I Won't Grow Up!

Of all of the jobs that have affected me the most and helped (I hope) to make a positive impact on the world is babysitting. There is a lot more in depth to the job than the name implies…mostly the children being cared for aren’t babies and we, the caregivers, are providing more than simply ‘sitting’ with them. This alone suggests that the children are pretty much left to their own devises for care, food, exercise, and cognitive skills while we, the ‘sitters’, are only there to keep an eye out for them and so the parent(s) can say to themselves, ‘the children are not alone, so everything is fine.’ Wrong!

A babysitter is providing a necessary service for which we are paid a wage, but it also allows the sitter to share insights and information to the children, so they learn more about the world outside their family and home. We are protectors from monsters under the bed or in the closets, teachers (tying shoes, helping with homework), cook (I make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich), housekeeper (those oops, and odd silences), playmate, disciplinarian and are often the one who ‘translates’ rules and such from parents to children. It is well known that children have selective hearing, so sitters are needed to make sure the kids hear, learn, and remember everything their parents say, so there is no reason to repeat it a thousand times!

Many people are born with a ‘knack’ for connecting quickly and easily with children despite the age differences. Some of these people are lucky to become parents, some become teachers, some become daycare workers or babysitters, and I believe that I am one of those people! From an early age I found it easy to connect and communicate with children – whether it was speaking the gibberish babies use until they learn to speak normal or understanding gestures and looks while playing with toys. By gibbering and adjusting my tone of voice, their first reaction is shock, then their faces light up, they smile, and begin to gibber back to me. Parents naturally are a bit cautious when a strange young girl or woman walks up to their children, but soon they relax and watch in amazement as their child(ren) giggle as the conversation continues. When finished, before I walk away, one parent will ask, “How did you do that? What just happened?” I smile and explain with a shrug, “I found out long time ago that everyone feels better when they know that someone is listening, really listening – even children.” After all, it isn’t what you say, but how you say it that gets the point across.

Babysitting is one thing that I truly enjoy doing. Especially, when I learned that Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes were seldom taught at home or school anymore. When growing up, I learned them in first grade and at home, it was one way for my Mama to keep me sit still while she combed and plaited my hair or used a hot comb on the stove top to flat iron my hair. Trading nursery rhymes, jokes, riddles, and tongue twisters kept my mind busy while keeping my body still. I found out while sitting for a family with a twelve-year-old and a two-year-old. The twelve-year-old had chores to do and needed a way to keep focused, so we sang Disney © songs, radio songs, then when I started saying nursing rhymes, she looked shocked. So, I gladly taught her the ones I knew, I didn’t think her parents would mind…and they didn’t, because they also did not know them and were curious. So, the girl excitedly checked out a book of rhymes, jokes, and riddles from the library for my next visit. I was excited, too.

A lady in my neighborhood ran a diner that I visited often and one day needed a babysitter quickly, so I offered my services. I went home with her on a trial to see how her kids would react. They trusted me immediately, especially when I mimicked their style of speech (a lisps). The mom was overjoyed, and it led to many such visits/jobs. At one point she laughed and called me ‘Peter Pan’ because I was obviously an adult but acted like a child! This was one of the proudest moments in my life.

When I moved to Nashville, TN, one of my first jobs was working for YMCA in childcare which they called ‘Fun Company’. This job was quite a bit more physical than I thought at first, but I managed. Everyday during the summer, 3-5 staffers in groups were responsible for about 15-20 kids ranging in age from seven to 15, providing games, swimming, arts and crafts, and outings. I loved the fact that I was paid to let the child in me out! When school started, we provided ‘before and after’ care at schools. This meant we were responsible for kids who needed to be watch until school started at 9am and then until picked up at 6pm. I especially enjoyed this because the number of kids were less, but I still had fun.

One morning at breakfast, I bought two packages of cereal which included its own bowl. I came away from the counter shaking the packages like maracas, humming the Congo song, and danced to my seat. There were lots of laughter from the kids, YMCA staff and school staff, but I didn’t care nor mind, I was having fun. Don’t get me wrong, I could be stern when I needed to be, but thankfully that didn’t happen very often. When the position was fazed out, I found out that daycares require a certificate or diploma from a specialized class to get employed there, so I was unable to continue in that field. Instead, I worked for family, former co-workers and acquaintances who are okay with an old fashioned raised – hometown trained babysitter and enjoy the opportunities they provide me to be a kid once more!