Thursday, November 27, 2008

The Maid, The Nanny?

My babysitter dropped a bombshell two days ago. Although she has indicated that she would be unable to take care of Ryan due to some family commitments, we have initially agreed that she will take care of Ryan till 5th Dec. By then, my mum would be here for Christmas and would be able to help me with Ryan till Chinese New Year while we decide whether to train our maid to help or to look for another babysitter. However, two days ago, the babysitter told us that she could no longer take care of Ryan with immediate effect due to some emergencies at home.

So starting yesterday, I would be his babysitter at least till my mum arrives. Taking care of him full time left me literally no time to go out for my normal breakfast, coffee, appointments or to cook. In order for me to still get some work done while handling Ryan at home, I would have to bring our maid up to speed as soon as possible. The question is always, how much do we trust our maid to take care of our babies?

I have heard horrible horrible stories about maids with kids. A couple of months back, we witnessed first hand how a maid handled her employer’s baby and it certainly did not boost our confidence in allowing our maid to handle Ryan all alone. While waiting at the paed’s lounge, there was this mum with a pair of lovely twins. While she cuddled one, the maid was handling the other. She was `showing off’ how good she was by carrying the baby on one hand, putting him over her shoulder with one hand, much to the `shock’ of the other parents (me included). She nearly knocked the head of the baby on the glass door once! And the most disgusting was, while she was carrying the baby, she was also busy rubbing her toes! (She was wearing slipper). OMG!

So, how do I ensure that my maid is not the same? How can we trained our maid and make sure that she is motivated? How do we set the expectations for her? My next post, how we set our expectations, train and motivate her. At the end of the day, she is just like any employee in any organization.

7 comments:

Baby Darren said...

I never trust maid, no matter how good they are. I rather send them to babysitter, day care...than to leave them alone with maids.

I'm sure it is not easy for you now. But still got few more days, your mom will be here. It is always better to have someone at home to oversee the maid and the baby.

Sarah's Daddy and Mommy said...

I am sure you have a tough time currently..
I really hope your new maid can help you to less your burden. Of course, hope she will be a good maid.

Kristie said...

daddy day & night care huh! :) anyway, dont worry, things will turn out alright.

btw, i have a tag for u!

Daddy said...

Haha. Really a new experience for me now. This is the 3rd day. Yesterday was tougher. Hopefully today better. So far so good. He is having his morning nap. No complaints about maid. Just got to bring her up to speed. Meanwhile, thanks for all the wishes.

Kristie. Thanks. Will pick it up. Actually another tag about 8 random things for me to do too. Hehe..

Anonymous said...

I have a my share of horrible maid stories so am not going to scare you further...

MeRy said...

You must be having a hard time taking care Ryan 24/7. Hope you can get a good maid to less your burden.

Daddy said...

Maid is OK actually. Training ongoing now. She is very happy that we have `promoted' her to start handling the baby. More of that later...

More Pictures on Jeju Island Coming up NEXT!