I used to babysit a lot when I was a teen. I took care of kids who were everything from wild and crazy, down to easy and calm. I would sit for different homes that ranged from a house full of all boys to two little girls. You name it, I probably saw it.
I learned that even though there were many different families with sometimes opposite styles of childrearing, one thing rang true...kids are kids.
I think to the little ones, getting a babysitter meant the same thing as having a substitute teacher for the night. All bets were off. I have been chased around the house by a five year old with a wooden spoon, soaked by a hose from head to toe, jumped on, climbed on and zerberted. (80's kids and Bill Cosby know what this means.)
All in all, there wasn't a bad kid in the bunch. Sure some were more wild than others, but they all had loving hearts. I have the best memories of sitting and reading together, running around the house, playing with cars and dolls and even the simple things like brushing their little teeth. It was a time to take care of the kids and make sure they were safe, but also to have fun and share in their childhood. That's what babysitters do.
With that being said, we've never had a babysitter. WHAAAT? I know. Our oldest is nine and in all these years, we've never had a sitter.
We're lucky beyond words in the fact that my parents watch the kids and take care of them like they're their own, but other than that, the kids have never had a sitter. This weekend though, it finally happened.
Mom had surgery last week and some friends wanted to see a movie. They have a cute teenaged daughter who is a babysitter. Our friends thought we were crazy that we've never had someone watch the kids so the plan was set into motion. They came to get us on Saturday night with their daughter, left her with the kids and took us with them to dinner and a movie.
It was strange to leave. A thousand different thoughts raced through my head from, "Will they behave? Will they be scared? How long will we be gone? How much should we pay? Will the poor girl survive?"
I know how much it can be to take care of one child, let alone four. People assume we haven't had a sitter because we were worried about the safety of the kids, which is true. In all honesty though, I was worried about the safety of the sitter. It's impossible to be in four different places at one time and if all the kids decided to scatter, God love her.
Throughout the night, I was nervous and hopeful at the same time. If the kids had fun and liked her, it opened up a whole new world.
We got home a few hours later to a house that stood upright and four little ones in their pajamas. They were all smiling and seemed to be intact. The sitter wasn't covered in paint or have bubblegum stuck in her hair.
They hugged her "Good-bye" and waved when she left. That was it. All that worrying for nothing. The kids ran upstairs and got into bed when our four year old little girl asked, "Mommy? When will she come back again?"
-whew-
My heart was happier than all the zerberts in the world. If you like our little blog, Please Vote! Thank You!
I learned that even though there were many different families with sometimes opposite styles of childrearing, one thing rang true...kids are kids.
I think to the little ones, getting a babysitter meant the same thing as having a substitute teacher for the night. All bets were off. I have been chased around the house by a five year old with a wooden spoon, soaked by a hose from head to toe, jumped on, climbed on and zerberted. (80's kids and Bill Cosby know what this means.)
All in all, there wasn't a bad kid in the bunch. Sure some were more wild than others, but they all had loving hearts. I have the best memories of sitting and reading together, running around the house, playing with cars and dolls and even the simple things like brushing their little teeth. It was a time to take care of the kids and make sure they were safe, but also to have fun and share in their childhood. That's what babysitters do.
With that being said, we've never had a babysitter. WHAAAT? I know. Our oldest is nine and in all these years, we've never had a sitter.
We're lucky beyond words in the fact that my parents watch the kids and take care of them like they're their own, but other than that, the kids have never had a sitter. This weekend though, it finally happened.
Mom had surgery last week and some friends wanted to see a movie. They have a cute teenaged daughter who is a babysitter. Our friends thought we were crazy that we've never had someone watch the kids so the plan was set into motion. They came to get us on Saturday night with their daughter, left her with the kids and took us with them to dinner and a movie.
It was strange to leave. A thousand different thoughts raced through my head from, "Will they behave? Will they be scared? How long will we be gone? How much should we pay? Will the poor girl survive?"
I know how much it can be to take care of one child, let alone four. People assume we haven't had a sitter because we were worried about the safety of the kids, which is true. In all honesty though, I was worried about the safety of the sitter. It's impossible to be in four different places at one time and if all the kids decided to scatter, God love her.
Throughout the night, I was nervous and hopeful at the same time. If the kids had fun and liked her, it opened up a whole new world.
We got home a few hours later to a house that stood upright and four little ones in their pajamas. They were all smiling and seemed to be intact. The sitter wasn't covered in paint or have bubblegum stuck in her hair.
They hugged her "Good-bye" and waved when she left. That was it. All that worrying for nothing. The kids ran upstairs and got into bed when our four year old little girl asked, "Mommy? When will she come back again?"
-whew-
My heart was happier than all the zerberts in the world. If you like our little blog, Please Vote! Thank You!
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