though still often conceived of in all kinds of implicitly or explicitly normative terms, family can mean much more than the classical bourgeois nuclear family of children, wife and husband. since any form of affinity and any kind of bond can be at the basis of a family tie, literally any constellation whatsoever is possible. that is not to say, however, that the adage “you cannot choose your family” no longer holds true – there are indeed certain ties we are born or socialized into. for migrant domestic workers, this old saying is pertinent in a very specific way, as we often find ourselves forced to look after families that are not ower own.