There is nothing that really throws mothers off balance like waking up to the nanny’s sudden announcement that she is resigning from her duties.

When the nanny announced that she was leaving, I thought that it was some sort of joke, but I was finding it hard to trace even an ounce of humour in it.

Don’t get me wrong, people always leave. There is nothing surprising, but in this particular case, I was confused because less than a month ago, we ‘fell’ into a conversation where she surprisingly told me a lot about what motivated her to come to Kigali to work. She had gone through a lot and the job opportunity was what she needed to get as far away from her pain as possible.

Imagine how happy I was when she told me that she would work for me for four years and go back home to start afresh with her savings. Unless I don’t know how to count, I don’t understand how four years turned into six months. She is going and I am stuck. Kwezi will be going to school on Monday and I need someone to at least pick her up at the bus stop because she comes home when I am still at work. 

I am also feeling sad for Kwezi who had taken a liking to her and was happy to refer to her as her friend. How will she adjust to her sudden absence?

I have failed to even figure out where to start looking for a replacement. Employing someone is one thing but employing a nanny is different story.

It has nothing to do with experience because her CV is verbal and there is no proof that what she is telling you is the truth. I don’t know how others come to final fit for their family but personally, it’s always about the vibe I get the first time I speak to someone interested in the nanny job.

I also rely on referrals. Otherwise, the idea of leaving my child in the care of someone else who isn’t their teacher, family or close friends is unsettling for me.

My mind is now racing because I have four days to find someone or I will be forced to apply for my annual leave before the time I had to.

In fact, it is only since I had this experience that I really understood the true essence of singlehandedly parenting a child. You seem to always have one worry or another and somehow, you are expected to come up with solutions alone. It is tiring and it can really be stressful but parenting has its highs and lows and this is one of those episodes that I must go through. We shall overcome. We always do.

editorial@newtimesrwanda.com