Some house helps can make children’s life ‘hell’ or ‘heaven’

Some news stories are too sad and make the media depressing. For example, the trending story of the child, Erickson Kimaro, aged eight years old, from Kimara Temboni, Dar es Salaam, allegedly strangled to death by a house girl.

It’s unfathomable that some people forget that life is a gift from God but they take it away from someone.

Also Read: Police investigating death of eight-year old boy in Dar

A human being is not meant to be there to kill another human being. And to make it worse, killing a child, who we usually believe are like angels, and innocent.

It’s unimaginable what the boy’s parents are undergoing, especially the mother. Life will never be the same again.

They need counseling and the grace of the Maker of Heaven and Earth to survive the so painful episode of their life.

Imagine, she thought she left the child in safe hands, but it was with someone ‘devilish’ who would end up taking the boy’s life! When we see these kinds of stories, every working mother brings pain to the womb and brains. It’s too painful!

Yet, for a working mother, especially with a small child or children, employing a house is necessary. You need your job for self-actualisation and for the family development. Working parents in townships and cities, where at times, the extended family does not stay together, a house girl, at any one time, becomes a part of the family.

Some house helps are great. Sometime back, a clip went viral of a young man at his marriage, decided to recognise and gift the house help who brought him/them up.

He said his mother was not at home most of the time, with even night shifts, and the house girl helped to shape him to whom he was. Yes, and he did that in the presence of his parents.

For those of us who need the house help, sometimes you may get an exemplary one, such that, even when the time to leave for another chapter in her life comes, the whole family feels sad and will send her away with love and gifts.

However, sometimes you may get a house help that behaves like a little devil, and the best thing is to send her away before the situation gets out of hand. The primary purpose of bringing in the helper is to take care of the child when you are not at home. As a parent, the first check if a house girl is suitable should be, does she love children?

Anyone in this life that says “I hate babies or children” and will only have anything to do with children out of necessity should be kept away from your kids.

There are many direct and indirect ways of finding out if the house help cares for children. It’s not about money but humanity.

Working mothers, no matter how busy or tired you are, for the very young children, make sure at times there are things you do for them including bathing, feeding them etc. After you get home, if you find the child does not want to stay close to the house help and shows fear, it’s a red flag.

For a child who does not know how to talk, a mother should understand his/her well when happy, content, sad, angry, etc. Never delegate 100 percent role of taking care of your child to a house help!

For children who can talk, so long as there is an excellent bond between the mother and child, it’s easier to know if there is any problem. Although the parents have to work, they must make all efforts to be their children’s best friends. Such a bond helps you know when the child feels something is wrong and take necessary measures on time.