Our girls have had the same caregiver since our 7 1/2 year old daughter was 5 months old. Our caregiver is caring, nurturing and she loves them like her own grand-kids. Our girls even call her “Nanay” which means “grandmother” in my language. When Nanay first worked with us, it absolutely felt a strange leaving our little O with someone else. It was even weirder when O didn’t bat an eyelash when I left. She went right to Nanay and I could leave without a peep, whine or cry. I guess that’s the better alternative than having her scream and running the other way every time she came to our apartment.
Fast forward to seven years later and the girls are well-established in their routines with Nanay; they have come to love her as she loves them. Right before I got laid off, I came home from work hoping for a big hug and kiss from my girls. I opened the door and S sees ME and started bawling her eyes out. She starts screaming and crying, “I don’t want Mommy! I want Nanay!” Needless to say, that tantrum lasted for a good 20 minutes. *Sigh* The life of a working mommy. You have to accept that sometimes your kids choose your caregiver over you. Again, I have to say, that I’d rather have it this way – It would have broken my heart more if she was screaming and running the other way when Nanay would come to our apartment in the mornings.
That night, as she was still crying for Nanay and I was rocking her to sleep, S made me sing the Lullaby song with the words “I want Nanay” in it. Could you believe it???
Fast forward to Day 3 of my Unemployed Triple Threat Mom status: I had brought S to gymnastics. I had asked Nanay to meet us at there, so we could do the kid-hand-off since I had an appointment afterwards. Well, wouldn’t you know it? S actually cried for me when she had to get off the train with Nanay. As she was going up the subway stairs and the train was pulling out of the station, I could hear her crying, “I want Mommy!”
I have to say, I was a little happy about it. All it took was for me to get laid off and spend just three days with her.
xo
TTM