Hey y’all.
I recently had an experience that made me respect the f@*$ outta parents. My cousin, who I love to death, asked me to babysit her kids because she was going to a work party with her husband. Her kids are great and super adorable, so I said yes without hesitation. The day came and I found myself stressing out a little. “Can I handle things alone with little ones for that long?”, “What if something happens?”, “Do they even like me like that?” I’ve known both of them since they were really little, so these fears really made no sense, but let’s be honest, when does fear really make sense?
Anyway, they came to pick me up from my house and as soon as I opened the car door, I was greeted by the kids with gifts they had gotten me. A green paper leprechaun hat and a pine cone which are now some of my most prized possessions. I guess you can say they like me. We did some running around for the party and then we went back to the house so that my cousin and her husband could get ready. Again, my fear started to set in and I realized that I wasn’t absolutely sure of what I was doing. After my cousin was done getting ready, she gave me a rundown of what to do for dinner and their schedules and routines. Soon after, she and her husband were out of the door.
So now it’s me and the little ones for the next seven hours and the fear sets back in and I’m like WOOOOAAAHHHH, wtf did I get myself into? Seven hours? That’s the longest I’ve ever had to watch anyone’s kids. AND THERE’S TWO!! I’m just trying to make sure everyone gets out of this alive. I feel like I should mention though that these kids are super well-behaved, so again, I really don’t know what I was worried about *shrugs*.
What happened that made me respect parents is that I realized is that no matter how good your kid/kids are, taking care of them is TIRING AF! When I got home later that night I realized that I had been “on” for 7 hours straight. While I was there, I was constantly listening to everything and anything they did, while also staying aware of what was going on outside the house. Paranoia at it’s finest. I was also running around in and out of rooms playing with the little one, making food, cleaning and doing their dishes when they were done eating and still figuring things out as I went.
By the end of the night, I got them both to sit down and we watched Coco together (GREAT movie, this was my first seeing it and I cried real, ugly, soulful tears). As soon as the movie started playing I checked in with myself and realized just how tired I was. I was so tired, I asked the five-year-old to cuddle with me on the couch because I figured that would keep her from wanting me to get up, but I also just think she’s adorable and I wanted to cuddle. It worked, and she didn’t ask me to get up again and we were all able to relax and watch the movie. Again, this is with good kids! I can only imagine how tiring life is if your kids are a handful.
I knew that I was in no rush to have kids before this whole experience, but I really, really know that I am in NO rush. If you have kids or you have raised kids, kudos to you, my friend. You’re a trooper and a real one. That’s no joke. Also, how is it that kids can do the exact same thing over, and over, and over, and over, and over again without getting tired? That truly boggles my mind. Mom and Dad, was I like that? What’s even funnier to me is that out of all the things I worried about before babysitting, the one thing I wasn’t worried about was whether or not I had enough energy. Ha. Go figure!
Stay Fabulous
I love you guys!
-Gianna
Feminine Boutique Blog 