The International Nanny Association, based in the US, defines a nanny as a childcare specialist whose role is to provide high-quality care by ensuring that their charge's needs are met as well as providing things such as intellectual stimulation.
In many families nowadays, both parents are working for a variety of reasons. So they turn to nannies as a way to ensure that their children are being taken care of while they are away.
Do you know anyone who was mostly raised by a housekeeper? How did that affect their relationship with their parents? How much time do you think is appropriate for children to spend with nannies?
Children raised mainly by housemaids grow up to be insecure and disturbed adults.
House-maids can never completely replace a parent so the experiences that a child has with a housemaid affects them as an adult. Some housemaids do their best to raise the children they are in charge of but that still doesn't substitute being raised by a parent. If couples want to hire housemaids, they should hire them on a part-time basis.
Ekram Kacem
Abu Dhabi
Many children are being raised by nannies that don't have any experience with child rearing. I had discussed the idea of a nanny with my wife and in the end she decided to quit her job so she could raise our daughter. We feel that it's like giving her a gift of having a parent raising her instead of a housemaid.
Christof Kessler
Abu Dhabi
It does make them insecure because a housemaid may come from a different culture or background than the family she is hired to work for. That might cause some confusion for a child that would stay with them as adults because they might take some elements from the housemaid's culture. It might cause a conflict with the family's culture and traditions.
Naim Rahman
Sharjah
It's always better if a child is raised by his or her mother instead of a housemaid because housemaids don't look after a child at the same level that a parent does. Children who are raised by housemaids don't become very responsible adults because they are used to having someone clean up after them and take care of them.
Farah Abdul Samak
Sharjah
Spending less time with parents makes children lose out on learning proper religious, cultural and social values.
Children lose out on a lot of things when they don't have a close relationship with their parents. They lose out on learning about their culture and traditions compared to those who spend time with their parents. If parents were able to cut back on their work hours they would be able to spend more time with their children.
Samuel Mbatia
Abu Dhabi
Many values are learned when children spend time with their parents. But because nowadays the work environment is very competitive, parents don't spend as much time as they should with their children. Even though modern society is a multicultural one, there are still a lot of things that children miss out from their own culture. But parents try their best to instil values.
George Tsolakis
Abu Dhabi
Traditionally, it's the husband who works and provides for the family while the wife raises the children and takes care of the home. But nowadays many wives are also working so they are feeling frustrated that they can't spend as much time with children as they would like to. That causes children to lose out on learning about their culture and traditions.
Joweria Mohammad
Sharjah
Parents don't spend all their time away from their children. They spend time together whenever their parents are free. When they do that, they not only catch up on what's happening with each other but also have time to learn about their culture. Also, children can learn about their religion not just from their parents but from different sources as well.
Aoun Mehdi
Sharjah
Working parents have no choice but to rely on house help to raise children.
Many couples nowadays work so they hire housemaids to take of their children. But they try to compromise and spend time with their families whenever they can, such as during the weekends and during holidays. Because life has become so expensive these days, it's become normal to hire nannies while both the father and mother work to provide for their family.
Angelina Leprevost
Abu Dhabi
Many couples have to work in order to provide for their families because everything is expensive these days. They don't have a choice between spending time with their children, raising them and working. So they resort to hiring housemaids or nannies to take care of them while they are working. It's become a fact of life in modern society.
Mohammad Mohaia
Abu Dhabi
Housemaids help families spend time together by taking care of the house. In many cases they stay with a family for many years and become an important part of the household. When I was born, my parents hired a housemaid and she's become a part of our family. Even though my mother is a housewife, I consider our housemaid as my second mother.
Sonam Mehta
Dubai
My friend's mother is raising four children and working without relying on a housemaid for help. She tried hiring one in the past but she's very particular about how things are done so it didn't work out. Because of her example, I don't think that it's necessary to hire housemaids. A mother can work and raise her children to be good adults.
Sara M.G.
Dubai
Many modern couples use nannies as the easy way out of parenting.
Because nowadays people are used to having everything done the ‘easy' way, it's not surprising that some couples might do that. They see it as a release from responsibility because it's the job or duty of the housemaid to look after their children, instead of them. For modern parents, it's become something that is common compared to parents a generation or two ago.
Eric Leprevost
Abu Dhabi
It depends on a number of factors. Some people were brought up with nannies so might have either good or bad memories of that experience. That would be a factor in determining whether they want to hire a nanny for their children. Another thing can be whether or not parents can afford to hire a nanny to care for their children.
Alan Davidson
Abu Dhabi
Many couples are busy working and living their own lives so they hire housemaids to take care of their children. There are also some people who can't cope with raising children so they hire a nanny to take care of them. They might feel that it is all right if they give someone else that responsibility instead of them taking care of their children.
Asim Saeed
Dubai
There are some parents who do that. But if the mother isn't working then they shouldn't hire a housemaid to take care of their children. When they do, the children might become attached more to the nanny than their mother. But if the mother is also working, then it's all right because there has to be someone looking after them when she isn't around.
Aisha Jameel
Dubai
