Babysitters for Hire

Clark and Bethany are old enough that I can leave them home alone tending the younger children.  This has revolutionized my life.  This past pregnancy was SO nice to not have to worry about what to do with the kids while I went to my appointments.  I could just leave them home.  Of course I left them with instructions to "Just watch a movie.  Don't do anything else.  Don't cook food.  Don't go outside.  Don't answer the door.  Don't let Cannon turn on the bathroom faucets and run away laughing. You don't have to  accomplish any school work or practicing while I'm gone.  Nope, just make sure everybody is here and alive when I get back and don't flood or burn down the house."  Clark and Bethany have a perfect record of tending if these are the expectations!  I'm so proud.

My sister, Brigitta has 3 little people of her own nowadays.  She is in the stage where all of her people are little.  No one can really do anything on their own yet and the dream of being away from her children without paying someone for the pleasure is a far distant hope.  She called to see if Clark and Bethany would be willing to come babysit while she went to a Dr. appointment.  They were THRILLED to go.  Clark, being the eldest, felt the weight of responsibility and was a bit nervous.  Bethany was ecstatic to have little people to nurture.

So I sent my people off to tend my sister's little people.  Maybe I should have felt more worried for them, but they make a good team and I was sure they could handle it.

Afterward, Brig reported they did great.  She said she was a little concerned when she came home and discovered they had done play dough.  AHHHHHHH!  PLAYDOUGH!  The bane of every mother's existence.  We hate it, but the children love it so.  Its is beyond messy, but so fun.  How could my children resist?  (they are still children, after all!) I hope they didn't get it into the carpet, but I didn't have the heart to ask my sister just how widespread the mess was.

Then I realized I hadn't had "The Talk" with them yet.  No, not that talk.  We've had that one.  I mean the talk about picking up the house when you go to babysit.  That talk about not sitting around watching TV while the kids are napping, but picking up the toys the kids got out while you were there.  And, heaven forbid, you clean up a few that were already out before you got there.  My mother regularly had this talk with my sister and I when we were babysitting age.  I don't think many kids are getting "the talk" these days because we've had some doozies of messes after babysitters at our house.  Not all, some have been very good.

Good heavens, I'm glad I don't have to hire babysitters anymore.  Then again, it was nice to have someone to blame for the mess besides my own offspring.

I'm glad Brig could trust Clark and Bethany.  It gives them a chance to make a little money and it gives me some time with just my younger kiddos-- a rare treat!