We all had nannies, in one way or the other. Poor or privileged we were “nannied”, either by our neighbor or relative. I had Manay Fe, Yaya Toyang, Yaya Letty and “Erlinda.
In the Philippines, having a nanny is a must and is cool. A family can not function well when a nanny is not around. Kids can’t go to school, Mommy and Daddy can’t work and the house would be in chaos. Sad to say, but nanny puts the house in order.
Mothers scour them from all over the country enticing them with the benefit of money and travels. Defending on your budget, they come in many forms. But mostly, the rookies come from the provinces, and fresh from (high) school. They either were sent by their parents or want to escape the harshness of the rural life and would like to see a different world perceived with fallacious promises of prosperity. But they all have in common. Dream and daringness. Even if their salary is very low and sometimes the quarters’ condition are harsher than their home, they would take the job hoping that everything will change for the better.
In the same way that there are stories of employer’s nanny-maltreatments, there are stories too of nanny-crimes. You can find it more from the cities. Hence, one is advised not to get one from the nanny-agency and get one from the province (but often times that is not always a guarantee).
Families are blessed if their nannies are their relatives. The fear of your child being maltreated is lower and the trust is higher. You feel your house is secure and the values that your child may get are not far from the values you want to impart to him/her. You can leave the house in peace and can focus on your job without worrying so much of what is happening inside your house while you are gone.
Why do I write about this? Well, I am a Daddy-Nanny. We have two kids, 2 yrs. and 7 months respectively. It’s my job to be the nanny whenever Jaz is at work. And it drives me loco. Aside from changing channels and diapers, I have to tidy and clean the house, which is not so fun, do the laundry every Friday morning, cook, do the mailing, and baby sit. (While Jaz is working, make no mistake about it.)
What’s my point? Well, sometimes nannying drives you crazy, even if they are your children. No mater how hard I put the house in order; Zach would come out with new and different tricks of messing around. That no matter how many prescription drugs you take for your diabetes and high blood pressure, you will find yourself low in sugar but high in impatience. Nanny’s job is not an easy job as others may have understood.
Nanny’s job should be a high paying job. It is a multi-skilled career. If there is somebody who should have taught us to be a multi-tasker, it would be the nanny. They are the teacher-psychologist-chef-interior decorator-linguist-archeologist-dentist rolled into one, always on call. It is a very tough job that is why nobody stayed until retirement age, most of them opt for early retirement.
Yet they don’t cash in a lot of money, why, because according to us, they are less educated, no college degree, nor have not gone to graduate school. But with the effort they put on their work, they deserve more.
Now compare this: In the recent study here in the US for stay at home mom. The website surveyed 40,000 moms and found that performing 10 typical job functions -like housekeeper, van driver, and psychologist -- would equate to an annual salary of $138,095.
Hence, let us give them decent salary just like those working in the offices or factories, treat them well, and give them their days off. As much as possible, don’t let them stay in your house where they are at your mercy for 24/7.
Go on, give your nannies movie passes and even free coupons to your favorite spa.
