Nanny with the Sticky Fingers

As in any relationship, trust is a very important ingredient.  And more so with househelpers.  They who clean the household spic and span and know every nook and cranny of the house, they are capable of knowing where your stuffs are that we do.  And to me, trust is essential.

A colleague of mine once recounted her experience with a househelp who seemed adept to put things in order and knew where everything was kept.  This househelp was "bibo" enough to make it her business to know everything about the house, including where the valuables were stashed.  My colleague was glad to have had a housekeeper like her, until one day when the househelp wiped the house dry.  Even worse, she did it in broad daylight, when her children were at home!  Fortunately, the children were at their respective rooms when the heist was done.  The perpetrators (the househelp had 2 guys with him) carried the tv, stereo, cash, jewelry, and 2 service firearms.  Luckily, the children were left untouched.  The children only found out about the robbery when they already woke up from an afternoon siesta.  The door was left open and the maid gone.  The village guards said they did not notice anything different to rouse suspicion of a robbery.  It probably may have looked like this, the link of which I am attaching:

Caught in the act!

http://jotan23.blogspot.com/2010/04/maid-caught-in-act-of-stealing.html

I've had an experience with a yaya like this, and it's really heartbreaking to dismiss her when she was doing so well with my kid.  Not really very good, but more like good-GOOD.  It started with a few small items, a missing pair of earrings, small amount of cash here and there.  Things were starting to get serious when my son lost a big toy and a big box of perfume that my husband needed for testing.  That's when I started to get suspicious. 

And when I was cleaning her room one day (sadly, this yaya never cleaned her room so I would clean it with disinfectant on her day-offs), I found my pendant on her dresser.  I confronted her about it, but she explained that my son tinkered with my stuffs.  WHY ON EARTH WOULD MY SON PLAY WITH MY JEWELRY, of all things???  We let her go the next day.

What was disheartening to realize was that she had broken our trust.  I didn't know how much she took and I don't want to know it now.  It got me thinking:  was she really like that or was she just tempted to steal, knowing that we gave her so much confidence?   My husband and I would place our wallets in the living room when we're home.  Because of her, it's SOP for me now to stash everything in a safe, especially jewelry.

What did I learn from all of this?  To be careful all the time.  Your househelp may be performing well with household chores but is really hiding her real motive to steal.  Do not give any reason that will tempt her to steal, and that means locking away your valuables and keeping it there.  Provide limits to her authority.  I lock the master bedroom when we're away.  I do not let the housekeeper be familiar with my things.  I clean my own room.  If you can afford it, have hidden cameras inside the house to keep track of her daily activities.  It's invasive I know, but for working couples like me, sometimes the best defense is a good offense.

Tell you more next time.