Oh my, how life can change once you find a great babysitter. Before we moved to the suburbs, we had no one close by to watch the kids so we could sneak out for a nice date night or so I could run some errands without the kids. I didn't trust anybody. I saw too many insane, sad stories on the news of crazy babysitters leaving the kids home alone, dealing drugs out the kids' house, etc. No WAY was I going to EVER leave a "stranger" to watch my kids.
But once we moved to the suburbs, I met my friend's neighbor who babysat for my friend's two kids. She was a high schooler, had her own car, and seemed really nice. I decided I needed some sanity in my life. I needed to take a leap of faith and trust that not every babysitter was going to leave a bag of meth on my coffee table while she hooked up with her boyfriend in the baby's nursery.
Fast forward a year and a half - our babysitter is now a senior in high school and is at our house at least twice a month, if not sometimes 1-2 times per week depending on what is going on. She is so very dependable, reliable and responsible. I completely trust her and she does a great job managing a 5-year-old who wants to play board games and Barbies, a 4-year-old who wants to play video games and have a Ninja sword fight, and a 1-year-old who wants to climb up on top of the fireplace and leap down head first.
I am now able to sneak out to Target by myself (which doesn't sound all that exciting, but when you can do so while leisurely sipping a Starbucks and NOT have to go up and down the toy aisles while holding a toddler's head so she doesn't suck on the sides of the cart...well, that's a big darn deal.). My husband and I go on a date about once a month now, which is something we NEVER were able to do in St. Paul.
We are blessed to have a great babysitter who makes our lives a bit easier and a bit more fun for the kiddos. Now...let's pray that she goes to a college very close by!
This post is linked to Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers.
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