The Nanny Diaries (Part II) 6 October 2008

13 months, 10 yayas


yaya no. 9. age: 19yo-22yo (age unknown, yaya somehow was inconsistent when asked about her age); civil status: single; hometown: pangasinan; length of stay: 13days; reason for leaving: boredom, and uninterested to learn; employer’s rating: 3/10

yaya no. 10. age: 32yo; civil status: married; hometown: samar; <<< current yaya


i’d like to comment on my former nannies. nothing violent, i hope… sabi nila, in hiring a nanny, get someone who is both WILLING and ABLE to care for your children. never compromise on this. with my former nannies, some are willing to care for my child, but not able, in a sense that they lack experience; some are both willing and able, but due to personal circumstances, has to leave and go home; some are willing to try and definitely are unable. we know that trying is good, but we don’t really need someone to treat our children as their guinea pigs, do we? some of the “some who are willing to try”, are first-timers in manila, they are more after the adventure, the travel, the vacation from their usual provincial lives. the other some say they are willing to try, but their actions say otherwise.

some of you might ask, “how am i as an employer?” well, i am… thorough, mataray and masungit, OC (sometimes, really OC-OC), but i am also generous and kind to them, and i try to understand their situation any possible way i can. i am willing to teach them how i want things done in my house, and most especially my preferred child care. everything starts with asking nicely. they were never treated them as slaves. we always treat them as our partners in caring for my child, at least we try to treat them as such. we point out mistakes and let go the 1st, 2nd, 3rd times, sometimes more. if you can just imagine how nerve-wrecking this is, if they’ve been with you for more than a month, doing the same things everyday, and still forget how to properly wash the baby bottles, which is by the way a basic chore as a nanny. some of them can really get stupid (please excuse my choice of words), they we still manage to let it go of their mistakes and be very understanding of the situation. but for how long shall we keep doing this? maybe… for as long as nothing bad happens to my child, but do we need to wait for an accident, that we know could have been prevented, to happen before we take action on our Willing and Unable, or Unwilling and Unable nanny? i think a line needs to be drawn somewhere. i do draw the line somewhere, somewhere wherein i was really pissed off, can no longer ignore the stupidity. this is where the dragon in me rages out of the dungeon. (strong words ba? perfect way maybe to describe myself when angry. hehehe…)

lessons learned.

hire someone BOTH WILLING AND ABLE.

always be patient and give them a chance. train and nurture them.

treat them as partners in caring for your child.

lend them an ear.

if they make a mistake that can not be ignored, tell them in a diplomatic manner. should this is the last straw after everything you did to teach them how to do it properly, let them go. never release hurtful statements.