Living Without A Maid

Can I ever live without a maid? I got to know from a friend that it is very difficult to apply for a maid nowadays.

My maid would be returning home in September and what if I really can’t find a maid?

There are tones of work to be done in the house besides caring for the children. There is the laundry, the sweeping and mopping, the toilets, the dishes, the ironing, the cooking, the windows and cabinets, the bed sheets and the list can go on.

The sweeping and mopping can be replaced using a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Isn’t it easier to vacuum instead of to sweep and mop? My husband would gladly help if there is a Dyson vacuum cleaner! The only concern is what would happen if some parts fail or break? While browsing through the net, I found some Dyson spares and Polti spares and that had eased my mind as to where to purchase spares for a Dyson vacuum cleaner if I need them.

A washing machine and a dryer would solve my problem of laundry while food catering might be an alternative if I can’t find time to cook. The car, windows, cabinets, toilets and bed sheets would be a once a week or once a fortnight affair with the help of my children. That leaves dishes which can never be avoided.

Children would have to go for day care and I would have time to do my paper work. Oh, dear, will I be able to handle all these? I’m so used to having a maid! Let’s hope I can find a maid by September and if I really can’t, then I’ll have to learn some tactics from my friends who have no maids at home.

Maid Or No Maid?

In Malaysia, many people have maids. Every time when I go shopping or dining, I would see families with a maid tagging along. Last Saturday, during our weekly playgroup session, we discussed this issue and we were wondering how people from the other side of the globe (western countries) can afford to live without a maid.


For me, I desperately need a maid but my husband often reminds me that there are many people out there who have five children and do not even have a maid. I have to agree with him but I just can’t do without one. I leave all the house chores to my maid. She takes care of the laundry, the dishes, the cleanliness of the entire house and the food (preparing vegetables and meat before I cook them). As for me, I take care of my work and my children.


It seems that I only take care of two things but they take up a lot of my time and energy. My work is flexible but the workload is there. My children are difficult to handle especially when they are the bodily kinesthetic type. Children don’t only eat and sleep. They need to learn, they need to play, they need bonding and they need to be loved. Educating children doesn’t only mean seeing to their studies or academic. It means grooming them into useful people who have good characteristics, behavior and EQ. That’s the most difficult part of parenting, I guess.


Now, with my eldest son in primary one and the younger two in pre-school, I find it difficult to breathe. With the new schedule, I only have two to three hours for myself to write and to visit blogs. (Sorry for not visiting your blogs so frequently. I am struggling here to even write a post a day. For those who visit my blog frequently, I truly appreciate the kind act and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.) How do I feel? Although I would love to have more time to myself, to update my blogs and to visit all your blogs, I still feel good that I spend time with my children. The special bonding between us can never be replaced by anything!


Back to maids, many argued that having maids mean spoiling our children. The maid would do everything and the children would take for granted that they do not need to help in the house. I am aware of this and I make sure that my children don’t push everything to the maid.


These are the things my children need to do at home despite having a maid:

1) Bring in bag from the car when they return from school, take out water tumbler and lunch box from the bag.
2) Take their plates, fork and spoon from the kitchen before each meal.
3) Bring their plates, fork and spoon to the sink after each meal.
4) Keep the toys.
5) Wipe the table (Karl, my eldest son would do it)
6) Wash school shoes (Karl)
7) Sweep and mop during weekends (Karl)
8) Fold clothes (Sometimes, they would help the maid)


I want my children to have the responsibility of being part of the family and I really hope they understand why I train them this way. I often tell them that all of us live in this house and each and everyone of us have the duty to take good care of our house and to make it a happy home to live in. One day, they would understand.


Do you have a maid at home? If you have one, do you ask your children to participate in house work? If you don’t have one, how do you cope? Do share with me.