Babysitting

I got paid a dime the first time I went babysitting. I wasn't very impressed.  I only watched the little boy across the street for an hour while his mom ran an errand, but still, a dime wasn't very much money. 

It wasn't long, though, before I was babysitting two or three times a week for different people in our ward, and making a lot of money.  I enjoyed babysitting, I enjoyed the money, and I enjoyed feeling important and grown up enough to watch other peoples kids.  Sometimes, though, I would rather have stayed home with nothing to do but read.  But I didn't know how to say no, so unless I had of an excuse, I went.

There were certain families that I preferred sitting for.  I loved those kids and felt comfortable in their homes.  Once in a while I'd be asked to sit for someone new, and that was kind of scary.  It amazed me how different people's homes could be from ours.  Some were dirty, some smelled funny, some had the strangest decorations and furniture, but always the kids were pretty much the same.  Babies cried if they were hungry or needed their diapers changed or wanted to be held.  I could take care of that.  Toddlers cried if they were hungry, needed their diapers changed, or wanted to be loved.  I could take care of that, too.  Older children cried if they were scared, hungry, or missed their mommies.  I could take care of them, as well.  I soon learned that between giving the kids something to eat, making them comfortable, and telling them stories or singing them songs I could pretty much take care of all their needs. 

My favorite time was when I put the kids to bed.  We would go through their routines of brushing their teeth, putting on their pajamas, saying their prayers and tucking them into bed with a favorite blanket or toy, then I would sit down by them and tell them stories and sing them songs.  I developed a whole routine, almost like being in Los Vegas, of songs and stories that kids loved to hear.  There was Whitie, and The Little Puppy Doggy, Heidi and The Littlest Mermaid, to name just a few of the favorite stories.  Then I would sing everything from lullabies to movie songs, until the kids fell asleep and I slipped quietly out of their room.  Then I would go into the front room and read until their parents came home.

Once in awhile I'd watch TV, but most of the young families I sat for only had tiny sets, and some didn't have TV at all.   This was before the days of cable TV or VCRs with all kinds of movies to choose from.  I had to watch whatever was on our four local channels, and often that meant there was nothing good.  Thank goodness I liked reading.

Sometimes it would get kind of scary, sitting in a strange living room, listening to the click of a wall clock or the gurgle of an old refrigerator or water heater, or whatever other appliances made funny noises.  Then I would call mom and talk to her for a few minutes.  She always calmed me down and made me feel better.  If the couple was out late I would occasionally drift off to sleep on their couch.  It was embarrassing to wake up and know that they found me sleeping when they came home but no one seemed to mind.

One day I babysat for a family who lived at the end of our street.  They had a teenage son who was a year older than me, and two little girls.  The son was supposed to be out for the evening, but he came home earlier than expected.  I didn't know quite what to do.  I didn't need to be there if he was home, but I didn't know if I should leave or not.  He was a weird kid, kind of a flipped out hippie type, and when he came into the room where I was reading and sat down on the couch I got nervous.  When he began talking to me I was really uncomfortable.  I had nothing in common with this guy, he wasn't even friends with my big brother, and I didn't know what to say to him.  He tried to talk to me for about 15 minutes, but he must have known I was not enjoying myself.  I suspect he enjoyed seeing me sweat.  Finally he told me to go home, and I never was happier to walk out a front door and hurry to my own house.  I didn't go back babysitting to there.

The older I got the less time I had for babysitting and the fewer jobs I was offered.  Still, I had my special families that called me all the way until I got married.  I often thought back to my babysitting days, and appreciated the experience I gained taking care of those children.  It was like practicing to have my own kids, and it sure made becoming a mom easier.