Wailings Of A Work At Home Mom

The Wild and Wacky World of WAHMs!

Tag Archives: Childcare


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Missing Nanny 4: Going to Grannies

(From left) My sister, my mom, my daughter, my niece and me on New Years

(From left) My sister, my mom, my daughter, my nephew and me on New Years

The reason why Filipinos have such close family ties is because each generation is in one way or another completely dependent on one another. In most Filipino families, the primary caregivers of children, in addition to the parents, are the grandparents.

This is still the case for most families but it’s not as predominant as before. Which is why some of us have to look for nannies or consider working at home.

This was the case when I was pregnant with my daughter. My in-laws were both working at that time and my mother was on the other side of the country. The grandparents on both sides wanted to spend more time with my daughter but they were all too busy with their own jobs.

When we moved to Davao, the situation was reversed. My mother went back to

My daughter with her Grandpa

My daughter with her Grandpa

school and my in-laws, now retired, was on the other side of the country.

My mom and in-laws may not be able to take care of my daughter full-time but I know they’re often willing to help when able. That’s why, when we went back to Manila for a week-long vacation, I took advantage of my in-laws willingness to take care of my little girl and was able to keep working full-time that week.

As wonderful as it was to have grandparents that are always ready and willing to take care of my child, I try not to take advantage of it too much. First and foremost, they all have their own lives, plans and activities everyday. I’m extremely thankful every time they rearrange their lives to accommodate my daughter. I want the time they have with their grandchild to be a joy and not a chore. So taking care of their daughter should be a break from the day-to-day and not their day to day.

My daughter with Grandma in the park

My daughter with Grandma in the park

So to my mom and my in-laws, thank you so much for all those days that you took care of my baby for me. You have no idea how thankful and touched I am every time I see you welcome her with open arms. I don’t think I would have survived the past 3 years of motherhood without your support. I know we sometimes clash but I understand and I know you only want what’s best for your grandchild. My daughter is extremely lucky to have the most loving grandparents who spoil her rotten and tease her incessantly.

Thank you, thank you, thank you…

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Missing Nanny 1: The Saga Begins

I admit that compared to most work at home moms, I’ve been luckier than most. I have a supportive husband and a full time nanny that takes care of my child while I’m working. I’ve been able to do work, have some time for myself, and relax because of my full time nanny.

So imagine my shock and fear when my nanny told me she’ll be putting in fewer hours in the next 6 weeks.

To fully understand my situation, let me give you guys some background. My nanny works for us full time but she also attends college on Sundays (she’s a 1st year ICT student). This semester, her professors required the entire class to intern for 150 hours so they could hone their skills.

She’s a really good student so finding a place that would take her wasn’t hard. The problem was the schedule. The company required her to intern for them 5 days a week, 5 hours a day every afternoon.

My nanny and I already have this routine going on. I take care of my daughter in the mornings and she takes over in the afternoon. So basically, her internship would eat up the time when I get the most work done. I’m pretty much left without a nanny for the next 6 weeks.

After sharing all this with my sister, the first thing she said to comfort me was, “This would make a great series for you blog.”

The next 6 weeks are going to be fun for me and my little pumpkin

The next 6 weeks are going to be fun for me and my little pumpkin

She’s right! This would be a great series for my blog. I know how to manage my time and a few tricks that would me allow me to work. The only difference was back then, my daughter was still a baby and now she’s a toddler. I’ll need to learn new tricks, bring  my A-game, and make a few changes in the things I knew would work.

Instead of feeling sorry for myself and worrying, I’m going to put my money back where my mouth is. With a toddler in tow, it’ll be a bit more challenging but not impossible. After all, that is what we work at home moms and dads do. We adapt whenever life throws a curve ball at us, do our best, and pray really hard we don’t screw up our kids in the process.

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