I broke one of my strict rules before I moved here. I crossed the social lines and hired someone from my church. The reason I had been reluctant to do this is because if it didn't work out, termination is messier. I didn't want them to talk about us or stop going to church because we offended them.
However, after multiple interviews and inquiries the person that was most qualified to help me out with this new baby happened to be a member of my church. She is fabulous. For the first time since I have lived here I have someone who actually understands what I am saying, even when I am being sarcastic. It is incredible. And Stella is in love! She is great and I have help with Stella at a time when I really need it. At 38 weeks pregnant I am not exactly the most mobile person in the world.
Here is where the trouble begins. Once we hired another person to help out
solely with the new
bambino and Stella our current maid started to get annoyed. She felt like she had seniority and she should be able to boss this person around as if she were the lady of the house. When I told her that Q (our new
yaya), is in charge of children only she was angry. She said if I didn't make her clean and cook like A (old maid) does she would quit.
This is when the mother lion in me came out. You need to understand a little background on A. She came from working in a Filipino household for under $80 for the entire month. She got one day a month off. Since she has been with us she gets well more than double her pay, every weekend she gets time off and we have taught her how to cook and certified her in safety and sanitation. Oh, yeah and we gave her three weeks of vacation at Easter, all Filipino holidays, and a full week at Christmas, and paid leave for six weeks in August. In other words, we have really developed her to make her a better helper so she can go on and make more money and have a better life after we leave.
So...when I get news that if I don't force one of my employees to do something the other one will quit, 10 days before I have my newborn. I was angry. My maid was basically trying to blackmail me because she knew I needed her at this time. When she gave me this either/or situation I knew exactly what to do.
I told her to pack her bags, turn in her keys, and get out in thirty minutes. She was informed that she would not be getting a recommendation and I told her she could go back to working for Filipinos for $80 a month.
Then her tune changed.
"Well, no ma'am, you see, I just wanted, don't be mad."
Here is my point, you don't mess with a pregnant woman and you don't use your job as leverage.
In the end I did assign some of A's housework to Q but made sure they knew I was doing it out of my decision and not through coercion.
Ugh.
Tiger James was born at 7:10 a.m. on Saturday, May 23, 2009. All 9 lbs. 7 oz. of the chubby-cheeked boy.
