Goldilocks, don’t let the bears win
I ensure that I have a full hour to devote to the babysitter prior to our departure. This enables me to run over the rules and remind her of where everything is. I am determined that this shall be a successful relationship for all of us.
“So there’s just one last thing that I wanted to draw your attention to.”
“Yes?”
“The boys sleep in the same room in separate beds. She’s next door in her own bed. Both the boys wear pull-ups and I’ve left them here on the side for you.”
“O.k. No problem.”
“Great, it’s just that a while back we came home to find that they were all in the same bed. The boys didn’t have pull ups on which meant we had to give everyone a bath and change the sheets, which wasn’t much fun at 11 at night, if you know what I mean?”
“How did that happen?”
“I’m really not sure, but they managed to convince the sitter that they all slept in the same bed and that they didn’t need pull-ups!”
“How strange! Did you tell the sitter that they slept in separate beds and that the boys wear pull-ups?” I look at her for a moment, uncertain how to proceed.
“You know to tell the truth, I showed her the bedrooms and the beds and the pull ups, but I can’t be certain that I made myself understood. That’s why I’m telling you now, just so that there can’t be any misunderstandings.” I smile, in what I hope is a warm and sincere manner.
“Well, you know, everyone knows that boys and girls don’t sleep in the same bed!” This was not the response I was expecting. We live in the Western world, where it is less common for children to share a bed. There are three children and three beds. Is it wise to leave an adult in charge who has no matching skills?
“Indeed.”
August 31st, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Hopefully your sitter has “good listening skills” (and hope she is not a “goldilocks” to your 3…..).
And hoping you had a nice night out!
August 31st, 2007 at 11:51 pm
I hope you had a great night out! Dinner? Movie? Just going out and driving around without anyone having a melt down? Any of that sounds heavenly… hope the sitter did okay!
September 1st, 2007 at 5:29 am
That’s great that you got some “you time”! We all need something to help us recharge. Hope you had a great time!
September 1st, 2007 at 5:59 am
Wow… a babysitter. I wish we had one of those. No one in town will let their teenager babysit, and I’ve little luck with the college kids. They offer, but when the time actually comes, they’re all busy. Maybe I have a reputation I don’t know about?
September 1st, 2007 at 7:12 am
We have not mastered the sitter thing at all.
I hope you enjoyed your evening! I’m going to get me one of those soon…even if I have to leave my husband home to babysit.
September 1st, 2007 at 7:49 am
We have the maximum allowance of respite care from the local authority, but we’ve not been able to use if for the last 8 months [jaw] so we thought we’d make up for lost time ‘Death and a funeral] = brilliant!
September 1st, 2007 at 1:43 pm
I hope you had a wonderful night out!
September 1st, 2007 at 2:04 pm
My fingers are crossed that you returned to find: one child to a bed, asleep, in a pull-up as needed. Added bonus: toys picked up, dishes done and put away (but that would be too much, wouldn’t it?).
September 1st, 2007 at 7:56 pm
time to find a new babysitter again!!!
September 1st, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Instructions… always difficult to know what you said and what was heard. I don’t know if it ever gets easier. Maybe that is why the “repeat after me” phrase is used so much with children?
September 1st, 2007 at 9:46 pm
That is really funny–but I was waiting for the ending when you assure us that when you came home from your wonderful evening out that the kids were all where they should be, the house spotless, the pull-ups in place and the babysitter happily knitting by the fireside.