I was a damn fine babysitter, though, back in my day.
Funny enough, though, in all the time we've been parents, Big Daddy T and I have never really been ones to hire babysitters. We've borrowed the odd services of family and swapped kid-watching duties with other parent friends. (You know: You take our kids Friday, we'll take yours Saturday, etc.)
It's not that I don't believe there are good babysitters, or that I'm afraid I'll come home to find the babysitter has slipped all the kids a rufee or bedded my husband or anything. It's more that I'm terrified to leave anyone else the responsibility of these small humans because I don't trust that they will care about them as much as I do.
I recognize that this is patently ridiculous, as nobody else will EVER care about my kids as much as I do. It's part of the mommy Job Description.
So finally, when my neighbor/BFF, Sarah, suggested her babysitter might be worthy to be responsible for the temporary care of my 3 small, loud people, we decided to give it a go.
It was like tasting Ambrosia, y'all.
We went out. Alone. Try #1 we took the baby with us to the movies, with disastrous results, but after that? Try #2 we went to dinner at the new Wings Place in town, and then a live music show at a local bistro. It was heaven. All 3 kids were in good hands, and we hadn't a care in the world.
This afternoon we celebrated our 7th anniversary a day early. We left Courtney The Awesome with our 3 monkeys and headed out to see The Time Traveler's Wife. Only, I suck and may have mentioned a time or two that my ADD prevents me from - you know -functioning like normal humans, so we MAY have ended up at the WRONG theater and been unable to see our movie. Okay, so there's no may about it, we did just that, but then we ended up wandering around town and grabbing sangria and chips with guacamole at a hole-in-the-wall mexican place. Then we headed to a 250-year-old bar with a patio surrounded by old-growth trees, where we sat in a wooden swing hanging from one of the branches and sipped cold beers and talked about Life. And The Universe. And Everything.
Facing this fear has been entirely positive, and now I am left only with the regret that Courtney is headed back to college this week. Which means I am now sans babysitter once again.
This is what I imagine it was like for Val Kilmer's character in "At First Sight" when he got vision for the first time, but then lost it again. And if you think I'm being melodramatic YOU DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN.
So facing this particular hurdle in my seemingly endless series of fears? It's been good. Now who wants to come be my au pair? (I hope you're not adverse to My People doing a background check and taking a urine sample. You're totally okay with that, right?)
What can I say? I'm a little protective. It's a virtue. (Shut up, it totally is.)
7 comments:
Get out of my head. No really ... we are the same person. 5 years, no babysitter yet and for the SAME ridiculous phobic reason. You're freaking me out.
I actually have to totally agree. I've let my mom and sisters watch my kids, and my mother in law, but no one else. We haven't spent a night without the kids since Kami was born, so 3.5 years. All for the exact same reasons as you. I agree it may be crazy, but I can't help it!
I love the "At First Sight" comparison. I know EXACTLY what you mean!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!
and if you will move out here I will tend on a lot more nights than your anniversary!
Love you much - just as you are. You're awesome.
1- You DID make quite the awesome babysitter in your day. I can attest to that. :)
2- I officially have one more crazy point than you do because I wouldn't even trust my IN-LAWS with my kids for the 1st 6 months of their lives...
3- over protective-ness is most definitely a virtue. don't ever let anyone convince you otherwise.
4- Ah luv Yew. Ur funneh.
Mel, I have the same phobia! I am convinced something terrible will happen to Isaac if he is not under my watch. Neurotic, I know. I hope you are able to find a new babysitter!!!
Madeleine is now 5 years old, and I too have the same problem. Cory and I have left her here and there with family, but with babysitter... no. Now that we've been in Knoxville for over a year with no family, I'm tempted to start looking for one... but how do you even start looking for something like that? Sounds like you had an awesome anniversary, grats!
You're totally in my head. And, like you, the one babysitter I ever actually used -- and promptly LOVED -- has just left for college. DUDE. Now what? Wait till Christmas break for the next date night?
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