oh. my. gosh.
well, after babysitting candidate #3 e-mailed about the bus and i responded to say i wasn't sure how well it would work out since she didn't have a car but maybe she would like to babysit some evening if needed, she assured me she was still available for the morning/afternoon babysitting i discussed with her.
so, we had her over for dinner this evening to meet the kids. wow. did i mention before has been a learning experience? i now know i need to add another requirement to my growing list for a babysitter:
1) Must have good communication skills
2) Must have good references
3) Must have a good schedule
4) Must like kids
i honestly didn't think that was necessary but after this dinner i am no longer taking anything for granted.
upon meeting her she seemed nice, but nervous. the kind of nervous where she looked in every direction but never made eye contact for the first few minutes. okay, no big deal, i figure, i can handle some social awkwardness as long as the kids like her and she gets along well with them. those were my exact first thoughts within 15 seconds of meeting her. i was making dinner and she talked. a lot. fine, no big deal, we were getting to know each other of course. but aaron and the kids were outside playing in the backyard and she had no intention of playing with them, engaging the kids in conversation, or acting curious about them. it was also then that i realized that the reference she had given me was more of a personal nature and while nice enough, was not regarding childcare and to the point said (and i'm going to cut and paste here, so that i'm completely accurate): "She is highly intelligent, and a very caring individual, and likes animals." and all of this i gathered from our brief meal together, but come on "likes animals"???? she seriously seemed to have no interest in the kids. she had some nice ideas for activities, like going to the library (walking about a mile though-come on, my kids can maybe walk a block before the fatigue and whining sets in), going to the Harry Potter book release this weekend at midnight, and general hanging out. but ultimately, she seemed more into animals than children. and while she became less nervous and more comfortable with us, i don't know that that was a good thing. as we start our drive across our town and into the next one to take her home, as i told her that aaron was allergic to dogs and kieran was allergic to cats, she said that if it were her, "the kids would have to go." speechless. i literally had what i can only imagine was the crappiest, fake smile plastered to my face as i stated, "well, i guess that's not really an option."
she really was a sweet person, but it was basically an interview and it went horribly.
i now don't wish a babysitter search on anyone.
so, we had her over for dinner this evening to meet the kids. wow. did i mention before has been a learning experience? i now know i need to add another requirement to my growing list for a babysitter:
1) Must have good communication skills
2) Must have good references
3) Must have a good schedule
4) Must like kids
i honestly didn't think that was necessary but after this dinner i am no longer taking anything for granted.
upon meeting her she seemed nice, but nervous. the kind of nervous where she looked in every direction but never made eye contact for the first few minutes. okay, no big deal, i figure, i can handle some social awkwardness as long as the kids like her and she gets along well with them. those were my exact first thoughts within 15 seconds of meeting her. i was making dinner and she talked. a lot. fine, no big deal, we were getting to know each other of course. but aaron and the kids were outside playing in the backyard and she had no intention of playing with them, engaging the kids in conversation, or acting curious about them. it was also then that i realized that the reference she had given me was more of a personal nature and while nice enough, was not regarding childcare and to the point said (and i'm going to cut and paste here, so that i'm completely accurate): "She is highly intelligent, and a very caring individual, and likes animals." and all of this i gathered from our brief meal together, but come on "likes animals"???? she seriously seemed to have no interest in the kids. she had some nice ideas for activities, like going to the library (walking about a mile though-come on, my kids can maybe walk a block before the fatigue and whining sets in), going to the Harry Potter book release this weekend at midnight, and general hanging out. but ultimately, she seemed more into animals than children. and while she became less nervous and more comfortable with us, i don't know that that was a good thing. as we start our drive across our town and into the next one to take her home, as i told her that aaron was allergic to dogs and kieran was allergic to cats, she said that if it were her, "the kids would have to go." speechless. i literally had what i can only imagine was the crappiest, fake smile plastered to my face as i stated, "well, i guess that's not really an option."
she really was a sweet person, but it was basically an interview and it went horribly.
i now don't wish a babysitter search on anyone.
posted by joanna at 9:01 PM
9 Comments:
Joanna,
How much would this position pay???
I'm flexible enough at work I could probably fit it in during my lunch hour or I could just tell work I'm "Golfing". I'd need a couple of days notice though. I could probablty scrape up a reference or two that would say good things about me!!
Mr. B
ha ha ha!
you know B, i think you'd be perfect, and here are a few tips: ask me to come pick you up and drop you off, make sure you're not available for "golfing" until about 4pm, don't interact with them and insinuate you will "force" them to eat, and tell me you'd get rid of the kids because they're allergic to your cats!
then i think you'll be ready to watch my kids!
I think I can do it! I don't usually have a car, but I can arrange my husband to leave it. I would have to leave by 3:30p to make sure I'm back in time to pick him up. I wouldn't really be able to take them anywhere because I have a 2-door car packed with car seats. Oh! That's right, I have 3 kids of my own that would need to come too. And since I can't tow around 5 kids, we will have to stay at your house. My kids are generally good. My 5 month old is teething right now so she's extremely fussy and whiny and LOUD. I don't clean up too well, either, so after a day of 5 kids, I hope you don't mind if I don't pick up after them. So, what do you say? Interested? :)
You know you really don't need a babysitter. Just try this, bring them over to my house and throw some snacks down in the basement. When they run down to get them just shut the door and lock it. They'll still be there when you get back, at least the cats usually are.
that's hilarious. i'll try to think about any people i know who are still in the area who might be a little bit more kid-friendly.
I second your "oh. my. gosh." Where have all the good babysitters gone? When you said you were still trying to hire a babysitter, I had no idea it involved all of this!
Mr. & Mrs. B-i think that basement idea might just work! the kids will do anything for cookies!
becki-your offer is just sooooo tempting! and you actually like kids, come on down!
jacob-thanks for the help, and i've got a few new contacts--maybe aaron and i can actually go on an adults-only date night!
liza-yeah, i didn't think it was going to be hard at all, i blame myself though. now i know the right questions to ask :)
Sorry this is such a hassle for you but I enjoy reading your posts!
thanks christina-sometimes the only thing i can think of after a disaster is, well, i hope the blog readers enjoy this one!
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