The Babysitter Curse

So here I am up in Canada. Of course our first day here it was utterly freezing – just to keep all stereotypes alive. We even had to turn the heat on. I was very worried that the one pair of pants I brought for each person was not going to be enough – but then the weather took a turn for the better, and so did my outlook on my packing ability. (By the way, as we were loading the trunk to leave, Greg, my Dad and some neighbours all exclaimed : “That’s it?!” - I felt a tinge of pride for packing so well, but have to admit I was also a little worried!)

We’ve enjoyed several new parks the last few days and had as many picnics. I think we even got a little sunburned today… yes, the sun does shine up in Canada… so I’ll be pulling out the sunscreen tomorrow. We are anxious for Greg to join us on Sunday.

Just a funny note… we only stopped once on our drive up here – at the Michigan welcome center. While there I changed the kids out of their pjs and we had a little picnic brunch. It was pretty cold and I had only brought t-shirts to change into… so I ended up putting the boys’ long-sleeved pj tops back over their clothes. Tyler, with shivers and purple lips came up to me and announced, “Mommy, we forgot to pack our mittens to come to Canada!” It was soooo cute and very true to the weather!

As for my subject… I must do a little long-winded explaining before I can get to the true experience that merits mentioning on this blog. I babysit a lot. I don’t know why or how this has happened to me, but I average a LOT of babysitting hours into my average week. For a big number, I remember adding up 34 hours… however, that’s a BIG number. Usually not so big, but the point being I babysit a lot. Sometimes I enjoy it, sometimes I don’t. Greg, however, gets unnerved by it and I am slowly discovering the joys of being just with my own children, and letting them be just with their own siblings – who are becoming their very own friends. Greg and I always joke about how strange it is how people always ask me to babysit – not the friends doing each other a favour, the swapping off thing – but the utter strangers who will ask. The new neighbor across the street, the frazzled mother at the library… really it is strange. We’ve decided I MUST have some sort of sign on my forehead that advertises either my babysitting ability or my inability to say “no”. Either way, we both agreed that this summer would be a fun break from babysitting. Greg joked that if anyone did ask me to babysit, I should use the whole “let me just check with my parole officer” line – nobody knows me here, and if they’re asking a complete stranger to watch their kids, it serves them right to be served that line.

Are you with me?

It seemed improbable to me that I would be faced with that dilemma… but today we were at the park and I was approached by another mother who, yup, asked me to babysit her 2 ½ year old son. I was smiling uncontrollably as she asked, and she must have thought me both friendly and willing so she kept on talking about what the job would entail. She would only be working part-time, flexible schedule so she could let me know a week in advance what the hours would be, her son could play well with my two boys (note, they had not even gone close to each other the whole hour we’d been there), blah blah blah. I was only half-listening as I tried to control the explosion of laughter within. I almost wondered if Greg had set this up. Still I said nothing, so she started the pity proposal (I’ve heard these before too)… how she just moved to this area of town, doesn’t know a soul, what would happen if she didn’t work at least part-time, she can’t pay a lot, but can pay enough – I mean what’s one more kid for me to watch when I’ve already got three? I have to admit I pledge allegiance to stay-at-home Moms, so that line was a little much. But basically I was humored. I replied, “Honey, I don’t even live in this country…. We’re just up here visiting. Those foreign plates in the parking lot are mine.” She then asked who I was visiting and if I knew anyone else who might be willing – can you believe? Since we were near the library I suggested she look on the bulletin boards there, wished her luck and then walked away to ask Julia if I had anything written on my forehead.

I’m cursed I realize. But while I may not have a break from my curse this summer… at least I can try to have fun with it!