HAVES & HAVE NOTS

These terms were heard in the Economics classroom in those days. But now a days to have a maid or not to have a maid is a daily discussion among many working women as well as home makers. Domestic help / servant maid / cook/ full time help/ Aayaa, the names vary with the type of work or assistance they provide in the required place. With coming up of few incidences about the theft, misbehaviour, fraud and cheating, to hire a maid remains a question of safety factor. Maid from the known sources increases the network of gossips and the chain of connectivity among the fellow maids becomes more.

From waking up in the morning, the daily chores are hectic& that too the works to be done before 8:00 am is highly more. Obvious is the requirement of a maid- putting Rangoli, cleaning vessels, mopping, laundry. At many places, cutting vegetables, packing lunch boxes, taking care of the young & the old. When the dependence upon the maid grows, the roles change, maids availability & likes take over the needs& necessities of the dependent. The maid will fix the menu-the vegetable which is easy to cut &cook. Many ready to eat items in the lunch boxes, her choice of channels on the T.V. when  she is there to take care of the young &the old. Slowly the maid starts to rule the household . The dependants rush to office & home. They are called as“ Haves”

Have- Nots  are the ones who strictly say no to maids. They too rush between home &office. Fruits, packed foods- cover the lunch boxes. Many a days food is brought from outside. Bakers help them a lot with breads, cakes, cookies & wide variety of deep fried foods. Washing machines wash &dry then ironing, the clothes never see the light of the day. After school children reach the near by day care centre, even during vacations too. They pick up children after office by 8.00pm. If the day care centre is not functioning, then the children are locked inside the house. Smart phones, laptops are given to play games& to convince children to accommodate the parents & not to disturb them during their work.

Why no maids?- These Have- Nots, say largely about theft. Security reasons too add to the difficulty of being monitored by the maids about their shifts & changes in work timings often. The same applies to not having a Driver for the car. If the school van comes in time, before the parents leave, it’s O.K. or else the children stand on the road waiting for the school van or they simply wander in the parking lots of the flats or on the road. They watch & notice other parents who wait along with their wards to way off them to school. The condition of these so rich poor kids seems so pathetic. If they are back home a bit early, they wait on the foot steps.

In the homes of the both the Haves & Have-Nots, the suffers  are children/ elders. Home makers play a better role in this regard where as the office- goers along with their careers { male/ female} can at least spare sometime to think about their children especially notice what’s going on in schools & day care centre? Ask your child Is she/he is happy with the way he /she is being treated? Ask her/him if he/she wants to say, show or share some thing with you?

The security agencies can help in hiring maids or helpers with registered users. This can create a more safe environment  for the children & elders to walk around in their homes.