Don't Mess With The Babysitter!
Part Two
And the epic blog entry continues ... I really must learn to précis!!
As you may remember, oh faithful reader, Saturday morning was my launch into that wonderful past-time normally reserved for penniless teenagers or bored grandparents: babysitting.
Or in my case, toddler teasing, as they take life far too seriously!
So far, we've had spilled milk, I've had my breakfast pinched and I have inadvertantly succeeded in turning the youngest into a pen-sniffing junkie.
Then the lunch wars began...
Dinner Duty
The time came when the terrible twosome decided they wanted to eat. In a much appreciated act of foresight, honed through years of parenting, my sis had already sorted out some sandwiches for them to eat, so I took out a small square for the youngest and gave him a plate.
And then I did something he didn't agree with: I dared to tell him he had to eat it up at the table!
Oh no no no, he wasn't having that! Whining loudly, and sobbing better than Gwyneth Paltrow at an awards ceremony, he leaned against the wall of the hallway, and very, very slowly crept towards the living-room.
I don't know why he thought I would give up! Eight months with my ex-girlfriend toughened me up to this malarkey, so I wasn't giving in.
Besides, I was The Babysitter!
From any other viewpoint, it was obvious that I was losing, but I wasn't about to give in ... and then came a blessing in disguise.
In a timely fashion, my niece made an appearance to have one of her own sandwiches ... and promptly started marching back to the living-room to eat it!
How blatant is that?!
So I stopped her in her tracks and said to eat it up at the table, to which she replied "Yeah, the coffee table."
Ooooooh, slippery one!
I was torn between laughing and telling her not to be so smart, but a quick correction of the facts got her back to the table to eat. Once she was there, her brother was a lot easier to convince that it was the right thing to do.
As I said, a blessing in disguise.
Say Goodbye
All-in-all, it was a very good day and an enlightening experience ... and I only had to change a wet nappy! No bran flake spatterings for me to contend with!
Perhaps the most flattering part of the day was that despite managing to upset my nephew, he got upset when I said goodbye and he apparently cried all the way home. I get the impression his sister couldn't care less as I didn't get a peep out of her!
I think I need to work on getting more of a balance between them next time.
And yes, I would do it again ... preferably after the nappy phase, just in case! :-D
As you may remember, oh faithful reader, Saturday morning was my launch into that wonderful past-time normally reserved for penniless teenagers or bored grandparents: babysitting.
Or in my case, toddler teasing, as they take life far too seriously!
So far, we've had spilled milk, I've had my breakfast pinched and I have inadvertantly succeeded in turning the youngest into a pen-sniffing junkie.
Then the lunch wars began...
Dinner Duty
The time came when the terrible twosome decided they wanted to eat. In a much appreciated act of foresight, honed through years of parenting, my sis had already sorted out some sandwiches for them to eat, so I took out a small square for the youngest and gave him a plate.
And then I did something he didn't agree with: I dared to tell him he had to eat it up at the table!
Oh no no no, he wasn't having that! Whining loudly, and sobbing better than Gwyneth Paltrow at an awards ceremony, he leaned against the wall of the hallway, and very, very slowly crept towards the living-room.
I don't know why he thought I would give up! Eight months with my ex-girlfriend toughened me up to this malarkey, so I wasn't giving in.
Besides, I was The Babysitter!
From any other viewpoint, it was obvious that I was losing, but I wasn't about to give in ... and then came a blessing in disguise.
In a timely fashion, my niece made an appearance to have one of her own sandwiches ... and promptly started marching back to the living-room to eat it!
How blatant is that?!
So I stopped her in her tracks and said to eat it up at the table, to which she replied "Yeah, the coffee table."
Ooooooh, slippery one!
I was torn between laughing and telling her not to be so smart, but a quick correction of the facts got her back to the table to eat. Once she was there, her brother was a lot easier to convince that it was the right thing to do.
As I said, a blessing in disguise.
Say Goodbye
All-in-all, it was a very good day and an enlightening experience ... and I only had to change a wet nappy! No bran flake spatterings for me to contend with!
Perhaps the most flattering part of the day was that despite managing to upset my nephew, he got upset when I said goodbye and he apparently cried all the way home. I get the impression his sister couldn't care less as I didn't get a peep out of her!
I think I need to work on getting more of a balance between them next time.
And yes, I would do it again ... preferably after the nappy phase, just in case! :-D
Comments
Bear in mind I don't want to drive them to solvent abuse!
Oh, and think twice before doing something or saying that could be copied!!