Well, I did it. I finally hired a babysitter. It only took me nearly 5 years to trust someone other than my parents or Paul's parents. I needed to realize that, A) Not all people are bad and will not hurt or abduct my child/children, and B) I can't do it all alone. I often fantasize about that movie, "Multiplicity", because I see how having multiple copies of me would really help out. Well, in reality it just wasn't happening.
My main dilemma was the crazy staggered preschool schedules of Allison and Thomas and Rachel's need to have a solid morning nap that was being interrupted by them. Allison goes from 8-10:50am Tuesday through Friday and Thomas goes from 9:30am-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, unless Rachel napped in time for me to take Thomas, I was usually waking her up or dragging her around until I could put her back down, only to have to deal with waking her again in time to pick up Allison. Nevermind any "alone" time for me with two out of the house and one napping...if I got any it was usually 20 min. or less. (I figure I'll have more of this when Rachel starts preschool...you know, in 2+ years.) So, I put an ad on Craigslist and interviewed a few college-age girls and settled on the one I felt most comfortable with (and whose references checked out).
This is huge for me. I was so resistent to this idea for so long. I mean, how do you really know what goes on when you're not there? Horror stories fill my head...neglect, shaken-baby syndrome, abduction. It's crazy, I know, but it's something that's plagued me since I had Allison. I babysat a ton all through junior high and high school...what's my problem with trusting people? Well, I'm forcing myself to get over it. It means spending a little bit of money, but worth not having to drag Rachel around. Plus, I can use the time (two hours- yea) to run errands or just take a mini-break. I'll report on how it goes!
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2 comments:
Good for you!
Once you get used to your sitter you'll wonder why it took you so long to find one!
Whenever I have a new sitter for my kids I unexpectantly "pop in" at home a couple of times. I always find the kids content and having fun.
I know...getting over the hurdle of hiring one has left me feeling a lot better about trusting others. Rachel was fine and this sitter reminds me of myself. I just had to come to terms with it...I have issues, what can I say?
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