Too many of us working mothers do not realize how invaluable a nanny’s role in the family is. In most households, mine included (since there aren’t too many chores to be done anyway), the nanny’s responsibility is not limited to child care. My nanny and house help of two years does more than just that.

She cooks for us. She does the laundry. She cleans the house. She helps in the e-loading, video rentals, dried bangus-selling business (and any other crazy business ventures I’ve gone into in the past) and she runs errands for me as well — all that while watching over my little boy and making sure that he doesn’t stick his fingers into Too many of us working mothers do not realize how invaluable a nanny’s role in the family is. In most households, mine included (since there aren’t too many chores to be done anyway), the nanny’s responsibility is not limited to child care. My nanny and house help of two years does more than just that.

She cooks for us. She does the laundry. She cleans the house. She helps in the e-loading, video rentals, dried bangus-selling business (and any other crazy business ventures I’ve gone into in the past) and she runs errands for me as well — all that while watching over my little boy and making sure that he doesn’t stick his fingers into the power outlet or ingest that insecticide out of curiosity or boredom. She takes him to school and stays with him for three hours, always with a watchful eye that my son doesn’t get hurt either by his own doing or the naughtiness of an equally playful classmate. She makes sure he takes all of his three vitamins — one for appetite, one for resistance to sickness and one for making sure he grows taller than our family’s average height.

When I’m out late at night, she reads bedtime stories (and any other college book my son would fancy for the night) to my son. When I can’t make it to a party or school activity because of a prior important commitment, she goes there in my behalf — taking pictures and videos and chatting with moms and teachers. Basically, she does what I, as a mom should be doing for my son.

And while others may think she does that all for money, I’d say she does it for other reasons many mothers would dare not acknowledge. She does it because she cares enough to see to it that your son goes through one more day without your presence. She does it because she cares enough to explain to him that you can’t make it to his quiz bee or his McDonald’s art activity because you have important things to do — making money.

And she even goes beyond that to explain that while such a reason might seem superficial, it is money that pays the bills, buys his milk, his diapers, his toys and even pays for his school. No, she doesn’t just do it for money. If she does, she would have opted to man a grocery store somewhere instead, where the demands don’t go beyond your job specification.

Yesterday, my son’s nanny of two years left us. I would say, almost without warning. But in truth, she did give me a week’s notice. And never, in all the time that she’s been with us, had it occurred to me, that she could possibly leave us just like that. Never have I imagined having to deal with such a problem of having to find replacement in such a short time.

And now, I’m as handicapped as ever. I couldn’t work anymore.

I haven’t found a replacement yet. But even if I do find one, it’ll take a very long time before I could bring myself to trustingly leave my son to the care of a stranger who will work for me for money.

As for her, I wish her luck and happiness. She’s been very good to us and my son and I think she can say the same with us.

Like us, nannies are people with dreams and high hopes for the future. They also plan and have timelines to follow. And just because you pay them for service doesn’t mean you have the right to hold on to them like any other possessions you have at home. They have lives to live. Let us be thankful that in those crucial times when we needed a trustworthy person to perform duties we as mothers (or fathers) should have been doing in the first place, they were there to happily take our job — even responsibility, for a few thousand pesos.

Nannies are important. Treasure and value the nannies and other house help that you have in your families. While the tasks they perform like taking your child to school, doing the laundry or watering the plants or seeing to it that the house and everything in it is in order may seem menial work to others, it is actually a  responsibility that’s so heavy. And believe me, a few thousand pesos don’t cover it.