Babysitter-sitting

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.

( and so it went )