An open letter to my child's yaya

I remember the first time that you became a part of our family. At first, I wasn't too sure about getting a yaya for my daughter, as I wanted me and my husband to be the ones to take care of her. But, since me and my husband both had to work, we made the choice to look for a yaya, and we're thankful that we made the right choice with you.

During the first few months, it was difficult for me to adjust to having a yaya around the house. I didn't have a yaya when I was young, and we never had a maid at home, so I was a bit paranoid, especially since my other mom friends have told me stories of how their kids' yayas stole money from them, or even caught them hitting their child.

I'm sorry if I made you feel like a total stranger during that time, or if you felt like an outsider to us. I'm just an overprotective mom with an overactive imagination! But as the months went by, I slowly started to warm up to you, and it was great seeing you take care of my daughter just like she was your own.

I still remember when she was almost a year old, you called me at work and told me that she had a high fever. I could hear the fear and worry in your voice, and I remember the worried look on your face when we took her to the hospital. Thankfully, she wasn't too sick, and the doctors figured out what was wrong with her. But I'll never forget how you handled that situation, and immediately called us at the first sign of trouble. It made me feel that you were someone I could really trust with my daughter's life, and that your concern for her wasn't just because it was your job, I felt like you really did care for her. And I'm very thankful for that.

Some people treat their yayas like an employee, or they just treat them like someone they hired, without any concern for anything else. But for us, you're more than that.  As far as me and my husband are concerned, you're a part of our family.

I know it was hard for you to be so far from your family, especially since you've been with us for 5 years now. That's why I'm eternally grateful and thankful for everything you've done for us. My daughter's slowly growing up, and I owe a lot of that to how you took care of her while me and my husband were working.

I'm happy to say that in the 5 years that you've been with us, I've never had any problems, nor did I have to worry about anything. I knew that you were someone that I could trust, and you proved that trust right time and time again.

I know that I couldn't expect you to be with us until my little girl grows up, especially since you also have a family to take care of back in the province. Just know that even if you go back to the province, you'll always have a family here, and you and your family are always welcome in our home.

Also read: 5 Steps to Finding and Keeping the Right Yaya