Hi Everyone!

Today is a special day.

Today is the birthday of my “yaya” (nanny). Rita has been with me since the day I was born. She has been just like an ” Ate” (big sister) who has taken care of me day after day. She has help me learn things like my “ABCs” and counting my numbers. She has help me take my naps in the afternoon and she has taken me for walks outside. When Mama is working, Ate Rita plays games with me and helps me draw pictures.

I must admit that I have had to teach Ate Rita how to play video games but that is because I learned how to do those things from my big brother.

Ate Rita is really a good and kind person and she is very much a member of our family. She can never take the place of Mama but she is really like my oldest sister.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATE RITA! I love you.

Thank you for your visit. Please Click To Comment

Technorati Tags: birthday, nanny, Rita, yaya

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Hi Everyone!

Today, I would like to talk about my Yaya. Now, many of you are asking what is a “yaya?”

My Dada says the word goes back to ancient times in Greece. In the Greek language the word “yaya” means “woman.” Even today, Greek grandmothers are called “Yaya.” In many other cultures the word “yaya” means “Mother.” Some places even use the word to discribe a group of women like a “sisterhood.”

In the Philippines, a yaya is similar to a nanny in the English world or a au pair in France; but she is much more. She is so attached to the raising of a child that she oftens becomes a part of the family she works for.

My Yaya is named Rita. She has been with my family before I was born. She started taking care of my sister Maria-Nicos one year before I was born. When I was born, Mama took care of me all the time for the first year. Then Ate Rita (Sister Rita as I call her now), started taking care of me during the day when Mama had work to do. Ate Rita comes every morning (Monday-Saturday) and goes home every night. She has been a big part of my learning and growing up. She is very kind and she always takes good care of me. Children in the Philippines are raised to know the difference between the yaya and their mother. They do not get them confused.  

As I grow up, my yaya becomes more like a “big sister.” She means a lot to me and I don’t know what I would do without her.

Ate Rita, thank you for all the things that you do for me each and everyday!

Do you have someone “special” that takes care of you, like a nanny, baby sitter or family member, when your mama and dada are working? Please write and tell me all about it, OK?

Technorati Tags: ate, au pair, english, france, grandmother, mother, nanny, Philippines, sister, yaya

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!