If you will ask any working mom to name their top five biggest fear or headache, one of their answers would be “mawalan ng yaya.” And why not, our yayas are our ka-tag team when it comes to rearing our children.
As they say, lucky is the working mom who has an ever dependable yaya. Our generation (30-somethings, the new 17…hahahaha!) come from a generation that’s mostly reared by yayas. And for some of us, these yayas are still with our families, either staying with our parents, or if we are lucky, they joined us in our families and are now taking care of their “apos” or our offsprings.
I am lucky to still have my beloved Inay with us (although she stays with my parents), and whenever I am in my parents’ house, she still takes care of me and dotes on my kids. My three good friends also still have their yayas of many, many years wih them. Halos pare pareho ata sila nila inay ng tenure of service – actually hindi na nga service, kasi part of the family na. in fact my Inay, My Friend P’s Nanay, My BFF’s Ate Marina, and my other friend N’s Manang all have forgotten to get married, and have been with our respective families for at least twenty five years.
But ask them, and they would all say, “iba na ang generation ng mga yaya ngayon.” Hence most of us working moms, go on a mad scramble when yaya leaves on the 11th hour, AKA the night before we go to work the following day – or worse, that same morning. So what are our options if we are suddenly faced with this? After breathing in and out, read on the following suggestions:
1. Call your parents/In-Laws/Trusted Family – They are your best bet for the moment. It may be hassle to bring the kids to their house two hours before you clock in but this is the most logical choice if you have them nearby
2. Stay-at-Home-Mom Friend – She may be your neighbor, or someone who lives a few kilometers from your house, but she is a trusted friend and she stays with her kids so she may be your second best choice. Since most of us pinoys will not ask for money in exchange for that help, it would be great if you could bring in dinner or cake when you come by to pick up your kid.
3. Bring the kidlet to work – If you know that you have no meetings and it will be a relatively easy day at work, then why not text your boss and ask if you bring your little one around? If she says yes, then by all means bring the kiddo and some toys.
4. One-day Daycare – If you are fortunate enough to have an office daycare (yes, meron sa Pilipinas, some BPOs and Multinational Companies), then bring the kid in there for socialization. Just bring enough food snacks and lunch), plus change of clothes, and bottles of milk and water.
5. Play Place or Semi-Daycare – If you really have to show up for a meeting at work, and then you can leave after that, and you just need a two-hour baby sitter, then you may want to consider leaving your child to a Gymboree or similar play place, along with some snacks. This however will ONLY work if your child is old enough to be left alone there with minimal supervision from the play place staff.
6. Take a Leave – If your boss is understanding enough and you have no major work commitments that day then take a leave and while you are at it, find an alternative childcare arrangement for the following days until you get a new yaya.
These tips however are just band-aid solutions. You may want to check out this post for long-term solutions to your #YayaProblems. Please also feel free to share your own solutions to #YayaProblems by leaving a reply/comment below.
