Babysitter Blues

I have the world’s best babysitter. The problem? Other people agree with me. My babysitter is so popular that I have to schedule months in advance. I would be better off trying to get season tickets to the Packers than trying to schedule a date night with my husband.

When I sit down to schedule with her, it’s like playing a grown up version of “Go Fish.” Scheduling goes like this:

“Do you have Saturday the 12th open?”
“Nope.”
“How about the 19th?”
“Let me see…yes, I-“
“I’ll take it!”
I do a little dance, my husband gives me a high five and then we move on to the next date.

Many have suggested that I find a backup sitter. With my work schedule the way it is, I know it seems like a very reasonable idea, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. When I was teaching, I had a plethora of sitters available to me. Now that I am out of the school system, I have no idea how to find somebody with a pulse and half a brain, much less someone who is good enough to watch my kids.

Some people think I am too picky, but with my kid’s allergies, I kind of have to be. With the wrong snack having the ability to send my son to the emergency room, I need someone who can follow directions and has a way with kids.

I thought about finding a woman who did in home child care, but that didn’t work out. The first woman I visited allowed the kids to play with the vacuum cleaner. Call me overprotective, but I generally don’t let my kids play with household appliances.

My next thought was to find a late high school or early college kid to watch the kids at my house. The trouble is I have NO IDEA where to find a kid like this who is trustworthy enough. Sure if I had thought about it soon enough I could have asked my former teaching colleagues before vacation started, but that would take foresight, which I seem to be lacking. I could just go to places where kids hang out during the summer, but every time I go to the mall I spend too much money.

For now I have decided to keep the babysitter I have and try to work around her limited availability. I suggested she start a website so her clients could schedule online (yes, she has THAT many), but then I would want her to let me design it so I could rig it. It’s sad, I know, but I am a desperate woman.