The Help

I have two housemaids at home. One watches after my son (his yaya), and the other does all the other work (cook, clean, laundry, garden). I am quite content with the quality of their work, not to mention that I get along with them fine. I can trust them not to steal, gossip, etc.

Then comes this third one.

She was a former housemaid of my mom. She worked for us since she was 14, and I was 9. She left us to get married, and for lack of any work opportunity in their province, she came back. And since my mom's house was full, she lived with us. That's when all hell broke loose.

She gossips, says bad things about my all-around helper (not clean enough, lazy,) which are not true by the way. Before, the third one used to work for me, before the first two came along. And it was not exactly paradise. She makes maktol when I give her something to do, as in bangs the doors, mumbles to herself loudly (I can hear), and has a permanent scowl on her face. Not a pretty sight. And now she comes and thinks she does a better job than anyone. Insecure much? She even told my mom on me, that I wasn't keeping an eye on the two. But thankfully, my mom brushed her off, and told her that instead of criticizing, she should help and teach my two maids.

My cousin, Astrid's theory is, maybe since we're all settled in and seem to be getting along fine since she came along, maybe she got envious of the harmony, and wanted to point out every little thing that was wrong, like the cleanliness of the house. She knew that that was her strength. Maybe she wants us to see her worth.

So, what I did, so she will not call my all-around helper unpleasant names behind her back, I assigned them their work, and I wrote it on paper, and posted it on the fridge door for all the world to see. So there will be no more pointing of fingers. I'm making a spreadsheet soon, so there will be a sense of finality.

Maybe you're wondering why I'm allowing myself to be bullied by a housemaid. Well, I'm wondering that myself. But i promised myself that everytime I see the third one do something I'm not keen on, I will call her on it, and reprimand her. Before, when I lived with my parents, I wouldn't dare reprimand her because she was older than me. But things are different now. She lives in my house, and I'm in-charge.