A Love Letter….not to my kid, are you crazy??

Nope, this isn’t a love letter to Will.  That kid hasn’t listened to a thing I’ve said in three days, except ‘do you want something to eat?’ which gets a resounding head nod.  Nope, it’s a love letter to one of Will’s favourite people and to mine – his babysitter, Sarah.  (and no, she hasn’t threatened me with never coming back…sometimes you just realize how incredibly effing lucky you are).

I was a major babysitter back in the day.  I started at ten being a mothers helper to twins or triplets, I can’t remember.  In high school, I was a wanted woman – not by the football players, just by the parents in the neighbourhood.  I had a weekly gig with one family, essentially throughout all of high school.  They were awesome and generous and now I know why!!  Finding a good, dependable babysitter is like winning the lottery!  I even babysat through university to three insane little girls which gave me some side money and some very interesting stories….(someday I’ll share the ‘gas pedal’ one…good god!)

**sidenote – A few years ago, while attending a friends birthday party, this guy kept looking at me from the bar.  I finally went over and said, are you going to look at me or talk to me.  To which he replied, ‘I think you were my babysitter for like 5 years.’  Yup – that was him, then he introduced me to his wife.  Then our mutual friend, whose party we were at, yells out, ‘WAIT, does that mean you used to give him a bath??’.  Yes Sparky, yes I did.  Age differences were so much more pronounced back then weren’t they?!**

When I first had Will, I utilized the offers of free babysitting alot.  And even though I can’t really afford it, I realized that I needed to find someone that I could get to come in and pay – then you can not feel so guilty about the whole thing.  Steve, from my local coffee shop, suggested Sarah who worked there.  A year later, she still hasn’t quit our asses.

Why do we love Sarah (because really, it’s both of us)….

a. She has dance parties with the boy

b. She has a trucker mouth just like his mama

c. She doesn’t take offence that he loses his crap everytime I leave – and I know that he’ll tire of it way before she does

d. She always tells me he is the most amazing, fun, hilarious kid ever, when I can attest, that he is not always that amazing, fun or hilarious

e. She sees when I’m about to fall apart and she offers to take him overnight (and not charge me for when he sleeps)

f. She feeds him things like samosas and eggplant

g. She takes him to hang with her boyfriend’s (ahem fiance’s) band mates and they play with him … wait a minute, this should be me and not Will that does this, must get on that stat!

h. She LOVES him – sometimes I think more than I do.

For all these reasons, she’s the best.  But she’s also now my friend too.  I can vent to her about everything because she’s removed from the other parts of my life.  Essentially, she keeps us both sane because by me having parts of my old life around, I can keep it together for him and he can survive me.

What’s your babysitter situation?  Are you lucky like me or still looking….

Oh and before you ask – NO you can’t have her phone number….

And yes Sarah, you can kick my ass for this later.  And so she’ll continue to talk to me and show up tonight so I can play tennis, I’ll show you this picture of Will instead of one of hers…in the Porter lounge this weekend waiting to fly to Montreal.  He was awesome until he pulled a Hannibal Lecter on me on the way home – you try to fight off a face biting toddler in turbulence – je-sus!!