Forever grateful

We have to give them credit because they are taking care of us instead of their own children.

Aside from our parents, our yayas molded me into who I am today.

I consider them as the unsung heroes as they take good care of us whenever our parents go to work. They endure the long, sleepless night just to make sure that we are warm in bed and the tiresome days whenever we decided to play with them outside the house.

It’s been a while since I had my last yaya, but Mama told me that I had a total of nine yayas all in all.

Wait, before you judge me for having so many yayas, let me tell you that every time I have a new yaya, her sister, cousin and other relatives would also join her. I don’t know if they love working with us or maybe I was just so naughty that I needed more than one yaya (LOL!).

Anyway, Mama gave birth at such a young age and she was not yet used to take care of a baby. That’s why Papa told her to hire a yaya to look after her and her new baby.

To be honest, I was an active and naughty kid growing up.

Since I love playing outside and running around, I really needed to have a yaya. Every time I run, my yaya would chase me and couldn’t stop running even if she was already tired.

I really couldn’t imagine why I was so active and playful when I was a kid. My energy level was so high that I don’t easily get tired from playing and running around.

I also had yayas who were way too young — some of them have yet to even finish high school.

I remember that Mama would often talk to them, telling them that they should still finish their studies because they won’t be yaya for the rest of their lives. Mama wanted them to have a very good job someday so she was always reminding them to stay in school and serve as yayas so they can raise enough money to finance their studies.

Well, some of them were doing exactly like that.

They were using their salaries to fund their education and help their families in the province, usually in far-flung areas in the Visayas. They would opt not to go home very often so they would have enough money to send to their families.

With that, our yayas would get to spend important occasions with us rather than their respective families.

It’s really a big sacrifice for them spending Christmas or New Year away from their children, husbands or parents. When I was still a kid, I had no idea on the pain that they feel. But now, I understand that it’s really not easy to work away from your family, especially during special occasions like birthdays and graduations.

Making matters worse was that video call wasn’t a thing back then.

Their communication was also very limited since they don’t get to spend a lot on cellphone load. Or if they ever wanted to go home, they would feel a tinge of regret, saying that they would rather send the money on their families rather than on transportation expenses.

When Miko and Mikole came, they also had yayas.

If I remember it correctly, I was around 15 years old when the yayas got attached to my younger siblings.

One of them got so attached to Miko that they cried a river when it was time for her to go and continue her studies. Miko didn’t want her to leave. He was crying while staring at her from the stairs. I think Miko can still remember this incident.

It was truly memorable. I would laugh at Miko over this incident and rib him for being so emotional.

These moments are truly worth remembering. We’re not related by blood, but we got so attached to our yayas that seeing them go to live a life of their own breaks our hearts due to the emotional attachment and bond we have developed.

We know how big their sacrifices were and it was really sad to see them go.

So to my former yayas, I want to say sorry for being such a naughty kid growing up. I also want to say sorry for fighting with them over petty things.

Wherever they are right now, I hope they became successful and achieved their dreams. They might not be super rich, but I hope they are now happy and contented with their respective lives.

Being a yaya isn’t really easy. They all deserve our respect.

We have to give them credit because they are taking care of us instead of their own children.

So for those who are still with their yayas until now, be grateful for the love, support and loyalty they are showing.

Just a simple “thank you” would definitely go a long, long way.