By this time, we've received our Christmas bonuses (and maybe burned most of it already on shopping and other expenses) and are in the peak of the holiday season. Hopefully, we have not forgotten to share our blessings with our indispensable househelpers - who bear the brunt of keeping our houses and children clean and safe.
Some of them may have gotten home to spend Christmas with their families, but for those who do stay to help out like mine did, a BIG thumbs up to all of you. Christmas is really a crazy time for families living and working in the metropolis, and for nannies who stay is a big blessing.
So why give a bonus? Same reason as everybody else! A bonus is an incentive for somebody who has rendered service to the employer, and hopefully for a job well done. Under the Labor Code, a 13th-month bonus is mandatory for all employees receiving a basic salary of not more than Php 1,000 a month, regardless of the nature of their employment. So everybody is practically entitled to it, including yayas and maids.
Sadly though, some employers do not observe this at all. More than the complying with state regulation, why not give your helpers what they are entitled to? If you are in a good disposition to share your blessings with your family, why not include them in this merry month? You will be a better person for it, and I guarantee you they will always be grateful for it.
A BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Good Yaya, Bad Boss
Since my kid was born, I've had to deal with entrusting my son to a nanny as my husband and I went to work. Like I've said before, we've had hits and misses on a lot of househelpers, but most of them (and thank God for that!) were never serious cases that would push us to put them behind bars.
I would like to think that we were considerate enough with our staff to keep them from leaving us and our kid - but leave they did. The first one eloped, the second and third were sisters who returned to the province to study, the third wanted too much money which I adamantly thought was too much (2 months advance and another month for ship fare and food... now you understand WHY), and there were 3 others.
But there are some nannies and househelp who stay long even as their bosses are so difficult to work with. I've heard of maids here who have stayed more than 5 years with their current employers but have been treated like slaves, do not have proper sleeping quarters, are not given sufficient food and medicine, and are not allowed to go out of the street. We wonder how these people manage to stay that long, and yet they do. They can't even imagine finding another place to work. These are real people, and I've met them. Sometimes, life just isn't fair at all! Makes me think: if I was a mean boss, would any of our househelpers stay longer than they did? Would that have made the difference?
So far, my son's current yaya is heaven-sent. Not only that, we received twice the blessing by having her twin sister as well! I hope this one will stay with us for a long time.
I would like to think that we were considerate enough with our staff to keep them from leaving us and our kid - but leave they did. The first one eloped, the second and third were sisters who returned to the province to study, the third wanted too much money which I adamantly thought was too much (2 months advance and another month for ship fare and food... now you understand WHY), and there were 3 others.
But there are some nannies and househelp who stay long even as their bosses are so difficult to work with. I've heard of maids here who have stayed more than 5 years with their current employers but have been treated like slaves, do not have proper sleeping quarters, are not given sufficient food and medicine, and are not allowed to go out of the street. We wonder how these people manage to stay that long, and yet they do. They can't even imagine finding another place to work. These are real people, and I've met them. Sometimes, life just isn't fair at all! Makes me think: if I was a mean boss, would any of our househelpers stay longer than they did? Would that have made the difference?
So far, my son's current yaya is heaven-sent. Not only that, we received twice the blessing by having her twin sister as well! I hope this one will stay with us for a long time.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Maids from Hell - Beware!
Reading articles like these never fail to give me goosebumps. It can make one suspicious of househelpers, whether they've shown us good or not. I've read this article a few days ago thru a friend at Facebook, only to read a recent development that this maid was able to escape from jail! Horrors! We hope helpers like these never walk the face of the earth.
Maid who poisons employers bolts jail » Nation » News Philippine News philstar.com
If you find a lady in your area looking like the one in the picture, call the police or the barangay to help you catch this person and put her behind bars.
Maid who poisons employers bolts jail » Nation » News Philippine News philstar.com
If you find a lady in your area looking like the one in the picture, call the police or the barangay to help you catch this person and put her behind bars.
Monday, October 17, 2011
When a Bad Bug Hits a Child
Been here in a hospital for the past couple of days now to care for my sick kid. Apparently, he caught a bug which felled him down pretty badly that the doctors could not determine what was the bug that bit him. He was tested for dengue, typhoid, pneumonia... all negative - and much to my joy! But it has been one roller coaster of a week for hubby and I, in which my kid's yaya showed tremendous support and courage.
For the past 5 days, I have been at my kid's beck and call, save for the time that I had to go to the office and get a few tawa-tawa plant from our office parking lot. For foreigners are Filipinos not familiar with this lowly plant, this grass is what I simply call dahong ligaw because it practically grows anywhere. It's a kind of weed you'd want to pluck from your garden because it grows fast and a lot. This weed happens to be a lifesaver at a time when we were fearing that my kid had dengue.
So, I googled how to prepare the tea for my son. I have read a lot of testimonies about it. And hey, if it was safe for them, it will definitely be safe for my boy, right? I've got nothing to lose. I let my kid's Ate Jenny brew the whole plant including the roots after thorough cleaning. Somehow, this has boosted my son's platelet when it was dropping very low. But more than that, I attribute my son's recovery to a miracle I will talk about some other time. I truly believe it's healing properties, and this has been attested by a lot of dengue patients already. Of course, my son was never positive for dengue but the fact that the tawa-tawa greatly improved my son's platelet is sufficient for me to that this plant is truly recommendable.
Too bad, the medical profession will never say anything positive about it, until it gets "discovered" abroad like the equally effective coconut oil.
When will the government ever learn to support valuable finds like these?
For the past 5 days, I have been at my kid's beck and call, save for the time that I had to go to the office and get a few tawa-tawa plant from our office parking lot. For foreigners are Filipinos not familiar with this lowly plant, this grass is what I simply call dahong ligaw because it practically grows anywhere. It's a kind of weed you'd want to pluck from your garden because it grows fast and a lot. This weed happens to be a lifesaver at a time when we were fearing that my kid had dengue.
So, I googled how to prepare the tea for my son. I have read a lot of testimonies about it. And hey, if it was safe for them, it will definitely be safe for my boy, right? I've got nothing to lose. I let my kid's Ate Jenny brew the whole plant including the roots after thorough cleaning. Somehow, this has boosted my son's platelet when it was dropping very low. But more than that, I attribute my son's recovery to a miracle I will talk about some other time. I truly believe it's healing properties, and this has been attested by a lot of dengue patients already. Of course, my son was never positive for dengue but the fact that the tawa-tawa greatly improved my son's platelet is sufficient for me to that this plant is truly recommendable.
Too bad, the medical profession will never say anything positive about it, until it gets "discovered" abroad like the equally effective coconut oil.
When will the government ever learn to support valuable finds like these?
Monday, October 10, 2011
Nanny Alert on Bel-Aire Village
Hubby was infuriated to see one day a nanny giving a warning to her ward by waving a broomstick at his face. The little kid, about 2 years old or so, appeared so scared that he ran back inside the house.
Hubby's office is along Jupiter Street in Makati City, and the behind the building where his office is situated is the posh Bel-Aire Village. When all the bosses are out for work, a group of yayas (or maids) converge in this house behind Montivar Building and play all sorts of card games (hubby says it's tong-its) all afternoon. Nevermind the all-afternoon play, it's the KID we're more concerned of. We do hope that this maid is not the only person inside the house, and that the kid is well taken cared of even as they play.
But it really makes you think: What if the kid is by his lonesome self while the yaya just keeps on playing? Why do you need a broomstick to warn a kid anyway? If that happened to your child, what would YOU do?
Hubby says that this has been going almost everyday when he peers through his window. Not wanting to be too snoopy with other people's business, he accidentally saw it as he was checking the rains one day.
I hope this yaya will finally be caught somehow....
Hubby's office is along Jupiter Street in Makati City, and the behind the building where his office is situated is the posh Bel-Aire Village. When all the bosses are out for work, a group of yayas (or maids) converge in this house behind Montivar Building and play all sorts of card games (hubby says it's tong-its) all afternoon. Nevermind the all-afternoon play, it's the KID we're more concerned of. We do hope that this maid is not the only person inside the house, and that the kid is well taken cared of even as they play.
But it really makes you think: What if the kid is by his lonesome self while the yaya just keeps on playing? Why do you need a broomstick to warn a kid anyway? If that happened to your child, what would YOU do?
Hubby says that this has been going almost everyday when he peers through his window. Not wanting to be too snoopy with other people's business, he accidentally saw it as he was checking the rains one day.
I hope this yaya will finally be caught somehow....
Saturday, October 8, 2011
When Yaya Needs A Vacation
Let's face, everybody needs a break. We need a break from work, a break from prying eyes, a time-off from all that stress. Why do you think wellness is such a hit nowadays? It's because of modern man's need to get away from all that stress. It simply affects everybody, without exception.
So, even if your yaya doesn't do a lot of work at home except caring for your kid, she still needs a vacation. In all honesty, she DESERVES it. Really. And it's never easy to take care of a kid, and if your yaya also happens to run the household when you are away, then the work doubles.
The reasons why employers do not normally let nannies go on vacation are various. Some rely on the maid or yaya to manage the household, so when they leave CHAOS is the next word that comes to mind. But most of us (Filipinos like me, most especially!) think that the real reason why a nanny wants to go on a vacation is because she has found another employment opportunity elsewhere and is leaving you FOR GOOD. Actually, most helpers really do this and use the explanation that they are needed back home, a family member is sick that somebody has to take care of him/her, or their house has been destroyed by some natural calamity. While the real crafty ones ask for a salary advance, the truthful ones never ask for any money except the last paycheck they get from their employers. And then they leave for good - never to return.
But regardless of what other helpers do, your yaya needs a break. You cannot take that away from her. Of course, there is always the fear that she will not come back, but if she is treated fairly and like family, what is there to lose? You always hope that she comes back and remember the goodness you've done to her. Little acts of kindness really go a long way, and more so with helpers who depend their salary on you.
My kid's yaya will be going on a vacation in a few weeks time and will be gone for more than a week. I had to bargain with her a lot on the period that she will get her break, but we've managed somehow to agree on when to schedule her vacation. And she has chosen it during Octobers and the summer season. I let her go. Do I feel worried? Of course I do! With a responsible and sweet yaya like her, she will easily find a job at no time at all. But I have to trust her that she will come back. In the meantime, we are revving (PSYCHING) ourselves that the next few weeks will be crazy without her in the household. We'll be doing the laundry ourselves, cooking, shuttling our kid back and forth to school and to my in-laws, and more. It's tiring, it's hectic, it's crazy!
I'd like to think we've been very fair and reasonable with her. We treat her practically like family! She has refused us to send her to school, but we are still hoping she'll take the bite. But more than that, we hope, like anybody else, that she will realize she is a big part of our family just as we hope to be in hers.
The reasons why employers do not normally let nannies go on vacation are various. Some rely on the maid or yaya to manage the household, so when they leave CHAOS is the next word that comes to mind. But most of us (Filipinos like me, most especially!) think that the real reason why a nanny wants to go on a vacation is because she has found another employment opportunity elsewhere and is leaving you FOR GOOD. Actually, most helpers really do this and use the explanation that they are needed back home, a family member is sick that somebody has to take care of him/her, or their house has been destroyed by some natural calamity. While the real crafty ones ask for a salary advance, the truthful ones never ask for any money except the last paycheck they get from their employers. And then they leave for good - never to return.
But regardless of what other helpers do, your yaya needs a break. You cannot take that away from her. Of course, there is always the fear that she will not come back, but if she is treated fairly and like family, what is there to lose? You always hope that she comes back and remember the goodness you've done to her. Little acts of kindness really go a long way, and more so with helpers who depend their salary on you.
My kid's yaya will be going on a vacation in a few weeks time and will be gone for more than a week. I had to bargain with her a lot on the period that she will get her break, but we've managed somehow to agree on when to schedule her vacation. And she has chosen it during Octobers and the summer season. I let her go. Do I feel worried? Of course I do! With a responsible and sweet yaya like her, she will easily find a job at no time at all. But I have to trust her that she will come back. In the meantime, we are revving (PSYCHING) ourselves that the next few weeks will be crazy without her in the household. We'll be doing the laundry ourselves, cooking, shuttling our kid back and forth to school and to my in-laws, and more. It's tiring, it's hectic, it's crazy!
I'd like to think we've been very fair and reasonable with her. We treat her practically like family! She has refused us to send her to school, but we are still hoping she'll take the bite. But more than that, we hope, like anybody else, that she will realize she is a big part of our family just as we hope to be in hers.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
When to Drop a Nanny
Eversince having our own home, my husband and I depended mainly on nannies to maintain the household and watch our kid. And we've had a lot of them over a span of 6 years, some very good and the rest really cooky. I've cried over one once - the first yaya my son ever had. She was very good in taking care of our boy and very efficient in running the household when we were away. Alas, she learned how to use a cell phone, met a text pal, and the next thing we knew, she eloped! To this day, I cannot say a bad thing about this lady. Our doors will always be open for her.
But we've had horror stories as well, like the one I mentioned the last time. But since we were reasonable and patient individuals, we gave enough time and patience to train and reach out to each one. I had to learn their talks and ticks over and over again. I had to know showbiz chismis as well as Tagalog movies. I REACHED OUT. I sucked in both areas, but at least I knew their world and can relate to them with ease.
But what if your yaya really shows no promise at all? When do you give up? Over the years, these are the signs that I've learned to read:
1. When she keeps on doing irritating things, whether it's intentional or not. Yaya keeps breaking the dishes, puts a whole in your office uniform, doesn't clean the toilet. Either she's doing it to irritate you or she wants to do something else.
2. You see tell-tale signs of corporal punishments done on your kid. My mother-in-law always tell me that you can always tell if your kid has been in some kid of punishment with your yaya when he/she is aloof with the nanny, looks fidgety around her or when she is mentioned, changes in behavior and appetite, cries or gets sick. My son used to cry in his dreams, which my mother-in-law said was a sign of distress. And you know what? More often than not she was right!
3. When your feedbacks/suggestions/pleas keep falling on deaf ears. You ask her to do something, she "forgets" it. You tell how to prepare something, she doesn't do it. Selective amnesia or mere stubborness? You can be patient as I was, but if it's chronic, why add more burden to your life? Better nip it in the bud.
4. When you hear a lot of negative feedbacks about your yaya. My neighbor would tell me how the house sounded like there was a party everyday. It so happened that the nanny, when my kid was away in school, would bring over her friends inside the house. They would blast the stereo hard. What's worse, everyone in the village knew what this yaya was working with US. She practically knew the whole village!
5. Bottomline line is TRUST. If you lost trust in your yaya, you don't have to feel helpless about it. Without trust, there is nothing to build on. It's a lost case. Get on with it and move on.
It's hard to look for a good yaya, but it's better to remain positive that there's somebody out there who will be a better nanny in the household and to your kid. And that's worth taking the chance anytime.
But we've had horror stories as well, like the one I mentioned the last time. But since we were reasonable and patient individuals, we gave enough time and patience to train and reach out to each one. I had to learn their talks and ticks over and over again. I had to know showbiz chismis as well as Tagalog movies. I REACHED OUT. I sucked in both areas, but at least I knew their world and can relate to them with ease.
But what if your yaya really shows no promise at all? When do you give up? Over the years, these are the signs that I've learned to read:
1. When she keeps on doing irritating things, whether it's intentional or not. Yaya keeps breaking the dishes, puts a whole in your office uniform, doesn't clean the toilet. Either she's doing it to irritate you or she wants to do something else.
2. You see tell-tale signs of corporal punishments done on your kid. My mother-in-law always tell me that you can always tell if your kid has been in some kid of punishment with your yaya when he/she is aloof with the nanny, looks fidgety around her or when she is mentioned, changes in behavior and appetite, cries or gets sick. My son used to cry in his dreams, which my mother-in-law said was a sign of distress. And you know what? More often than not she was right!
3. When your feedbacks/suggestions/pleas keep falling on deaf ears. You ask her to do something, she "forgets" it. You tell how to prepare something, she doesn't do it. Selective amnesia or mere stubborness? You can be patient as I was, but if it's chronic, why add more burden to your life? Better nip it in the bud.
4. When you hear a lot of negative feedbacks about your yaya. My neighbor would tell me how the house sounded like there was a party everyday. It so happened that the nanny, when my kid was away in school, would bring over her friends inside the house. They would blast the stereo hard. What's worse, everyone in the village knew what this yaya was working with US. She practically knew the whole village!
5. Bottomline line is TRUST. If you lost trust in your yaya, you don't have to feel helpless about it. Without trust, there is nothing to build on. It's a lost case. Get on with it and move on.
It's hard to look for a good yaya, but it's better to remain positive that there's somebody out there who will be a better nanny in the household and to your kid. And that's worth taking the chance anytime.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Nanny Horror Stories - Agencies from Hell
In finding a good nanny, employers have to be extra careful about choosing which agency to go to. I have always had reservations in getting a yaya through an agency, but since we needed one fast we had no choice but to try it.
So, I searched for an agency through the Internet. Lo and behold, I did find one after a few days of searching. I do not remember the website exactly, but I am quite certain that I chose a legit website that was already well known to people. After the initial exchange of text messages, I called their office number to talk to the proprietor. The name of the agency was DIVINE MERCY MANPOWER AGENCY, a small office located in Quirino Avenue near Singalong, Manila. I was sort of relieved that an agency should have a religious sounding name, and was confident that their services would be good enough.
WRONG. My husband and I visited the office and we were immediately introduced to a yaya named Delia. Since we were of meager means then, we negotiated the salary on the spot, which the owner agreed. We were charged an agency fee aside from the advance salary. No big deal. We paid the fees and left with our brand new yaya.
The first thing she did was to do our week's laundy. She started after lunch, she finished it way into the night. I mean, it was not a lot of clothes to wash, but she finished it at almost 10:00 pm. We were clueless why she was like that. But that was not all. She did everything so painstakingly slow, from ironing clothes to washing the dishes. We wonder why it took her so long to finish everything. And that was just the first week. But, as long as LJ was ok, we're ok, then she's ok.
We went home one day to come into the house with a distinct acrid smell. When we asked the yaya what was wrong, she explained that she sterilized the bottles and forgot to turn it off. As a result, the water in the sterilizer dried up and MELTED all the bottles!!! Horrible! Still trying to make out of it, we asked how she could have forgotten about it. She answered (quite sweetly) that she was watching tv and got absorbed in the telenovela. We were calm about it but deep inside we were thinking: What if the stove just exploded? It could have been fatal!
Thankfully, she left after 2 weeks. She realized - and probably the agency did not inform her about this - that her salary was too low for her. We couldn't we more glad about it. We returned to the agency to ask for a refund as stipulated in the contract, but they did not oblige and instead replaced it with an equally difficult person who we had to return overnight. Makes me wonder if there are other agencies out there that are equally worse.
So, moral of the story? Beware of these small-time agencies. There are more horror stories to this I'm sure. And I hope the government will be more proactive in monitoring these businesses.
So, I searched for an agency through the Internet. Lo and behold, I did find one after a few days of searching. I do not remember the website exactly, but I am quite certain that I chose a legit website that was already well known to people. After the initial exchange of text messages, I called their office number to talk to the proprietor. The name of the agency was DIVINE MERCY MANPOWER AGENCY, a small office located in Quirino Avenue near Singalong, Manila. I was sort of relieved that an agency should have a religious sounding name, and was confident that their services would be good enough.
WRONG. My husband and I visited the office and we were immediately introduced to a yaya named Delia. Since we were of meager means then, we negotiated the salary on the spot, which the owner agreed. We were charged an agency fee aside from the advance salary. No big deal. We paid the fees and left with our brand new yaya.
The first thing she did was to do our week's laundy. She started after lunch, she finished it way into the night. I mean, it was not a lot of clothes to wash, but she finished it at almost 10:00 pm. We were clueless why she was like that. But that was not all. She did everything so painstakingly slow, from ironing clothes to washing the dishes. We wonder why it took her so long to finish everything. And that was just the first week. But, as long as LJ was ok, we're ok, then she's ok.
We went home one day to come into the house with a distinct acrid smell. When we asked the yaya what was wrong, she explained that she sterilized the bottles and forgot to turn it off. As a result, the water in the sterilizer dried up and MELTED all the bottles!!! Horrible! Still trying to make out of it, we asked how she could have forgotten about it. She answered (quite sweetly) that she was watching tv and got absorbed in the telenovela. We were calm about it but deep inside we were thinking: What if the stove just exploded? It could have been fatal!
Thankfully, she left after 2 weeks. She realized - and probably the agency did not inform her about this - that her salary was too low for her. We couldn't we more glad about it. We returned to the agency to ask for a refund as stipulated in the contract, but they did not oblige and instead replaced it with an equally difficult person who we had to return overnight. Makes me wonder if there are other agencies out there that are equally worse.
So, moral of the story? Beware of these small-time agencies. There are more horror stories to this I'm sure. And I hope the government will be more proactive in monitoring these businesses.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Antics of Yaya and Angelina
In my rare times of watching tv, Bubble Gang is one of my fave shows. Being the last day of the working week and late night at that, I watch it whenever I can to de-stress myself.
Part of the program that I look forward to is the portion of Yaya ang Angelina played by Michael V and Ogie Alcasid. It shows the love-hate relationship between the yaya and her ward. Although they tend to argue most of the time, you know that deep inside they love each other - albeit in a weird sort of way. It's funny and I love it! It's hilarious!
Which is what I can almost say about my son and his Ate Jenny. There are practically days when I fear going home to find them arguing over the simplest things - favoring tv over homework, playing with the village kids when time's up to go to school, what to eat, what not to wear.... Hayyy.... There are no verbal or physical abuses here, mind you. Just plain tigas ng ulo or kakulitan. We would fuss over it and my son would be grounded for days on end.
What's worse is the reaction of his Ate Jenny.
"Ate, uuwi na 'ko," she would tell us, almost weepy. And I would ask "Is this what you want to do?" I know somehow that she wants to stay, but because of these episodes, well, she just wants out.
Then the next day, they're all sweet and syrupy again.
Lest that people think that my son is a terror, he is not. His Ate Jenny will attest to that. Likewise his yaya, who is efficient in taking care not only of the house but all of US inside it. We love her to bits.
Love and hate relationships are ok. In fact, they enrich any relationship than the smooth sailing ones. I think I am more wary of yayas who are too good to be true, the Maria-from-the-Sound-of-Music kind. Call me a skeptic! And this is why I enjoy watching Yaya and Angelina on the boob tube. Their relationship may not be perfect, but you know the love and respect between yaya and ward is there.
Part of the program that I look forward to is the portion of Yaya ang Angelina played by Michael V and Ogie Alcasid. It shows the love-hate relationship between the yaya and her ward. Although they tend to argue most of the time, you know that deep inside they love each other - albeit in a weird sort of way. It's funny and I love it! It's hilarious!
Which is what I can almost say about my son and his Ate Jenny. There are practically days when I fear going home to find them arguing over the simplest things - favoring tv over homework, playing with the village kids when time's up to go to school, what to eat, what not to wear.... Hayyy.... There are no verbal or physical abuses here, mind you. Just plain tigas ng ulo or kakulitan. We would fuss over it and my son would be grounded for days on end.
What's worse is the reaction of his Ate Jenny.
"Ate, uuwi na 'ko," she would tell us, almost weepy. And I would ask "Is this what you want to do?" I know somehow that she wants to stay, but because of these episodes, well, she just wants out.
Then the next day, they're all sweet and syrupy again.
Lest that people think that my son is a terror, he is not. His Ate Jenny will attest to that. Likewise his yaya, who is efficient in taking care not only of the house but all of US inside it. We love her to bits.
Love and hate relationships are ok. In fact, they enrich any relationship than the smooth sailing ones. I think I am more wary of yayas who are too good to be true, the Maria-from-the-Sound-of-Music kind. Call me a skeptic! And this is why I enjoy watching Yaya and Angelina on the boob tube. Their relationship may not be perfect, but you know the love and respect between yaya and ward is there.
Monday, September 12, 2011
What Got Me Into This
I have always been working ever since I graduated from college. I've never fancied myself as a stay-at-home wife. With occassional rest periods, maternity leave and study leave in between, I continued to work to share in the burden of keeping house with my husband. In a nuclear family like mine is (meaning without help from my family or my in-laws), a yaya is essential to the household.
The first yaya we had was very. She was not the "de susi" kind of yaya, the kind that had to be told what to do everyday. She was very affectionate with my son and loved feeding the little tyke. My boy loved playing outdoors, and Ate Raquel indulged him in it. She loved telling him stories and singing even if she was off-key at times. And when the kid was asleep, she would clean the clutter in the house, spic and span. And she loved reading newspapers as much as I do, so I always bought papers for her as "pasalubong".
I cried when Raquel left us to elope with a guy she met as a text mate. The last time we heard from her, she already had 4 kids and counting ("Ate, magdagdag ka pa," she would tell me before). After her, the nannies we've had were hits and misses. But that's another story.
Why am I doing this? To purge myself and to share stories with interested folks out here in the 'Net. I've checked on blogs that say something about yayas and there are a-plenty, and I wanted to add more to that by adding this blog. Not only to share, but to get stories from other families as well - good or bad.
Don't get me wrong. I love nannies and recognize their contribution to the well-being of our children. But sometimes - SOMETIMES - some of them do not have the right disposition or behavior that ultimately impacts on our children. How can a parent NOT be concerned of THAT?
Bottomline is, we hope for better yayas around and give praise to the good ones. The bad ones, of course, need to be corrected and that the public should be aware of these persons.
This is my contribution to my society.
The first yaya we had was very. She was not the "de susi" kind of yaya, the kind that had to be told what to do everyday. She was very affectionate with my son and loved feeding the little tyke. My boy loved playing outdoors, and Ate Raquel indulged him in it. She loved telling him stories and singing even if she was off-key at times. And when the kid was asleep, she would clean the clutter in the house, spic and span. And she loved reading newspapers as much as I do, so I always bought papers for her as "pasalubong".
I cried when Raquel left us to elope with a guy she met as a text mate. The last time we heard from her, she already had 4 kids and counting ("Ate, magdagdag ka pa," she would tell me before). After her, the nannies we've had were hits and misses. But that's another story.
Why am I doing this? To purge myself and to share stories with interested folks out here in the 'Net. I've checked on blogs that say something about yayas and there are a-plenty, and I wanted to add more to that by adding this blog. Not only to share, but to get stories from other families as well - good or bad.
Don't get me wrong. I love nannies and recognize their contribution to the well-being of our children. But sometimes - SOMETIMES - some of them do not have the right disposition or behavior that ultimately impacts on our children. How can a parent NOT be concerned of THAT?
Bottomline is, we hope for better yayas around and give praise to the good ones. The bad ones, of course, need to be corrected and that the public should be aware of these persons.
This is my contribution to my society.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)