Is Having A Maid An Essential?

I am a full-time working mother (a very busy one in fact) with two kids and no maid. Many people have asked me before why I don’t get myself a maid because they cannot imagine how I cope without one.

There are many reasons why I don’t have a maid:

1) My house is too small to accommodate one more human being.

Currently all our bedrooms are taken and we do not have an extra room for the maid to sleep in. I know some people let their maids sleep in the storeroom or in the living room, but I think that’s quite unkind. Furthermore, we are very late-sleepers, so our maid will probably have permanent dark eye rings because the TV will be blasting away late into the night.

2) I cannot get used to living with a total stranger.

I know I will probably get used to it after some time, but the thought is pretty daunting. And being a very hands-on mother, it will take time for me to get over the psychological barrier that a stranger is taking care of my babies. I might become a control freak.

3) I am not willing to compromise my current standard of living.

Having a maid means extra expenses and with limited disposable income every month, having a maid means I have to cut back on other luxurious expenses. Nay, not willing to.

4) It really is manageable.

It may be tiring to take care of the kids and keep the house spick and span, but it is totally possible. Luckily for me, I have a mother-in-law who lives with me and enjoys doing household chores. As a filial daughter-in-law, there is NO WAY (absolutely none at all) I can fight with her over doing household chores. =P She’s much better at them anyway. So since I am relieved of household duties, I just focus on taking care of my kids.

The most tiring part is coming home after a day’s trip out. I got to bathe my girls one by one, make milk for both of them and get them fed before I can bathe and eat anything. Thank God Joey can take care of minor chores now like drinking her own milk, washing her own bottle, getting and wearing her pyjamas etc. Helps a lot. :) I remember there was once my mum in law went to Australia to visit her sister and during that whole period (a couple of months), I managed to cover the household chores as well. May not be perfect but at least the house did not get buried under the dirty laundry and dirt.

Having said all that though, I am always envious of my colleagues and friends who have maids to help take care of their kids, clean the house, cook meals and feed the kids, carry their bags etc. I would love to have help in those areas as well! Of course, I’ve heard enough horror stories as well, but I cross my fingers to get a good maid next time when I really need one! Most of those in the office nursery are nice, hardworking and love the kids!

Perhaps in the near future when we move to a bigger house, and become more prosperous, we might consider going down that rut. It’s almost like a path that cannot be avoided if I want to be more freed up to do what I want to do. =)

One step at a time. :)