November 29: My Daughter, the Babysitter

While my wife and I are at the Toys for Tots Concert this evening, my eleven-year-old daughter is going to be taking care of her four-year-old brother.  This is the first time we have left her in charge of him for more than an hour..  She will be responsible for his well-being for close to three hours tonight.  She will have to read to him, say prayers with him, and put him to bed.

The last time she babysat for us, she also straightened up the house, practiced her flute for 20 minutes, and made us Diet Coke floats.  I'm not nervous about her childcare skills.  I know she is really good with kids.  I've had mothers from her dance school asking me if she babysits.  My apprehension comes from her babysitting her baby brother, who can drive her up a friggin' wall.

We will have our cell phone, and our daughter has the number.  I'm assuming, if she runs into any difficulties with her brother, she will call us instead of drowning him in the toilet bowl.  She's excited about the trust we are showing her.  She wants to prove herself, and that's great.

Maybe my biggest issue with my daughter babysitting is that I still think of her as a little girl.  I don't want to admit that she's wearing training bras.  I don't want to listen to her giggle about boys with her friends.  And, please God, don't talk to me about menstruation.  She is my little girl.  She will always be my little girl.

Saint Marty will let his daughter start dating at the normal age:  35.

My daughter--Super Babysitter!