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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to feel upset and let down by "mother's help" leaving abruptly? (long,sorry)

95 replies

wellieboots · 11/07/2013 06:45

I have an 8 month old DD and am living in Sydney, Australia. I have found the transition to parenthood with a lack of any practical family support difficult (My ILs live close by but I have posted before about falling out with them and now DH sees them occasionally but that's it). DD had bad reflux (now settling thank God) and I ended up with quite bad pnd by the time she was about 4 months.

When she was about 3 months, I realised I needed some help around the house - DD was barely sleeping in the daytime, and when she was, she was upright on me, she couldn't be put down on the floor to play or anything as she was too unsettled due to reflux. Nothing wsa getting done and it was just a nightmare. My DM suggested that I needed to get a "mother's help" - somebody to come in and help me get some housework done, play with DD, take her for walks so that I could get some tidying done or just some space, little bit of everything really.

Anyway, I got a young (she turned 20 while she was with us) girl who was working as a cleaner two days a week and doing before and after school nannying the other 3 days. She had loads of experience of babysitting and nannying different age groups including babies, lots of kids in her family, and was more than happy to do cleaning, hoovering etc for me as she had cleaning jobs too. Let's call her M.

She came two days a week, for 3 hours each day, and it seemed to work really well. What she did week to week depended on what was happening on the particular day, sometimes she mostly entertained DD, other times DD slept most of the time. It just depended and M seemed happy. DD adored M and she often made references to the future, helping to look after DD if we ever have DC2, etc. We invited her to DD's christening, bought her a birthday pressie, and really thought that she planned to be with us for a while. I was diagnosed with pnd and was very open with her about that and she often took DD out for a walk in the pram to give me some space. I also had a counsellor coming to the house for my pnd and I scheduled those appts for M's work hours so that she could look after DD, take her to the park etc.

It all went wrong 2 weeks ago. We were all unwell with a cold type thing and the first day I suggested that M probably didn't want to come because of that. She agreed and asked me to let her know how I was and whether she should come the next day. So the next morning I said I still had a bit of a sniffle but was feeling much better. I thought that M would then come, tbh we really needed her as the house was a bit of a state because we'd all been ill and doing the absolute bare minimum to get through. M then texted 20 mins before she's supposed to come, saying she was going to stay away in case she caught anything and passed it to other children. I was quite pissed off as it was really late notice and it's not as though the rest of us can avoid going to work in case we catch a cold! I made up my mind to talk to her the following week just to chat about could she give us more notice next time as we rely on her coming, could she let us know for future what her "red lines" were in terms of understanding if she would never consider coming if anyone in the house was ill, etc.

Anyway, last week M came and unfortunately DD was quite unsettled and grumpy due to a tooth coming through. So she didn't have her usual morning nap. I was hoping that she would have been asleep when M arrived so that I could get the chat out of the way. But it wasn't happening. I was also feeling quite low from a pnd perspective and that didn't help eihter. DD was grumpy and I got more and more stressed that I wasn't going to get the chance to have the chat about the previous week. Then M started saying DD was tired (she'd only been up an hour so I wouldn't normally have put her back to bed for another while). I felt under pressure so I spent the next 25 minutes in the bedroom trying to settle DD and it didn't work. I realised at this point I still havdn't had breakfast, it was 11.30 and I really needed to eat so I put DD in the lounge and went into the kitchen, explaining to M that I had tried to settle her and was now feeling woozy as I hasn't eaten, so I needed to eat before I did anything else. She made a comment about DD not going to sleep and laughed. I didn't understand the comment and asked her what she meant and why she was laughing. I then saw red and said something along the lines of - for goodness sake I tried my best, she didn't want to go to sleep, I was making myself ill, I have to eat! I didn't speak to her after that because I realised then that I was feeling very down and not coping so I called DH and he came home and I went to bed for an hour. He chatted to M about the events of the previous week before she left, she said that illness wasn't normally a problem but she had wanted to go to a family party that weekend so hadn't wanted to be sick or make anyone there sick. She also offered to do extra hours for us.

She tried to text me that evening but it didn't come through as the text was too long, then she didn't turn up the next day. I texted when she was about 20 mins late then again later in the day to say I was really worried about her and could she let me know she was OK. She then resnet the text from the previous evening which basically said - after today I can't work with you any more, I have never been anything other than supportive, compassionate and understanding, how could you possibly think I could question your parenting, I have done so much for you, I bough Abigail a present, I bought you flowers. You have no right to speak to me like that. I am sorry I let you down last week.

So then when I hadn't replied to the text (becasue I hadn't received it) she just didn't turn up. I took a couple of days to reply as I was really upset. The fact that I had snapped at her on Thursday was because I was exhausted and hadn't eaten, had raging pnd, and a baby who was desperately trying to sleep and cut teeth and was very grumpy about the world! It wasn't because I was mad with her about the previous week! I asked her if she was prepared to come and discuss it with me and allow me to apologise in person. I did apologise for snapping at her and explained that it was because I was feeling down and I had always been honest with her about my pnd. She eventually replied a week later, accepted the apology but said she was now looking for corporate jobs and that it wouldn't be fair to us Confused to come back and then leave again.

I've accepted that she's not coming back but AIBU to feel hurt and upset that I"ve invited someone into my home and my family at a vulnerable time and that they've let me down (no notice, has been paid for hours she hasn't done, making it sound as though I was just nasty to her because of the previous week) and are now treating me like an idiot - it wouldn't be fair to you to come back, offering extra hours and then suddenly she's decided to change career and can't possibly ever come back. DD adores her and I can't believe that she just was literally here one day and gone the next and has refused even to come over and talk to me about it. I now don't want to get someone else because I'm not sure I could trust someone in case the same thing happened. For making a big deal in the original message about buying DD a christening gift and buying me flowers when I had an exam and how supportive she's been blah blah, she's now showing herself to be completely unsupportive by just disappearing!I know I am emotional about this and A very possibly BU, but is this normal?!

OP posts:
mrsjay · 11/07/2013 09:12

reading more into your post I have re read it this girl was an employee she didnt let you or your dd down in anyway she sounds like she was supportive to you and with you saying she is now unsupportive and you will never trust anybody again speaks volumes with sounding patronising I think you are lonely and you saw this young woman as your friend I think you are hurt that you have lost your friend but she did nothing wrong,

FanjolinaJolie · 11/07/2013 09:14

PND or no PND I would have left too.

If you need help around the house why not get a cleaner through an agency.

Eyesunderarock · 11/07/2013 09:16

Overreaction, this made me laugh:
'If my 20yr old walked out of a job because she'd been snapped at, I'd be having serious words with her. I'm baffled by the 'that's what they do' attitude. 20 isn't fully mature but it's also not a child.'

You have babies don't you? Barely toddlers?
You don't have a 20 year old, coming home bewildered and upset and wondering what she did wrong to have engendered such a strong negative response from someone that she thought she was being supportive of?
Possibly asking her mum for advice?
You will.

2rebecca · 11/07/2013 09:19

It sounds as though this was an informal arrangement with no contract. Did you offer to pay her when you didn't want her to come as you were all ill? If not that maybe affected her idea of how important she was as your employee.
I agree that wanting to have words after 1 day of last minute cancelling when you'd done the same the day before was OTT. It's also unlikely that you would all go from very infectious to fine in 1 day and I would have been wary of going to work for you in that situation.

DowntonTrout · 11/07/2013 09:22

Perhaps what you need is a cleaner. Someone to come in a few hours a week to do housework which takes that pressure off you.

Then you can carry on as normal with baby or go out and leave the cleaner to it.

TimeofChange · 11/07/2013 09:27

OP: Get a cleaner - that will take the pressure off.

2rebecca · 11/07/2013 09:31

I agree that a cleaner is a clearer job description and then there is no conflict of interest in whose job it is to decide when the baby should go for a sleep.
I also don't think cleaning a house and looking after a baby go together and it sounds as though she was not wanting to deal with a crankie baby and to get on with the cleaning which was after all the job she had applied for, she maybe wasn't as keen on the way baby care had crept up the agenda as you were.

Morloth · 11/07/2013 09:46

Use Absolute Domestics for a cleaner in Sydney.

They will come and sort the house out for you. Both the lovely women I have had through them have become friends in their own right and both have held the baby/watched the kids for me while I have a shower etc.

It just sounds like you had different expectations of each other.

FCEK · 11/07/2013 09:54

I'd suggest a childminder or nursery as then you are getting space and the employee doesn't get your emotions taken out on her. I felt sorry for the girl. I do know how hard it is as my dsis is in a similar situation except she uses a nursery.

wellieboots · 11/07/2013 09:59

I posted in AIBU and so I was entirely open to being told I was BU.

To those posters who have expressed concern about my domestic situation due to other threads I can assure you that I am taking steps to deal with that and am seeing a counsellor this week. But I resent the implication that I "set my DH on her" and that he may have been violent towards her - these events were before the incident between myself and DH this week. I have explained that DH was trying to help by chatting to her and that on reflection, I think it was a bad idea.

As for she wasn't to know that I didn't receive the text - I think the fact that I didn't reply to it made that fairly obvious! Even if I just replied to say I'm sorry to hear that, I wouldn't have just let a text like that go unanswered, I think she was well aware I hadn't got it.

Yes neo I don't drive and that is incredibly isolating here. Another thing with hindsight I wish I had sorted out before I had a baby but we can't know everything.

And there is no way I can come home - I am not allowed to take DD out of the country, and even if I was I have no home, no job, no right to benefits as I"ve been living outside the country, and no family have space for me to stay, let alone DD. So I need to try and make a go of things here, and I thank those who have made constructive suggestions on how to do that.

OP posts:
mrsjay · 11/07/2013 10:07

wellie is there a playgroup or a baby group within walking distance (or a bus ride) from you even taking her out for a walk would help your isolation a wee bit, if you do hire somebody new try and make it more a formal contract so you both no where you stand perhaps somebody closer to your age so maybe you can have that understanding relationship with her, (does that make sense), anyway good luck with your counciling and try and get out and about, this will not cure your PND but will help you to not feel so isolated and lonely ,

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 11/07/2013 10:08

Why aren't you allowed to take DD out of the country? Confused I am afrraid that you're going to say that's because of your husband....I hope it isn't? Because I can tell you now, you are allowed to do what you want....especially if you've been hurt.

LilacPeony · 11/07/2013 10:09

Only read your first post, but i don't think she was unreasonable. It sounds like she had been doing great up til then. I don't blame her for not wanting to catch the cold and pass it on or be ill at the party. A lot of childcarers won't take ill children. I don't think she did anything wrong in suggesting your baby was tired. You could have just said she wasn't. It does sound like you were getting pretty wound up by her and she probably just decided it wasn't working out. I hope you get some help with your PND.

wellieboots · 11/07/2013 10:10

2rebecca she was not caring for the baby, she was in the kitchen. I was caring for DD. She actually preferred looking after DD to doing the housework (and I don't blame her for that at all, I guess it's much more fun!) She was not dealing with a cranky baby, I was. That was one of the reasons I was a bit taken aback when she stuck her head out of the kitchen and told me that my DD needed to go to bed!

To those who have said the relationship had broken down, yes, I think you are right. I just would have preferred if she had come the next day and we had talked about it and I could have apologised in person. As I've already explained, I had no reason to think she wouldn't come, as when she and DH spoke she was asking him for extra hours.

OP posts:
Morloth · 11/07/2013 10:13

Honestly it sounds quite intense in your house.

Now as a worldly mother of 36 years, I could handle that - hell have looked after friends in much more complicated situations.

At 20 I would have run a fucking mile without looking back. She didn't know how to deal with it all so she quit.

It happens. Try not to take it so personally.

Eyesunderarock · 11/07/2013 10:16

When you didn't respond to her text, she may have assumed that you were choosing to ignore her, or that you were still too angry to respond.
Not that you hadn't received it.

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 11/07/2013 10:25

I think the thing to do is to try and put it behind you and move on. Easier said than fine but no real harm done and it's better to focus on moving forward and looking for a suitable replacement /plan B.

I do agree that at age 20 I would have had no idea how to deal with this type of situation. Even the chats about your problems with the ILs would have been totally foreign to me

I think it might be best (as others have suggested) to get some help via an agency - then the relationship is very clear.

Mumsyblouse · 11/07/2013 10:26

I think it is relevant to post about the OP's other threads which are active (so hardly dragging up the past) because it is very likely that this young girl did clock the very difficult situation between the OP and her husband, and her PHD and simply couldn't deal with it so left. OP, I'm sorry to say you are angry with the wrong person, this girl was just a helper for a few hours a week, I employed someone to do exactly the same and she left one week as she got another more suitable job, no offense taken (although it is always disappointing). I think your household is desperately unhappy for different reasons and this girl could not be expected to stay within it when you are snapping at her, your husband is having words with her, and your own relationship is, at best, highly volatile.

Mumsyblouse · 11/07/2013 10:27

PND, not PhD, although the Op may have a PhD as well!

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 11/07/2013 10:34

I wouldn't assume that she knew you hadn't got her text. I think that's an unreasonable assumption. Your situation is clearly quite complicated, and PND is vile, so I can sympathise. However, depression skews perception. I really don't think this young woman did anything wrong, and you should let it go. From her perspective, she had a part time, casual arrangement with you. It wasn't worth enough to her to deal with snapping and the intensity of your home life. So, she left. She texted you to explain her reasons, and then forgot all about it. You were being unrealistic to expect a 20 year old woman to hang around for an indefinite period of time, she has her own life to get going. I assume, just like with an au pair, that a mother's help will be a position that needs regularly filling as the person in the role moves on to bigger and better things. It's not generally a career.

Mumsyblouse · 11/07/2013 10:46

I do think it is normal for au pair's or mother's helps to move on, even unexpectedly, they are often young females or males who are away from home, or looking for other work, or may have an emotional upset/family crisis. And that's without nannies getting pregnant etc. It is hard, that's one reason some people prefer to use a cleaning agency, because if one cleaner can't come, another will cover. Same in nurseries- they don't run out of childcarers, although your child may be upset if their key worker leaves.

My cleaner once snapped at me over something (other way round) and I texted her later to cancel our cleaning for good. I just felt she was snapping at me and making me feel bad in my own home, I'd rather have a dirty house. You can't really just snap in this type of situation, most people simply won't want the aggravation or understand why you are snappy (which does sound natural).

wellieboots · 11/07/2013 10:52

mumsy if you have read the other thread, you will know that the incident with DH happened a couple of days ago and came completely out of the blue to me, so if she could sense it the week before then she must have supernatural powers Wink

Take the point that I might have got the text and been shocked and ignored it, I hadn't thought of that.

The thing that makes it most confusing is that she was the one talking about the future, looking after our future DCs, sharing precious moments with a precious girl, etc etc. Meanwhile I was wondering how to let her down gently as I knew I couldn't keep her on once I go back to work hopefully at the beginning of next year, so she could have done a bit of babysitting if she wanted but that would have been it. But the consensus here is that I'm the one who was too emotionally invested.

OP posts:
wellieboots · 11/07/2013 11:23

mumsy interesting to hear about your cleaner. While I am Sad about the way it happened and that I didn't get the chance to apologise in person I admit to feeling strangely relieved. I never really felt 100% comfortable having someone in my space, criticising the way I did things, commenting on DDs sleeping habits. Having my house back to myself is quite nice in a weird way. I just regret the way it ended.

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 11/07/2013 11:39

It was SIX hours a week, not an internship at Google. FGS, all this have a chat, snapping at her, calling your husband to have this 'chat'. I'm 42 and I'd have left skid marks and the smell of burning rubber. If M were my daughter, I'd advise her to burn rubber away from such situation.

WAY too intense and over-involved. And if you are that sick from not eating, please see a doctor soon.

Mumsyblouse · 11/07/2013 11:42

wellieboots I don't want to rub it and bring up stuff from the other thread in that shows this isn't an isolated incident. Let's just say that clearly your home is a place where you are all very stressed. I think you are being quite naive about how no-one notices the dynamics between a husband and wife if they work in their home.

I have to admit, being snapped/shouted at would not be something I could tolerate at all, it has only happened to me about three times in my life (once by a cleaner, once by a friend and once at work) and every time I have quickly moved away from the person. You can't snap/shout at people even though I completely understand you have PND and life must seem overwhelming. She was also very young, doesn't have her own children and the situation may just have not suited her and this provided the 'final straw'.

And- yes, having someone in the house is quite intrusive, perhaps at the moment it isn't what you need.

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