82 July 2013 www.womanthismonth.com them. Remind children that they don’t have a magic fairy dancing behind them picking up their mess. Your child can even learn to accept and enjoy different foods, cultures, songs as lifestyles. What to look for in a helper You have decided you need or want help. So what do you look for? You will need a person that cares, that treat your children and your home in the way you want them to. You need someone who is honest and reliable. You may also want someone who speaks (and writes) good English or Arabic, has initiative and integrity. It’s a tall order. In fact, these are skills that are needed by many managing directors of large companies. So, in this sense, consider the going rate and also think about providing that little extra to ensure that when you have good help, you can keep them. Over the years, professional training for helpers has been advertised and yet rarely used by families. Is this because parents want to train their staff themselves or is it because the investment is short lived or not valued? It’s an interesting topic and yet in many countries helpers need qualifications, usually followed with a higher salary scale and remuneration. If this is not available in your budget or location, time invested initially is well worth it in the long run. There are also courses for your helper such as basic first aid provided by The First Aid Box, which is essential if you have a baby or young children. Call 36 732-223 or email [email protected]. My rules! One of the biggest issues when training a helper can be to successfully impress that you need them to exercise the same rules and expectations regarding your children’s behaviour and safety. They need to use seatbelts and car seats. They need to feed children the way you want them fed and give treats when you are happy for them to do so. They need to be honest with the children and not to accept a child speaking to them rudely. This is a difficult concept as helpers may not feel comfortable correcting your children if they behave badly and they may also want to be liked. You want your children to move towards independence and yet many children enter their teenage years expecting things to be done for them. A shared, transparent approach which is fair and consistent is the best way forward and it needs to be understood by your helper. You may see helpers that spend their working days on their mobile phones, for example. Children are usually a great judge of a good helper as children are often honest about what they like and do not like, as well as what is different or not acceptable. Speak to your children appropriately about your helper to see how they feel and have open conversations for development. Good help is available in Bahrain and for the sake of the helpers and you, the families, consider shared training sessions as a provision for training and ‘up-skilling’ your helpers! For parenting and helper coaching and courses, contact [email protected]. LIFESTYLE | parenting
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