Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Babysitter Blues

**As I type this, I am reminding myself I was once young and selfish.

For the last couple of months, we have been paying this seventeen year old granddaughter of my mother's friend to watch our children. Lately, she has mostly watched Liam while my husband and I attended Claire's softball games. We didn't take him because he is in a bullying, aggressive stage and tried to take out the other little children that were there and because I was tired of trying to stop him from eating rocks and running on the field.

It was a real relief to have her. Recently, though, I have been a little irritated with some of the things she has done. One thing is she doesn't pick up after herself; my house is a wreck when she leaves. I think this is in part my own fault as I wasn't specific in wanting her to do this. The second and most annoying thing is that she is on my computer when I am not home. Again, I didn't specify that she not do this but I don't like it. Mostly because if my kid is awake and she is only going to be there two hours, she should be devoting all of her time to playing with him.

Then one day I saw her Facebook page after she left. I don't know how it happened but as I was shutting down my PC before an electrical storm, the page popped up. Of course, I looked! I am a nosy person by nature and I had to peek, especially because it was on MY computer and she was doing it while at MY house, watching MY awake kid.

I didn't like what I saw. There were pictures of her with alcohol in her hands and some of the things written were really sexually charged. Now, this page was only on my screen for a few seconds but long enough to change my entire opinion of this girl who I thought was very sweet and innocent. My husband assured me that more teenagers are like this than not and not to worry about it because she isn't doing those things while at our house.

Still, though...

So, I ignored my hesitations because, well, it is difficult to find someone to watch your kid- you know that. She is nice and both of my kids like her. Her family is close to mine. She watched Liam last evening for Claire's last game and was supposed to watch him again this weekend for her dance recital.

As I am walking out the door to take Claire to her game, the sitter, Molly, says, "Oh, about Saturday. I can't watch Liam 'cause I made plans to go to a lake with my friends."

What!!!?? Excuse me??!!

You can't watch my kid while my husband and I go watch my other kid in a dance recital just so you can go have sex to a lake???

I am furious. Livid. I can hardly look at her without smacking her pink lip gloss off her sunburned, seventeen year-old face. I say, "okay" and leave.

Now my husband cannot go as we have no one else to watch Liam. *steam rising from my ears*

At this point, the biggest part of me says good riddance to bad rubbish. I am pissed as hell that she doesn't have the forethought to see how importance a recital is to a family whose child is in it. I have no plans to take her up on her shrugged off, "if you can't find anyone else, I guess I can still do it...sigh". Nope. This family is done paying her $7 an hour to watch my darling boy. We will make do, as always.

Teenagers! Ugh!


11 comments:

Life As I Know It said...

If the babysitter is here while my kids are awake I have a no computer rule. If they are in bed and the sitter wants to IM her friends, that's fine. I would definitely be mad if she got onto YOUR computer without permission. Not okay.
It's hard to find a good sitter...hope you find a better one!

Kristi said...

I can't imagine a babysitter using my computer while I'm gone. I would already be mad about that. On the other hand, you're right. Finding a good babysitter is virtually impossible.

Missy said...

We do not have a babysitter, and I SO wish that we did. Although reading this I am kinda glad that I don't have to worry about these things.
I babysat for years as a teenager, and I'd like to think that I was fairly considerate. I did always make sure to clean up, because I knew how much the parents appreciated coming home to a clean house. But I am sure that I did my fair share of talking on the phone (you know, those pre-Internet days) and not really "watching" the kids.

I really hope that you can find someone for the recital - what a bummer if you can't go.

Dana said...

We have yet use a teenager babysitter. I am way too nervous to do so. It's not like we don't have anyone in line to do so, it's actually getting over that fear.
That stinks about the babsitter. I feel for you.

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Damn the youths.

You have a right to be livid. Spitting nails livid.

We not-so-accidentally saw our neice's myspace page and it really just screamed, oh I don't know, I'M A BIG HO BAG. Not at ALL what one would inititally expect.

A good babysitter is like a fine wine or a good man: hard to find.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh, teenagers! What makes me upset (other than the underage drinking and sex) is that she left you high and dry on such short notice.

Anonymous said...

I would be furious. I would be angry that she was on my computer in the first place, but her very haphazard and ungrateful way of telling you she couldn't sit for you - without any consideration? That's just RUDE. And, you know, we aren't that old. We were teenagers, too. Would you done these things? No.

Anonymous said...

I feel anger rising in me just reading this! The computer issue and leaving the house a mess is poor babysitting and rude. She's obviously not very responsible if she's ditching a babysitting commitment to go the the lake.

Kellan said...

Oh, I'm sorry about the recital, but it might be best - giving your worries about her. I hope you find someone new - start putting the word out - maybe have some friends watch him for the evening and then you can watch their kids another night.

Good luck - see you soon - Kellan

DIXIECHICK said...

It is hard to find a sitter, I agree..but, I don't think I would use her services anymore. Tell her why, the computer situation and the fact that she let you down for an important event. Good luck with finding a new sitter.

Melissa said...

O.M.G.

You are so well to be rid of her. And I'm glad it all worked so that hubby could make the recital after all.

But not all kids are like that. And to expect that they would be is just sad. Have we so little respect for ourselves any more?