No.....Babysitter drama? Really? Are you sure?

I've been wanting to make a post all week about our new babysitter. The problem is, I have nothing to snark about so this is going to be a boring post.

S. is just lovely. She has a two and a half year old son, who immediately made Caitlyn his new BFF. He calls her "KK", which is fucking adorable, and follows her around and plays with her all day long. The other day when it was really hot outside, S. took them out and let them play in the sprinklers. Which reminds me, Caitlyn is walking like crazy now... running actually, and now she has a new little friend to run with.

I've been really open about the problems I've had with my sister and her babysitting skills. It wasn't ever that I felt she wasn't taking care of Caitlyn, but it always seemed more like a chore than anything else to her... like she loves Caitlyn and all, but it's always been rather obvious that she would love being around her even more if there wasn't any responsibility attached. It's so strange to me that I've found a stranger who truly seems to enjoy caring for my daughter, much more so than I ever felt my sister did. And as much as I realize it's only been a week and my feeling may change, I just get such a great vibe from her.

When someone interviews you for a job, I think it's pretty easy to see what an employer wants. At my old job, personality was so important. Anyone who wasn't completely oblivious could take a few minutes and talk to some of the people who already worked there and understand what we were looking for. And besides that, there are the obvious stand-bys: responsible, reliable, trustworthy. Those are important in any job. I think it's easy to get a feel for a place, but when someone is hiring you to watch their child it's just different. Obviously they want to know you won't leave the kid alone in the bathtub while you go do bumps of coke. But really, people's parenting styles and ideals and all that bullshit are so different. So I think it's harder to put on a show besides "I don't do coke".

My sister, for example, has different ideals than I do. Obviously. We've discussed that shit to death. In her opinion, the worst thing I could have ever possibly done is find a STRANGER on craigslist to watch Caitlyn. But then, isn't it funny how that stranger seems to share my ideas about parenting? Isn't is amazing that she spends quality time teaching and playing with my daughter and doesn't seem overwhelmed and annoyed about it? Isn't it just wonderful that when I pick Caitlyn up, instead of scouring the room for her stuff thats been strewn all over the place, it's neatly packed in her diaper bag, along with a little note addressed to "mommy and daddy" with a run-down of her day? Or the fact that she embraces my preference to give Caitlyn encouragement, hugs and kisses when she's having a bad moment, as opposed to letting her "cry it out" when she's "being a brat". It's fucking magical, that's what it is.

The point of this post wasn't to bash my sister, though it always seems to go that way. My point is that I'm just so very happy with our new babysitter. She's exactly what I hoped to find. She appreciates Caitlyn's bouncy, cheerful (and just a teensy bit spoiled) personality and gives her time to nourish her creativity, energy and intelligence. And maybe I'll be able to appreciate my sister a little more. We can enjoy each other's company without all the undercurrent of our clashing parenting styles.