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High maintenance

Melissa Kite

Wednesday, 2nd January 2008

Since when did we become incapable of doing anything for ourselves? It started off with cleaners. In the bad old days only rich people had cleaners. Now everyone has a cleaner. Cleaners have cleaners.

The golden age of cheap foreign labour means that nobody has to tidy up their own mess. Or cook their own dinner, or dig their own garden, or feed their own cats, or, indeed, do their own job.

My friend Catherine has a PA. My friend Catherine is a PA. Since when did a PA need a PA? And what happens when the PA’s PA needs a PA?

Doing boring things for yourself is just so Nineties. Outsourcing, that’s the buzzword.

Whereas our parents rolled up their sleeves and got on with it, we are the generation who said, ‘Get someone in.’

Nobody wants to do anything that could be done by someone else at great expense any more.

I have several friends who pay their nanny more than they earn, rather than stay at home and look after their own children.

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