Good help not easy to find but hard to accept

It has been a few months since my baby was born. As our parents were unwilling to lend a helping hand, we resorted to outside help. We quickly discovered that finding a suitable nanny is just as hard as finding the love of one's life.

Each of the nannies who have stayed and left had special features that amused or frustrated us. The diligent one surprised us by finishing all the work in one day; the slow one left us with a mess bigger than ever.

Sister Wang: After lunch, she would get up and waddle to her room for a nap, leaving the dishes in the sink. She said, since she couldn't finish washing them in a hurry, why not take a rest first.

Xiao Huang: She is bold. Whenever she spotted flowers or fruits she would climb up trees and over walls while holding my baby. I was so scared, I took my baby back and flew home. But she soon came back with a triumphant smile and an armful of fruits.

Sister Luo: She is the most capable and has the strongest nerve. While she busied about, she often gave me orders: "get the garbage out of the door", "save the unfinished dish in the fridge and throw the rice into the dustbin".

Xiao Bian: I've never seen any one so slow. It took her an hour to clean the dinner table and two hours to wash a shirt. While she worked for us, we had no choice but to dine out.

Xiao Cheng: The Destructor. After the first meal, she broke a porcelain spoon. When she left a week later, eight bowls and two spoons were broken. I have a favorite pot of camellia flowers that have bloomed over several springs. But it didn't survive the frequent watering of our new nanny.

All this is nothing compared with my best cashmere sweater. Xiao Cheng hand-washed it and hung it without dehydrating. The sweater grew into a one-piece skirt.

Xiao Ruan: She never seems to have enough salt. My relatives brought me a pot of green olives. The tradition is to preserve them with salt and the snack can help diminish swellings in the mouth.

She went overboard with the salt. My unwary husband gulped down a bunch of olives and couldn't speak for a day.

Xiao Ran: She is an enthusiast with flowers. When she arrived, our balcony was suddenly covered with plants. Even the kitchen was full of them. Recently, she developed a fondness for garlic and Chinese onion. And how fast they grow! We have been eating meat fried with Chinese onion for days.

At first, I was quite anxious to open my door to total strangers. Soon I discovered that these nannies are scared of the city, which is so different from their rural homes. Before my baby grows up, I must learn to accept any nanny and try to find fun.

Thanks, my dear nannies.

(China Daily 03/04/2008 page20)