2012.......
By the year 2012, I had weaned my second son and was ready to face the world again once I got the right nanny. About that, it was a nightmare. In our own growing up days, our parents had housekeepers that would stay for years, even get married from our homes. Nowadays however, those 419 agents collect your money and send you girls that stay for only a week or less. I was so desperate, I got duped by some Ghanaian agent, Julius or so.
A friend had this Ghanaian nanny that was spectacular, she made me so jealous. So I thought maybe I should try me one of them nannies. Julius the Ghanaian agent, told this woman all sorts of lies to get her to come over, she came and ran back to Ghana the next morning; she was already paranoid about coming to Nigeria. Besides, based on what he told her, she was expecting a Lekki type abode and was not too excited when she entered my tiny Otedola flat in Ojodu. When I was paying the agency fee, I was promised a refund or replacement if I was still within the 3 month probation period. So I called Julius to inform him and he promised to send a replacement within a week. Till tomorrow, I never got the replacement nor my money back. Sighs!
Next attempt, I got this madam from Togo. She was a madam in the actual sense of it. She took one day off every other week and had this biker (not okada o, bike as in power bike!) boyfriend that used to come and see her at my house. The day I found out, I almost passed out. You have your day off, why don't you see him then, how can he be coming to visit you at your work place for God's sake. Was that too much to ask? Anyway, she sacked herself after a while, even you already know that those types of "madams" don't last.
Then I tried the smallies, from the east, from Benue, from Togo! I tried them all. One was a professional thief. She could lie and raise the dead from lying! LOL! Me that I was managing myself with no more office salary plus entrepreneurship hustle, one small rat was now trying to rob me blind. I had to ship her back to the agent that got her for me quick. The smallie from Togo was another matter, it was as if I was the housekeeper myself. Fon Fon (that was her name, seriously!), had to be prompted for everything. Its time to wash (baby clothes o), its time to pack the clothes from the line, its time to fold and I just did the ironing myself, too much headache. To now make matters worse, I realized she had been sneaking out at night to go and spend time with my neighbor's houseboy!! Lobatan. I wasn't ready to be a grandmother by force, so I shipped her back to her people quickly.
At this point I was already tired of trying. I quit for some time and was a stay at home mom, carrying the boys everywhere I went. We even did some deliveries together. Then one day my mom got the contact of one of the old housekeepers she had when we were younger. She called her up and she came. Unfortunately, she had her hands full and couldn't stay herself so she got me someone else who came with her grandson to resume! Huh?! She came explaining that the boy's mother was working out of town but would come and get him once she got back, in two days.Okay o.I showed her round the house and she settled in. Settled in with my kid's beverages and milk! This one was a case of, I have entered my paradise. No way I was going to work with this madam, no no. So I found a way to say, you know what I don't think we can work together, sorry for the inconvenience and I paid her half month salary upfront. Na yam! Is it easy to give up your paradise just like that, this woman (a grandmother!), knelt down and started to beg. I was embarrassed. It took wisdom from above and my mother's intervention to move this rock of Gibraltar out of my house. Whew!
I had given up and was already looking for a creche, when an aunt who works in a school came around to say she had this nanny and housekeeper from her school who was looking for a better paying job. I was skeptical at first but my aunt vouched for her, she had observed her work ethics for some time and assured me that she was good. I met and interviewed her and we reached a workable agreement, Mondays to Fridays with weekends off except on request. She has been working with me for close to a year now and after all my eyes have seen in this quest, I thank God for restoring sanity to my life with a good nanny! She's not perfect, but then who is? Not me for sure.
To be a successful mumpreneur, you need not only your office team, but also a reliable team at home and you must manage all these stakeholders well to ensure everything runs smoothly.
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