Okay, can I say that getting a babysitter sometimes stinks?! In El Centro, unfortunately I have not really had to worry about getting a babysitter(sigh), but here in Salt Lake I need one more frequently. Fortunately I have two wonderful girls that I love to call on (Tori and Tara Escandon). Unfortunately they are hard to get! Yesterday I got to go to book club. This is a great book club. Lots of women that I love to chat with. For the last year on the 1st Tuesday of each month I have mourned not being there...okay, maybe not mourned, but thought about them and wished that I was there! So, I couldn't get the girls I wanted to babysit, so I got another girl that lives in the ward. I was not at book club for more than 30 minutes when I received a phone call. Now, those of you with kids know that is NEVER good! The babysitter told me that my son was not minding her. I asked to talk to him proceeded to tell him that I did NOT want to receive another phone call telling me that he wasn't minding. He was to go in and obey the girl! about 15 minutes later...Yep! another phone call! So, instead of finding out what he wasn't minding about (stupid me) I went home to talk to him. I chatted with him and his dad called to talk to him. We made some consequences for the disobedience, he was sent to bed and I went back to book club. It was good! 4 1/2 hours with no more phone calls! Yeah!
Okay, flash forward to me walking her home. This is our conversation...for the sake of anonymity I will call the girl Jane.
Temaire: "Jane, what did Parker do that he was not minding?"
Jane: "He was teasing his sisters and taking their crayons away."
Temaire: "Is that all?!"
Jane: "Well, he locked himself in the back room and wouldn't let his sisters in." (by the way, I told her that they could go in the back room)
Temaire:..............(that is me being silent)
So, I knew that I had over-reacted...what 7 year old doesn't tease his sisters? Oh, and usually Kylee (6 yrs old) has taken part in this and a lot of the time deserves what she gets! :) When I questions Kylee in the morning she said that the only time 'Jane' was kind to Parker was when he was in bed. Come to find out that no matter what Parker did he got in trouble and no matter what Kylee did, she didn't! Poor Parker! I felt bad that I hadn't done more questioning! So, the bad consequences were taken away and he is free again!
The moral of my tale is to 1. make sure that you get a babysitter that is a little laid back and understanding of kids ages and 2. question babysitters if they call! Don't just jump to the conclusion that your child is trying to embarrass you!
7 comments:
I'm sorry that happened. It puts a damper on the fun! The LAST thing I EVER wanted to do when I was babysitting was call the parents. I would always try to fix it first. I don't really remember having kids being so naughty that I needed to call them. I did have to call once to find out how to take the emergency brake off in their car (I was tending them for a week while the parents were in NY). When kids are being naughty, I think they mostly just want someone to play with them. Poor Parky!
I know! And really, he wasn't being naughty.....sigh....at least it wasn't him but it was her! :)
The first step to GOOD analysis of argument is to listen to both sides of the argument, not just one and make your decision.
It's a pain finding the second string babysitter. So sorry. Good thing kids are resilient though! I hated having to call the babysitters I knew couldn't do as well of a job as the regular ones that were taken.
Temaire, I saw a comment you made on Hiroko's blog. It was nice to read your blog and know that like me, you are deep in the trenches of raising great kids! The babysitter thing has been a thorn in my side since we moved back to Utah. The young women in our neighborhood don't babysit as a general rule. Also, my son is 13 years old. It is a bit awkward to have a 15 year old girl babysitting my 13 year old son. Sometimes I've been able to put the kids to bed and leave him in charge for an hour while the hubby and I get to go for a walk.
Temaire, I just realized you probably have no idea which Jules wrote the last comment. It's your childhood friend Julie Johnson(Michaelis). Feel free to stop by my blog and say hi!
Just hang on until your oldest is 11 then the magic begins and you don't have to pay for babysitters any more! Life is great!!
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