Sometimes, I really think that Popo hates our maid - the scolding and the sneer remarks. I have told her on several occasions that I wont be surprised if auntie really sues Popo for verbal abuse. I feel bad for auntie on many occasions when Popo is in one of those difficult moods but I veer clear. I don’t want to be caught in between. I take my hat off auntie. I think I would have thrown the letter long ago or go crazy if my boss treats me the way that Popo treats auntie. Poor auntie.
Interestingly, auntie perseveres on. She has been with us for 10 months, since March 2012. Two days ago, she received her first full salary of $470 after paying off her loan. You can see the joy in her eyes when she took her pay but it sets off the injustice that Popo thinks she is suffering. You see, including levy, lodging, food, transport and miscellaneous, we easily spent more than $1k per month on the month. Out of which, $470 is cash that goes into her pocket. Popo thinks that auntie is useless, or at least of little help, way below her beyond sky expectations that she sets for all the maids that live-in with her. She thinks that my brother’s maid, who has the intention to return home in June, is way superior to auntie. She is probably right. My brother is really lucky to find such a good maid but I also think that it is bcos their maid does not live in with her.
Thus, she thinks that it is not worth paying $470 to our maid. More importantly, she thinks that she’s worse off than the maid, hinting that I gave her too little money for all the housework that she has done for me and also looking after my kids as compared to what I am paying the maid. I rolled eyes and tell her as a matter-of-fact that she can sack the maid anytime if she thinks that she can handle the kids. Yes, I am ungrateful. But I do not print $$ and my pocket is only that deep. The maid is an employee, she works for $$ and I have to pay her according to contract. Popo is family. Not that I am taking her for granted but if she expects market-rate “compensation”, then maybe the kids should go to Childcare centers instead. This is just like how full-time mummies do not get “pay” in comparison to maids and working mummies who take on the other mummy role after working hours, dual role but only 1 salary. So theoretically, mummies are worse off than maids too. I know that she is just ranting and she has the right too. I am just too sensitive and I need to rant too.
We have toyed with the idea of going maidless. In fact, I have been thinking about it since Auntie MaAnn left, our very last PHL maid, who gave us less problem largely bcos Popo just starting living in with us then. Now that the kids are older and are out of the house and in school for almost 5 hours a day, it appears that the thought is feasible. They are also sleeping later, so that we have more time to spend with them at night and thus waking up later. They used to wake up at 7ish but may now even sleep until 9am. In Popo’s Book of Routines, the kids are solely our responsibility from the time they reached home until the time they sleep. So, the really difficult part will really be in the morning when Popo has to prepare bfast, feed them and pack them off to school. It will be tough if someone decides to be difficult.
After they are off to school, Popo will have 4+ hrs to do whatever that she wants, be it housework or R&R. My intention is to get a part-time helper to come in once a week for the major housework like cleaning the toilet, mopping and sweeping. In fact, we used to do that when I was preggy with Lil Shauna, not cleaning the house (except for laundry and dishes) until the cleaning auntie comes in once every 2 weeks. It is definitely less thorough and clean than having a live-in maid. The cleaning auntie would only do the “surface” cleaning. I think we can live with a little bit of dirt. My guess is that Popo would still want to do her routine every day with or without maid/ cleaning auntie. I rest my case. She can take those 5 hours to do whatever that she wants so long as she doesn’t bother me or complain how tiring it is bcos I didn’t ask her to do them.
It will be a little tough during the weekends, especially when Daddy Lim have to work on almost every weekend and PH and even work late sometimes. I have not tried handling both kids on my own before. But as the kids grow older, things will be easier, right? So, it is all possible. We are not as dependent on the maid as we used too. The Korea trip proved it all. In fact, I sometime feel that auntie is infringing into our privacy.
The main reason on why we are still having a maid is the desire to still be lazy and have the maid chases after the kids while we still can. More importantly, it sounded somehow inhumane if we sack her now. I had made it very clear to Popo that we will not get another replacement maid when auntie finishes her contract or if she decides to leave midway. There may be a high chance that she is tempted to do so when my brother’s maid leaves in June, especially when she is starting to get a little more $$ in her pocket. Or maybe just one day when she finally cannot tolerates Popo anymore. I do look forward to the day that we go maidless. It is painful to be struck between them. Hmmm, so long as the kids don’t drive me crazy. Oh, the school holiday when all hell breaks loose. Let’s deal with that when it is here. Lol.
Mummy Lim
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