Babysitter-sitting

[dendritejungle]

So I got to babysit a two-year-old last week.

For those of you who don't know me well, I am NOT one of those people who babysat a lot as a teenager. In fact, I can count on both hands the number of times I've babysat in my life, and they were ALL with those who could actually take care of bathroom-type needs on their own.

Nevertheless! My good friends decided to finally take me up on my offer of babysitting, and here I was - delighted at being trusted with the responsibility of their firstborn, and a little nervous. (More nervous as a result of the oh-you-poor-sod chuckling from the people I told.)

Fortunately, I know the kid in question pretty well. He's friendly, well-behaved, likes me, and his parents took great pains to encourage him to speak young so he could articulate what he needed or how he was feeling. I was EXTREMELY grateful for that fact as I spent much of the evening...oh, what's the phrase I'm looking for..."leading from behind"?...between the events not covered in mom's blessedly thorough instructions.

A conversation overheard by mom as she was getting ready to leave and I was giving the kid a bath:

"May I have the hippo?"

"Sure. Um......where is the hippo?"

"Up there" (insert vague wave here)

"Ummm....is this the hippo?"

"No, that's not the hippo."

"Is THIS the hippo?"

"No," - and you have to insert a tone of great patience here - "that's my shampoo." (Hey, it was a long shot. The thing had animals on it. Maybe he thought one of them was a hippo.)

"Uh....is this the hippo?"

"Here. I get the hippo."

Ah, the graciousness of a two-year-old at the stupidity of adults. Bless him. For the record, said hippo was a scrubby thing which did have a hippo face, but the face had been turned down rendering it completely unidentifiable by novice babysitters.

We fumbled pretty well through the rest of the bedtime routine, and I was hampered only a little by the fact that I did not, in fact, know the "zoo song." I was grateful that having HIM sing the zoo song while I bobbed by head enthusiastically in time seemed to suffice. And hearing him say the Lord's Prayer which he sort of knows was priceless. (He's got the rhythm down! But he only sorta knows some of the words.)

He even went to bed and didn't cry or scream or anything. It was awesome. I felt like SuperNanny. As far as I'm concerned, he can adult-sit me babysitting him anytime.

Bring it on!

Comments

[big-pink.livejournal.com]

Oh, too funny. yes, thank god some of them can lead you around. I never worry about leaving my kids with a sitter, because my daughter (who is 11 going on 37) is more mature than me, and most of my friends. She'll make sure the 7 year old has everything he needs. The sitter is just there for legal reasons.

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

I am just in AWE of kids like that. My hat off to her. Me, I'm the one with the button that reads, "Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult." Except I keep wanting to cross out "cleverly" and add "badly." :)

(P.S. I thought at first that your icon was a kitchen apron with a face and hands on it. I'm a little slow. *facepalms*)

(P.P.S. Hey, are you a fellow Canadian?!? I just checked out your site and noticed the Willy Waller link. PRICELESS.)

[big-pink.livejournal.com]

Absolutely Canadian -- I just wandered by your profile, see that you're in Toronto. I'm a little further north, in the Nation's Capital. I can tell we'll get along just fine if you like le Willi Waller 2006. It's a bit of a litmus test. Some people I send it to are scratching their heads wondering just what's in the water up here; others...it's like crack cocaine, keep going back (pas un! pas deux!). Many of the other vids are just as funny, but it's the Willi Waller I adore. Even if you're only marginally bilingual (as am I), it's funny. My brother in law (a francophone) clued me in to this site. Priceless, indeed.

Would you mind if I friend? I don't post much or often -- and I confess it's mostly spn fic, so I won't be clogging up your flist with meaningless posts. And I always introduce myself when friending. Just seems...polite, somehow.

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

Aw, would I MIND? Hon, you just made my day! I'm invariably the person asking if I can friend (and was thinking of asking you, actually) - I do believe you're the first person who's ever asked me. So thank you, and of course! :) (And I know what you mean about introducing yourself. I do the same thing.)

I generally post once or twice a week - subject to change without notice ;) - and if you ever need to defriend, no worries. In the meantime, welcome, and please make yourself at home.