S/O of housekeeper.. Did anyone have a full time housekeeper

In New Zealand, this makes you rich. I had a friend from India who had two live in servants. One was called her Ayah I think. She didn't think she was rich either. She was. It's really nice that your family was able to take care of MS Pearl when she retired.

In my world you need money for that! Lol


I just want to say I think it's awesome your family helped Ms. Pearl out. I'm betting she was forever grateful.

I grew up in South Africa. We had 2 live-ons. Most white people did because these poor people had no other way to earn money due to a lack of education. Bendy worked for my parents for 35 years, she was our nanny, housekeeper, cook and practically brought my siblings and me up. The gentleman (and he was most definitely one) worked as our butler but loved to take care of the garden so did that too with my mom who loved to garden as well. Marc came from Rhodesia, where his family lived, and my parents paid for him to go home every year or it would not have been affordable for him to do so as he sent his entire paycheck home every month. 10 months later there would be a new baby and he'd go back home to see it. He had 15 or 16 kids with two wives. Bendy and Marc lived in a guest house on our property which was much better living arrangements than most others had. My parents were very liberal and anti-apartheid and paid a living wage. They also set up retirement accounts for both of them - virtually unheard of in the day. They cried when my parents decided to move to assisted living and told them they were retiring with a pension. Marc visited my parents weekly while they lived there but they lost contact with Bendy. She went back to her family home in a rural area and had no access to a telephone, never mind internet. Her daughter who became a high school principal visited my parents and always said how grateful their family was to have had ours in their lives. Makes you really think, that.

I know my grandparents had one when my dad and siblings were children. And no they weren't rich, it was common during that time and they were solidly middle class. My dad talks fondly of her.

^^^^ This

Here in Tokyo many expats have live in helpers/nannies/maids. Expat housing and utilities are often paid by the company so people have money to spare so to speak. They're mostly Filipino ladies who send most of their paycheck home to their kids and families. I've met three who are qualified science teachers, but work as helpers!

Almost every expat in Hong Kong has a live in maid and they pay them next to nothing. One woman I spoke to makes her helper work from 5a.m. til midnight, 6 days a week. Sounds like slave labor to me

When I was growing up we had Rosemary who started out as my grandmother's housekeeper but came to work for us after I was born.

She did housework but my mother did the cooking. She was with us until my parents divorced. I could really relate to the story in The Help because it was a very similar situation and my brother and I were very attached to her. However the building of the separate bathroom in that story was weird...and horrible. We didn't do that.

One of the most joyful moments of my life was taking my infant son home to Arkansas and seeing her holding him in the gentle way she used to hold me.

Yes I am talking about the 50s-60s. Many people had full time housekeepers and they were not rich. Trust me my grandparents were not rich lol.

We had a lady come once a week to help clean but my DH's family had Oralee to cook and a maid to clean.

Oralee came in the morning, cooked breakfast for the family. Then she went to the market to buy the food for lunch, the big meal. She left after lunch clean up. She did this 6 days a week. DH's family also took care of Oralee after she "retired " from cooking. She was a sweet lady.

My DH's grandparents grew up with servants and they weren't considered rich. It was always interesting to hear DH's grandmother tell her stories of life growing up with " the help ". They were great stories and just the way of life for her family.

Even though they didn't think they were wealthy they really were by my standards.

It did in the 50s and 60s though. That's what almost all of us are talking about.

I grew up in the 50s/60s and didn't know anyone who had a full time housekeeper.  I thought we were middle class - maybe we were poorer than I thought.

ETA: I grew up in Southern Missouri - as others have posted, maybe it was a regional thing.

Growing up, I didn't even know anyone that had a cleaning lady. I grew up in rural Iowa.

See, now that's what I was thinking too!

To me, middle class is not desperately poor, not starving, able to have pretty much all of what you need, and even some of what you want.