Hi mommies,
How's everyone? hope all the babies are well. K has finally gotten over her cough, cold, flu whereas SM is still coughing. Sigh, more than 3 weeks already.
maids
Wow, you are all very generous to your helpers. I prefer to take the firm approach first and be nice later. There's always time to be nice later if you are happy with their performance. I gave this new maid some toiletries to start with. Also told her that I"m buying for her now but when she gets her salary and day off, she can shop for herself. For bread, she has her own loaf, margarine and spread. I think they are happier that way as they do not need to consider how much to eat or how much to leave for us. Sometimes, they are pai seh to eat too much and risk getting scolded by us.
Piglettail
I can totally understand what you are going through. My first maid had to see a specialist every 3 months. She had an auto immune disease. The first time I brt her, the bill came up to $500, she cried and cried cos the bill is more than her pay. I also was shocked. She was treated as a private patient at SGH. There's no subsidy for foreign workers. But she worked well for us, so we retained her. We take it that her medical bills are her "bonus" but you know something, maids will be maids..no matter how much you take care of them, or how well you treat them, they will expect more and more. After she returned to Philippines, she smsed me how come she has no bonus whereas her frens have. I told her that her medical bills came up to many months of salary, and we covered for her, that is her bonus. She still not happy and cont to sms me. In the end, we TT $400 to her as additional bonus. After that, I never heard from her again. I'm ok with it cos I never expect her to repay me anyway and I am thankful during the time with us, she loved K alot.
So mommies, you can be nice and you can be nice. But do it without expectations that they will repay your kindness ok?
sleeping w/o diapers
After K could control her pee/motion, I put her in bumwear for night time. There were a few accidents but she learnt. Gradually, about 3 months ago, we stopped wearing the bumwear cos she complained tight, itchy, uncomfy and volunteered not to wear herself. I told her she MUST say she wants to go even if at night. Everynight after milk, I will put her on the toilet even if she tells me no shee shee. There's no accidents so far.
Once, she was in the shopping mall with me, I forgot to ask her to go and when I remembered, she was very tight. In fact, she controlled until we got into the cubicle. ONce I pulled off her underwear, she leaked onto her panties. So I had to take off her wet panties and wash. She was very very unhappy and wanted to go home straightaway. I think girls are just more aware of such things.
