When Yaya Is Our Mom Too: Blogger Mom Reunites With Her Former Yaya

Blogger Nika Diwa recently posted a reel of her reuniting with her yaya and the response was heartwarming!

Some of us as kids grew up with “two moms” — our real mom and our yaya. We saw our yayas as our alternative moms especially when our real moms needed to address something important. In this way, we were never devoid of love during our childhood. So when they or when we leave, it’s truly a heartbreaking experience, especially as a child — something that blogger mom Nika Diwa highlights in her reel.

“The day we left for the airport, I was so confused as to why she wasn’t coming with us,” Nika admits. “She cared for my family for 23 years. She is my entire world.”

So when Nika finally found her former nanny, now 88 years old in her home village, she made it a point to visit her every year. Their first reunion was one of tearful embraces and introduction of each other’s families.

Same Intensity, Different Source

We describe the love for our kids as something “magical” and “intense.” The same can happen to yayas but while ours is also fuelled by a biological or genetic component, a yaya’s intense love for her wards is born out of choice. But not all yayas are the same. Some truly treat being a nanny as a job. Then, there are those who go the extra mile and become the “second mom” that our kids need.

The latter are the ones who find a job of a lifetime. But is it really a job when it’s fuelled by overflowing love? Even when Time passes and their wards “outgrow” them or Life asks them to “move on,” the happy memories they made become the foundation of their definition of love. As Nika shares on the reel, her family meets her nanny’s family. Her children meet her nanny’s children — it comes back full circle.

“So many immigrants share the same story.”

Nika Diwa’s story of separation and reunion isn’t uncommon, especially among immigrants. The choice to leave some of their loved ones behind in hopes of finding a better Life is made with a heavy heart. Some relationships deteriorate over time because of the physical separation. But when the memories of both the child and their yaya are just filled with love and good memories, it’s a relationship that transcends time and distance — even when the child becomes a mom or dad themselves.

Other parents and their nannies?

“When Yaya Becomes Family”: Camille Prats Celebrates Yaya Beng’s 50th Birthday
How Yayas Play a Vital Role in LJ Moreno’s Kids’ Lives
Yaya Lola Is Putting Heart And Soul Back Into Food