Treating house helps right: No one knows tomorrow

This week, a picture of a mother with her two kids and a house help in a restaurant was on social media. The picture showed the mother having lunch with the kids with large chicken parts on the plates while the girl nibbled on biscuits as she watched them eat. And my question is: do we still have such insensitive and inhumane people around? What good comes out of such inhumane treatment? This has become too common, and needs to be addressed. 

Rahma Ismail, 38-year-old accountant, says, “This is a situation or scenario that happens every day and most times we just turn away, giving chance for it to continue to happen. I would say this is a serious case that needs to be dealt with by the appropriate authorities. Some women who are supposed to be mothers and know better go to the extent of starving maids till noon before they can have the first meal of the day, whereas their children would have had the second or third meal for the day. Please let’s fear God in everything we do. The maid we maltreat today can be somebody tomorrow and be of great benefit to us.”

According to Folashade Oladapo, 41- year-old businessman, “Women who do such are demonic in nature. I would advice women who indulge in such maltreatment to please stop it. House maids are also human beings and deserve the same love, care and treatment you give to your children. People tend to complain about housemaids being wicked to their children when they aren’t around. Do they forget that the ill treatment they mete out to these maids breeds envy, hate, jealousy and frustration? This automatically makes them transfer all the pains they feel in a negative way towards the children. So, if you can’t give the same treatment you give to your children to a maid, then please don’t bother having one. Don’t forget, what goes around comes around.”

Halima Jafaar, 38-year-old biochemist, says, “House maids are easily maltreated because they are assumed to have no one to fight for them. Let’s not also forget that children whose mothers are late and left in the care of their stepmother go through same trauma or even worse as whatever treatment they get is done right under the nose of their father who supports the ill treatment from their step mums. Speaking from experience, today I smile whenever I see my dad and step mum and all I hear is a voice say, ‘treat everyone right as no one knows tomorrow’.” 

Olivia Chuks, 40-year-old consultant, says, “The evil that men do now lives with them and not after them. A woman who has children and decides to treat another’s child in a terrible way has a lot waiting for her or her children. Nobody knows tomorrow and whatsoever we sow, so shall we reap. Most women will never treat another man’s child as theirs, but then I ask, why are we called mothers if we can’t treat all children with love and care?”