Dilemma

Finding a suitable nanny here is hard. Finding a good nanny-cum-domestic helper who fits our criteria is even harder. It seemed like the more we waited, the more likely the good ones are snapped up. Hence after several uneventful interviews, we found someone who met some of our criteria and one we are comfortable with. We then decided to recruit a live-out nanny before Spud’s arrival, with the notion that she could also help out while I am still on maternity, and then take over when I get back to work.

She has since been in our house 5x a week, throughout the day, and it will now be only a matter of weeks before my maternity leave officially ends. I bet our Nanny can’t wait to get rid of me so she can take over the caring of Spud, rather than spending her time doing our household chores 90% of her time!

I don’t like the idea of having a Nanny to take care of Spud one bit to be honest. We both want to be hands-on parents, and as far as possible, with a little bit of guidance from reliable sources, will want to figure things out ourselves. It irks me to bits even to acknowledge the fact that Spud will be spending more time with this one person day-in, day-out as I slave away in the office. It riles me up to know that potentially, Spud will become very attached to the Nanny than her own parents, and that there’s a possibility that she picks up habits and way of thinking more from the Nanny than from us; given the amount of time she will be spending with this one person. I shudder at the thought of Spud picking up childish habits with whiny high-pitched voice, and trickling of Thai.

However, having a nanny seems to be the only option at this moment. Unless one of us is rich, we cannot afford the single-income household. Besides, I am not ready to give up my career entirely to be a stay-home mom. I would consider going on part-time work, but as mentioned, we both cannot afford the financial impact that comes with it. And no, this country does not have a day-care centre for a child as young as 3 months old.

I don’t like the nanny idea one bit, but I just have to grit my teeth for now until we find a more viable option.