My daughter despises being babysat. I’m not even sure if that’s a word, but it doesn’t sound all that pleasant to me either, when you put it that way. I recall kind of liking my babysitters, since an evening of babysitting meant an evening of fun, television, junk food, and a late bedtime.
My daughter has been blessed with a parent who stays home part time and grandparents who care for her when I am not there. Rarely does it happen that my husband and I need to go to work and the grandparents are not there. It’s happening today though, and we need to put on a brave face.
Due to a child care mix up, I have to teach for three hours while my daughter goes to a neighbor’s house. We know the neighbor, but my daughter is still nervous. There are promises of dollhouses and a fun walk with the dog. She still had a big crying jag last night. I feel terribly guilty, but there’s absolutely nothing that I can do about it, unfortunately. Believe me, I try to avoid this and it still happens once a year or so.
I hope that it’s a matter of conditioning, just like our music class. This January we signed up for a music class that I couldn’t attend. I could be there, just not in the room. She cried, she had tantrums, I knew that she would love the experience in the end. I got her to go to the first class and sat outside the door as another child wailed and mine sat quietly with tears in her eyes. I thought that it would be best to go in and get her. I didn’t. After three classes, she was delighted with the whole experience, and when the classes ended she was very upset.
I hope that the same happens with a babysitter eventually. I’d love my daughter to have a babysitter that she loves and wants to spend some fun time with, kind of like a big sister.
Wish us luck!