Hello friends, and welcome back to Mummy Tales. Today, I revisit the topic of house girls (sometimes called Domestic Managers, house helps, house maids or nannies). You can see my previous articles on this topic here.
So, I have a couple more of such articles lined up, where I’ll be featuring house girls who have come through for their employers. The Kenyan mums will be talking about their first-hand experiences with house girls who have been great assets in their homes. I welcome you to read these articles, hoping that you can be inspired and even pick something new from both the moms’ and house girls’ experiences. If you’d like to share your own story, you can write to me at maryanne@mummytales.com
I’ll start the series with the story of Tildah Kabura Kahuthu, a mother of a six-year-old daughter.
“When my baby was sick and we got admitted, I had a new house girl who had been with us for only three weeks. However, she was someone I was familiar with since she used to work around my neighborhood. Her name was Belinda.
At the hospital where my baby was admitted (I had to stay with her throughout her admission), Belinda would show up every day at 6am, and she would cry whenever she saw my baby on oxygen. She would go on to stay all day long with us, leaving at 6pm.
On the day my When baby was taken off oxygen, Belinda hugged me and cried. She loved my baby to bits.
When Belinda would come to the hospital, she would feed and bathe the baby while instructing me to rest and not worry as she would look after the baby. She understood how stressed I was and would take care of the baby as I rested. The doctors also took a liking to her and she was never chased away even after visiting hours had ended.
Belinda was God sent and loved my baby beyond. For the three weeks my baby was admitted in hospital, she never missed a single day visiting us at the hospital. And when she returned home, she never misbehaved even though she was alone in the house.
Belinda was trustworthy and I depended on her for almost everything. Whenever I would send her for shopping, she would actually shop better than me.
Whenever she had the opportunity, she would even buy for my baby fruits, toys and clothes -using her own money.
Belinda stayed with me for eight months –only leaving when she went to get married.
We lost touch after I relocated from Mombasa where we were staying at that time. But I have never forgotten Belinda. I pray for her every time because she saved me from depression at that time when my baby was sick in hospital. It was an extremely very difficult time for me. Belinda came through for me at a time when I really needed someone to be there for me. She was there for me at a very low point in my life emotionally and financially. She stood in the gap. God bless her.
Advice to other Moms
I would advise Kenyan moms to be patient with house girls as they too are human and are bound to make mistakes. Your priority should always be the baby. To me if she is a bit messy but is good with the baby, the mess is worth overlooking. Just help out with the mess. Above all, treat them well.”
And that’s Tildah’s story. Have you had a house girl who has been such a blessing in your home? Share your story with me on maryanne@mummytales.com
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