The role of housemaids in our homes!

With both the parents working and how our social life in the Gulf is organized, its rare to find a family home without a maid.

Families bring housemaids from different countries like Philipines, Indonesia, India, Tanzaniya and others.

There are many times I wish to manage home and kids routines without a housemaid. Especially with the privacy of our homes, our boundaries and how we like things to be inside our homes, it is uncomfortable to have a full-time housemaid living with us inside our homes.

The issues that majority of families face with housemaids are many. First is the lack of home and kids care training many housemaids had. It is mostly the wife or mother at home who needs to train the maids how to cook, clean and care for the kids.

Another challenge is we don’t know their backgrounds, where they exactly come from, their families set-ups and the environments they live in. Many of them come from tough backgrounds and harsh environments. I remember one of the housemaids I had used to grab my baby’s one arm and cook in the kitchen with my baby wrapped with a scarf behind her back.

Also many of the maids don’t know how to use the kitchen and cleaning electronic items. Even after you teach and show them, they still wouldn’t know how to handle the items. I can’t count how many times my maids damaged the mixing blenders, the iron and vacuum. It is a mess.

With the current set-up of our social and working life and the common issues we face with housemaids, we need to remember some points when interacting with them. First, their role at home will always be a helper role. Even with all our efforts to train and show them, they will never replace us. It is always you who knows best about the kids, who arranges dishes in a particular way, who cooks best and who knows what to bring for grocery.

Second is remember the housemaids are humans. Although they work for us and we pay them monthly salary, they are humans who get tired, who needs to take rest, who do mistakes and who have got their different personalities and attitudes.

I laugh when I remember times when a maid didn’t cook because I am the wife and I should cook. Or the time I am at work and asked my maid to prepare food for my baby and her answer was: Why didn’t you make the food for your baby before you go to work? It is hard when you have a housemaid full time in your private home and at the same time you need to manage these behaviors too.

The last point to remember is to stay updated and informed about your home routines and activities. Sometimes when we let the housemaids to be in charge of our homes, we go loose and dependent on them. Remain up-to-date with what is happening in your home. Check your fridge regularly. Check your kitchen cubboards before you do grocery shopping. Check the laundry often and don’t fully depend on the maid. Keep your hands close to your kids’ activities.

Some may say: “I am too busy. I get exhausted coming back from work.” Our lives are not to be fully utilized for work. Work is just a part of life. Having balance between work and life is key. Work but also reserve your precious energy for the time you come back home.