So how do you deal with an egotistical woman who happens to be the yaya of your first born child? Adjusting to a new born infant is difficult, but adding a self-absorbed yaya makes parenting an even tougher challenge.
Jen and I thought we hit the jackpot when our Godmother paid for the services of a professional yaya for six months. But as the weeks go by, we discovered Aaron's yaya is more of a trouble than a help.
"Prized Trophy"
Whenever the family brings the baby out to a gathering or a get-together, we'd bring Chuchay to take care of Aaron. Jen and I would watch as she carry the baby and look for other yayas, hoping to mingle with them.
At first I thought she wants to talk and socialize with the other yayas. But Jen told me she wasn't being friendly. She was trying to compete with them.
Apparently Chuchay was showing off Aaron, parading him like some kind of pet project. She would walk in front of the other yayas, her eyes looking at the other babies scornfully, as if they were inferior second-hand defects.
Whenever a guest or a relative would comment on Aaron's size, grooming, or clean appearance, Chuchay's face would light up like a Christmas tree.
She thrives on praise, Jen's mother commented. She loves it when people compliment on how good she is. Unfortunately Jen and I were stingy when it comes to praising her. So without us affirming her, Chuchay decided to pat her own back.
"Being Overweight is okay"
Whenever people see Aaron for the first time, they would be amazed at his size. Aaron was born 8.9 pounds. Jen was in charge of feeding Aaron in the morning while Chuchay (the yaya) was in charge of feeding him in the afternoon and at night.
"Dapat uminom sya ng maraming gatas, para mataba siya at mukhang healthy." (He should drink lots of milk, so he would be fat and look healthy). This was Chuchay's mantra. A fat baby is a healthy baby. By the end of the first month, Aaron's weight was around eleven pounds.
By the end of the second month, his weight was fifteen pounds.
"Your baby is gaining a lot of weight," the pediatrician commented. "He is two months old but he weighs like a six-month baby already."
"Huwag ka makinig dyan sa doctor na yan (Don't listen to that doctor)," Chuchay answered. "Walang alam yan. Kelangan mataba ang baby para mabilis lumaki. (She's ignorant. Babies have to be fat in order to grow fast."
By the third month, even our friends were worried about Aaron's size.
"Huwag kayo makinig dyan sa mga kaibigan nyo (Don't listen to your friends)," Chuchay replied. "Inggit lang sila sa baby ninyo. Palibhasa payatot ang mga anak nila (They are just jealous of your baby. Their children are all skinny)."
Eventually we realized that Chuchay was overfeeding the baby. She would push the bottle into Aaron's mouth, even though the baby was not hungry, forcing him to drink the formula. Chuchay would do this every two hours.
Jenny was furious when she learned about this. By then it was too late. Aaron developed a phobia for nipples and bottles (Chuchay was still forcing him to drink). Jen switched to breastfeeding the baby and the yaya never forgave us for that.
"The Gayuma Factor"
It's obvious that Chuchay wants to be the star of the show. She wants Aaron to love her more than me or Jen. Chuchay believes that we'd be lost without her assistance. She'd use all the tricks she knew to make herself closer to Aaron – even superstitious folk beliefs.
"Dapat halikin mo yung birdie ng bata, para maging close kayo at hahanapin ka nya (You should kiss the child's genitals, so both of you would be close and he would look for you)." Chuchay would say whenever she and Jen gave Aaron a bath.
One time, Chuchay took the weekend off and left Aaron with us. The baby kept crying (without reason) every night. Our house help said that Chuchay was probably thinking of him. I personally don't believe in this superstition, but Jen was bothered.
When Chuchay came back, she admitted that she constantly thought of Aaron. "Paulit-ulit ko nga sinasabi yung pangalan ni Aaron, nagtataka nga ang asawa't anak ko kung ano yung dinadasal ko. (I kept reciting Aaron's name, my husband and children were wondering what I was praying about)."
Jen asked her why she'd do that. She was making the baby cry all the while. "Baka kasi makalimutan ako ng bata. (The baby might forget me)"
As the months went by, Jen and I grew tired of the yaya and her arrogant attitude. We were looking forward to the end of Chuchay's six month stay. But in the end she snapped, and we took that opportunity to let her go.
[To be concluded]
No comments:
Post a Comment