him into the playroom
Because you want to play with him, okay?
So say, "let's go and get your toys, then.
Let's play together," okay?
Joseph, what toys do you want to play with?
Jo: doesn't want to, so he's not listening to you, okay?
So he's thinking,
"How come now mommy doesn't want to pick me up,
When it was okay before?"
But what you need to do is to go back to square one
And start encouraging joseph and john
To be more independent.
Mom had to prepare dinner, so I said to her,
"Explain where you're going -- 'i'm going to the kitchen.'"
Mommy's going to the kitchen right now to make dinner.
I'm gonna put molly in her chair.
If you want, mommy will hold your hand
And you can come into the kitchen with me.
Jo: I was explaining to joanne
That whilst joseph was having a temper tantrum,
That she was just to ignore him
And get on with what she needed to achieve.
And that was to feed her other children,
'Cause it was dinnertime.
You want a big-boy fork tonight?
Excellent.
[ Crying ]
All right, let me get your juice.
[ Whining ]
Remove him.
Mommy needs to get what she needs to get.
You're not gonna hurt him. He knows that you love him.
Eventually, joseph calmed down, but then he didn't want to eat.
And so mom had to give him a warning.
Joseph, you need to sit down in a chair and eat dinner.
Not "you need to" --
Okay, this is what we're doing, joanne.
Joseph, I want you to listen to mommy
And do as you're told,
And sit down and eat your dinner, please.
If you do not listen to mommy,
You will go and sit on the naughty chair
For not listening.
Now up you get, please.
But he didn't budge.
So I explained to joanne the naughty-chair technique.
She went to put him on it... And he went mad.
[ Sobbing ]
So he won't go on the chair, so move him away.
Now watch this -- look. Hold on.
This is temper.
Joseph, joseph, you didn't listen to mommy.
Now you stay here, please. You stay there.
Come away -- up, up.
Joanne: I did trust jo in the situation,
But I find it difficult to have someone else discipline my kids.
I need to know what you're feeling and -- and why.
It was tough for me to talk to jo at that point,
Because I was on the verge of tears.
I didn't want to listen. I just wanted to pick him up.
Why do you want to pick him up?
Jo?
Because he's crying.
What does that cry say to you?
I hope he's not thinking I'm ignoring him.
I just think if I was to pick him up for a couple minutes,
He would be okay.
I'm not saying that you can't cuddle
And pick your boys up every now and then,
But so that they're not using their tempers
To force that on you all the time, okay?
I want you to go back now and say to joseph,
"Mommy put you on this naughty chair
Because you didn't listen to me," okay?
"I want you to go and sit down on the chair
And eat your dinner, please," okay?
All right?
You didn't listen to mommy, okay?
So I'm gonna walk you over
And you're gonna eat your dinner, okay?
Come on.
I think the whole tantrum lasted for about an hour,
And joseph did cry the entire time.
I felt like an eternity.
Good boy, joseph!
Yay!
Mom...a big achievement. Well-done.
Look. How do you feel?
Now I feel good.
So you should. Well-done.
Coming up on "supernanny,"
With jo gone, dad's schedule heads south.
You're not hungry today?
And joanne calls for backup..
I'm calling the supernanny. I'm calling her.
...when "supernanny" returns.
♪ Be good, be good
Jo: I arrived this morning at : sharp, to check in on dad.
How are you?
Good morning, john. Good morning, joseph.
How are you?
So, give me five. Look at you!
Oh, the sun is shining. It's a beautiful day!
And you're on time! Look at this.
It was fantastic.
Dad was up. The boys were having breakfast.
He was on time with that schedule.
Michael: I was pleased to see that jo had a smile on her face
When she walked in and saw that I was, in fact,
Sticking to her plan and giving this a real shot.
Jo: after breakfast, I saw dad put plates in the dishwasher
For the first time -- very impressive.
The first thing I wanted to work on this morning with dad
Was the big-boy technique,
And that was to allow joseph and john
To do things for themselves.
Okay, so what I want you to do is bring the boys over.
This is the big-boy technique.
And it's like, "right, we're gonna have some fun with daddy,
"And we're gonna play in a minute.
But what we need to do first is get ourselves dressed."
So he told the boys they were going to get themselves dressed.
Can you do it? Yeah! Yes, you can do it.
You're a big boy. You can do it.
And they rose to the challenge.
Come on, pull it down.
[ Giggling ]
Yay!
Give me a hug. Give me a hug.
Good job.
You hold it like that and wiggle your feet through.
So they started to get themselves dressed
And pop their heads through their t-shirts
And put their arms through.
And they were really proud that they achieved that.
Wow. Daddy!
Michael: oh!
I think they had fun with it. I think it was a good idea.
Ha, you did it. Ho, ho, ho, ho!
Well done, john! Well done.
In the morning,
I explained to dad that we were gonna do managed play,
Because dad normally just sits there and watches them.
So, daddy, they're set up with the card games.
And then what I want you to do with michael and molly
Is do this shape sorter.
I gave michael new games to stimulate the children,
To sit down with them and engage them in those activities...
Michael: that's the what? What is that?
Sun. That's right. That's the sun.
Jo: ...and then to step back and yo-yo yourself
Between the younger twins and the older twins.
You flip from one to the other, yo-yo one to the other,
So that they've got their individual toys
For their right ages.
Is that a butterfly?
That's a turtle?
Michael, you're managing the four kids fantastic, okay?
You're stimulating all of them.
And at the same time,
They're playing with different activities.
The children are cooped up in that house too long,
Too many hours, so we all went outside to play.
Whee!
Michael: we had a great time. The kids loved the swings.
They got to climb, run around, play.
My plan is to continue with the outside playtime.
The kids need the fresh air. I agree with jo.
Oh, no -- who-o-o-oa.
That is fast -- any faster, you're gonna do loops.
Jo: whilst we were all outside playing,
Mom came home and she joined us.
And she had a big smile.
She was very pleased to see we were outside playing.
Hello! Hey, guys!
Mommy's home!
Normally for them, it's like a shift change.
As soon as joanne comes home, michael's out the door.
Today I had no desire to do that.
I just stuck around.
I enjoyed it. It was a great time.
Jo: so, I'm leaving you guys for a couple of days.
These are your pointers.
Stick to the routine, because it's working beautifully.
And big-boy technique -- we've got two big boys here,
So keep encouraging them to put their clothes on.
Bye. Thank you.
Jo: I hope that joanne and michael use the techniques correctly,
Treat joseph and john like big boys.
And I'm gonna be watching them.
Joanne: good boys.
That's it. Good boy.
Daddy's not holding yo. Daddy's not holding yo.
[ Crying ]
I don't have time to hold you, hone.
Look at the big-boy technique.
Get your shirt of.
They're taking their clothes off by themselves,
Lots of encouragement.
There you go. Good boy!
Michael: [ laughing ] hey, you did it.
This is very encouraging to see.
[ Rooster crowing ]
How's that bagel?
Breakfast at
That's too late.Joseph, you want some strawberrie?
It's almost snack time, you guys.
[ Bell dings ]
An hour later, now you're giving them a snack?
Daddy, mikey's making a mess.
Yeah, I know.
This is supposed to be a snack.
You guys aren't eating too much.
You're not hungry today?
The children aren't playing. All they're doing is eating.
You're filling them up again.
Here's your cr*cker.
[ Crying ]
There's too much food going on here.
[ Loud banging ]
The kids are playing.
They've got another minutes of playing before lunch.
They haven't stopped eating all morning.
Joanne: listen to me.
Once joseph knocks the ice down, it's your turn.
Once john knocks a piece down, it's joseph's turn, okay?
You're not supposed to knock the man down.
Oh, this is nice to see. The boys are playing a game.
Joanne: knock it down, then it's john's turn.
He didn't knock it down yet, john.
It's joseph's turn still.
Now let's see them take turns.
Okay, joseph's turn.
[ Tapping ]
John. John!
Oh, john... You've ruined it for joseph.
Look at me.
If you do it again and don't take turn,
Mommy's gonna put the game away.
You can't take the game away from them both!
Joseph was playing nicely. It's not fair.
Ha ha ha!
Listen to me.
You hurt your sister. You are sitting here.
Do not get up and do not move this chair.
Well, now you've told him.
Walk away, get on with what you've got to do.
Sit down.
[ Yelling ]
Sit down, john.
All right, I'm calling the supernanny.
I'm gonna tell her you're not sitting.
I can't believe you're calling for me!
You should be doing this yourself.
Don't think because I'm preoccupied right now
That you're not going back.
Do I need to show you more! You're not being consistent.
Coming up on "supernanny,"
Jo gives the boys a distinguishing look.
Look at you!
Yay!
And dad conspires to get help...
Maybe somebody could come in and just help you.
Absolutely.
...when "supernanny" returns.
♪ Be good, be good
[ Doorbell rings ]
Hello.
Hi!
Good to see you.
It's a learning process for the burnett family.
And the best part of that step is the dvd process.
I've got some footage I'd love you guys to have a look at.
So follow me through. Let's take a look.
Daddy's not holding you.
[ Crying ]
Daddy is not holding you.
There you go. Good boy!
This is good -- the big-boy technique.
So hats off to the pair of you
In allowing them to be independent,
But also so they're not attached to you /.
So, well done. Let's carry on and see more.
Joseph, you want some strawberrie?
This is supposed to be a snack.
You guys aren't eating too much.
You're not hungry today?
[ Whining ]
I can't really blame michael, to be honest with you.
He's probably stuffed.
He's had breakfast. Now he's had a snack.
He's probably thinking, "I'm just a bit bloated here.
Put it on the floor."
I can't blame the poor fellow.
Question mark -- why are the schedules running late?
That schedule is important
To the pair of you and your children.
If there's some reason those children were not on schedule,
Common sense would say
That if they're up late and they've had breakfast,
Skip out that snack.
And the quantities here are too big.
Joanne: once joseph knocks the ice down, it's your turn.
Once john knocks a piece down, it's joseph's turn.
John!
Look at me.
If you do it again and you don't take turn,
Mommy's gonna put the game away.
Poor joseph, mom. Started off perfectly, though.
You explained the rules of the game,
Said they had to take turns,
And then john decides
He's gonna just completely wreck the whole thing.
And mom's gonna take the whole game away because of it.
You could have sat down and played with him.
But don't treat them the same
Or discipline the pair of them for one child's behavior.
Ha ha ha!
Listen to me.
Do not get up and do not move this chair.
John! Sit down.
[ Yelling ]
[ Giggling ]
All right, I'm calling the supernanny.
Excuse me? Excuse me?
You're never gonna get your son to sit on that chair!
Don't pass the buck.
Here again, joanne, a little bit of anxiety there
About him getting off
And you having to place him back on again.
John and joseph are always going to test you guys.
So if they continue to get off the chair,
You place them back and say nothing.
That way, the child knows that every time they think
About attempting to get off the chair,
They're gonna have to go back.
And that is a circle that you need to break.
So today let's tweak all the stuff we've seen here.
I will be working with you throughout the day
On making that happen for the pair of you, all right?
Let's get busy.
Watching the dvd today with jo was an eye-opener.
Some of the things jo has told us I would never do before.
Michael: we're just gonna have to work at it
And take one day at a time.
We'll have to look at it that way -- baby steps.
Joanne, as much as a mother --
She finds it very cute to dress john and joseph alike.
It's important that john knows what he likes
And joseph knows what he likes,
So that they can get a sense of making decisions for themselves.
You can try and put them in different things.
What it will do is open your mind up a little bit,
And then you'll think,
"That color might look nice for joseph,
And that color might look nice for john."
In that, you will find identity
In the little things that they like that are separate --
For their own personalities, really.
Okay, here you go.
Look at these big boys, mommy.
Good job!
Jump, jump, jump!
Good job! Good boy.
Okay, you want to try and put your shirt on?
Look at you!
This is not about me telling joanne
How she should dress her children.
This is about challenging joanne
To just start seeing them separately, as john and joseph,
And not as "the twin boys."
Yay!
Good job, buddy!
She did explain that they're years old now
And they need to start creating their own individuality.
It's something I'm definitely gonna start doing.
What are you gonna build?
I think the new routine's wonderful for the children,
But I'm still skeptical about whether or not
This is going to work for dad's work schedule.
I want to know how many calls I've got that are missed.
The kids will be going up to sleep,
So I think you should put your phone on.
[ Crying ]
The ramp itself, is it...
Joanne doesn't feel like she could trust anybody else
To look after her children.
And she feels that it's her husband's responsibility
To do so.
Missed calls.
In a couple of hours?
Unbelievable.
So I pulled dad aside and said, "look, let's talk about...
The possibility of you getting some help."
Do you think we could have a conversation with joanne...
And maybe suggest that, in the future,
Maybe somebody could come in and just help you,
Like a mother's help, for an hour?
Absolutely.
That'd be terrific to have somebody in the house with me,
Working with me, where if I have to take a phone call,
I have to do something, I have help.
I like the fact that you're gonna bring it up.
Well, actually, that was the last thing --
You're gonna bring it up, but I'm gonna back you up.
Coming up on "supernanny," michael begs for help.
I wanted to talk to you
About bringing in somebody to help myself out.
And joanne makes a tough decision...
When "supernanny" returns.
♪ Be good, be good
I think the important key
With this whole mother's help situation with joanne
Is to make it clear to joanne
That a mother's help would be assistingdad
In looking after the children.
So just before dinnertime, dad pulled joanne aside.
I wanted to talk to you
About bringing in somebody during the day
To help myself out.
Maybe a couple hours a day,
Maybe one or two days a week to start out with,
Something along the lines of a...dad's helper.
I'm not talking about my leaving the home,
But just somebody here to help out with dressing the kids
Or to watch the children wile I fix lunch.
And we thought it would be a good first step for you,
As far as trusting someone else in the home
Or around the children.
So what do you think?
I'll try it.
That was easy.
[ Chuckling ] joanne was very receptive. She shocked me.
Your wife just said, "I'll try it."
Open your eyes and give your wife a big hug!
I mean, she has just come seriously far!
I definitely realize that he's also working from home.
And to have someone here to help him
Will be helpful for all of us.
Right now it's play, okay, with the kids.
We'll have some silly-daddy time.
Jo: now that joanne has agreed to get michael the help he needs,
I went over managed play with dad again,
So he really enjoys the creative playtime he has with his kids.
We're all gonna dive into the space rocket,
Because we're gonna go up into space.
And then we're gonna look for the aliens.
This is about imagination.
Can I come in? [ Groans ]
We're gonna fly to the moon.
..........
The engines are going.
Blast off!
We're landing! Hold on, we're gonna thump!
We're on the moon.
Anything moves, zap it.
During reinforcement today, jo had me playing with the children
And pretending that we were on a spaceship
And we were flying to the moon.
Don't you have to climb it?
There's one! Get him!
Michael: she asked me to let myself go, and I had a good time.
It was fun. The kids enjoyed it.
Go!
Joanne: will you say goodbye to jo?
Jojo's going home now.
Jo: when I first met the burnett family,
The house was very hectic and very chaotic.
Bye-bye. [ Smooches ] take care.
Can I have a hug? Ooh!
Bye-bye, darling.
Bye-bye, darling.
I miss jojo. I miss jojo.
[ Smooches ] bye-bye, darling.
Joanne, take care.
Thank you. Thank you.
You're more than welcome.
Bye-bye.
Michael, keep up the good work.
Okay. Thank you.
Thanks for everything. Thank you very much.
They were a family that both worked.
And to find that balance was a big maze for them.
When I walk away from this house,
I know there are children that are a lot happier,
That are not crying because they're bored --
And parents that are happier
With the balance of what they've achieved.
Michael: the specific changes I've noticed in john and joseph
Is less clinginess, less whining.
They're not looking to be held every day, all day.
[ Laughs ]
Joanne: now I think that we're going to be able to deal
With the discipline, the chaos, the baths --
Everything throughout our entire day.
We're gonna be able to deal with it more.
Did you have a nice nap?
The most significant thing that I have gotten
Is my wife has actually let her guard down a little bit.
She's willing to allow an outsider
To come into the house and help us out.
And I'll be able to get my work done during the day.
I think the kids are truly happier.
Yay for joseph.
Jo is genuine. Jo is the real deal.
Jo cared about my family.
[ Laughs ]
Joanne: I know, with the routine and the schedule,
It makes it easier for me --
A little less to do at the end of the day.
I see a household that was once crazy and chaotic,
And I think jo has turned it around.
I foresee good things for the burnetts.