babygrace,
I agreed with your points. Having maids may have more problem with bbsitter. Having a choice, I will choose over bbsitter, then child care and maid last. At least for bbsitter, I dun get to see, so I won't get angry. But maid, I think I can't tahan. Sometimes I see my PT cleaner and my relatives' maids, I already boiling le. Think not long, I will forgo my PT cleaner after I downgrade my place to a smaller area, though she's good in cleaning, but some ways she does her work especially cleaning the windows, I have heart attack!! I already warned her few times, she tends to forget.
Adeline,
Your aunty very good. Gotta xin ku her for another 2 years before #2 reaches the stage where your aunty won't be that siong.. Anyway good for you lah, you can shake leg when ppl only planning for marriage or kids, your kids will be at least few years old liao. Envy you. I should have planned for kids by 2 years earlier, if so, Jolene will be at 4 or 5 when I reach 30.
It's really blessed that your aunty helps you with the bbsitting issue. Not many aunts will do that. It's not easier to take care of kids. You and your aunty must be very close right? Just like, I very fang xin to let my gals stay with my 4th aunt cos I know she will take very good care of them. But not for my other aunts haha..
Delphine,
Think mother usually does more for own daughter. For this case, ask your hb to talk to his mum aka your MIL. List out pros and cons, and have a nice talk.
I just feel that your SIL's kids are older, aged 4 and 9. Your SIL only need to bring them over to your MIL place (10 mins away only what). If yr SIL feels nothing for her kids to play at your MIL place, there's always solution like bring their toys over lah, they can't be possible playing all their toys everyday right, gotta change toys theme also wat. How big is her place as compare to MIL place? In SG, most flats size are abt there. My own place is an EA unit, my mum place only 3 room flat. There's no problem with my gals on space issue. And also my gals only have their toys at home, not at my mum place. But then they still can find things to entertain themselves.
Does your SIL know how her kids act? From the way you describe (feeding), they seems really spoilt. Frankly speaking, I do heard kids aged 9 still drinking from milk bottle. I used to think that is wrong, and also is caretaker's "fault" to let them continue. In fact, I was think age 3,4 drink from milk bottle is wrong... Until one day, I was reading a thread on weaning off milk bottles, then I realised many mummies mentioned there's nothing wrong to use milk bottles as long as kids are willing to drink the milk, cos milk is good for them. Some mentioned they dun care as long as kids wanna drink. More fear they dun want to drink. Then my mum and aunt are also "fighting" out with me for wanting to wean off Jolene on milk bottle. I started to realise perhaps I'm wrong?? Well, I also dunno, but I just feel it is a bad habit for Jolene to suck on the teat. My intention to wean off milk bottle is becos I realised Jolene is sucking the teat for comfort which led to sucking air into her body, thats why her tummy always bloated. I dun understand why she can drink fresh milk and full cream milk from cup but not FM. I tried not giving her milk bottle, ended she dun want to drink her FM. Then I got more worried cos she's not drinking.
And I do agreed with babygrace's point. Yr SIL may think 1) she "books" her mum first, so got to listen and follow her ways, 2) she is the mum's daughter, so she got piority.
She can send her kids to after sch centre, got big space to run, got teachers to supervise homework, got food to eat. And perhaps can learn to be more independent.
Vivian,
Why call Barney gay dinosaur huh? I never like the way it looks, so I never intro Barney to my gals. But recently I realised Jolene knows Barney, some more can point and say "Barney" till so happy. I wonder how she got expose to it.