Babysitting

It's hard to say who babysitting  is harder on when it's the first time you let your first child enter the care of someone else while you go off to do what ever it is that you couldn't really bring a baby along for. (Especially if you are a stay at home mom.)  You and your baby have an understanding of sorts, the baby needs things and you do your best to fulfill these needs.  When some one else is left in charge, your baby is going to have to deal with the fact that you are not there!

As a baby, that has got to be scary, if you have no command of language and don't understand why mommy is gone!  You need things!  And now there is some one else trying to give you what you need?  Nooooooo! Mommy or Daddy do these things!  Why is some one else trying to do the things that Mommy and Daddy do?  I want my Mommy! I want my Daddy!

You get the idea.  It's not easy on the baby who's world you've just given a paradigm shift.  Guess who else it's not easy on.  The baby sitter!  Baby sitting is not generally thought of as a hard job.  I remember as an older child taking care of younger children with out incident.  But there is a big difference in being in charge of someone who you can have a functional dialogue with and a baby.  Yes you can tell the baby what's going on, and explain that mom and dad will return after their movie is over, but the baby will not understand.  The baby will be upset.  And it can be stressful spending a couple hours with someone who is vocally unhappy with the situation and needs constant distraction to keep the tears at bay.

The first time I let my son be babysat, I had my mother and brother tag team the babysitting game.  My son was in the capable hands of not one but two adults that he had spent time with before.  (Granted I was also there but at least he knew these people.)  My husband and I went to see a movie, by the time the credits began to roll I was a ball of nervous energy.  I physically could not make myself sit through the credits,  I had to get home to my baby.

He had just woken up moments before our car rolled into the driveway and we could hear him crying through the door.  Delirious happy is how my son could be described when he saw me come in the door.  And quick as a flash I had him cuddled up in my arms his tiny hands gripping my shirt with all their might.

Since then babysitting has been easier on everyone involved.   My son is happier to spend time with his extended family while I'm away, and I don't worry so much while he is out of my sight.  He still doesn't really want to take a nap without me, but then again he doesn't really want to take a nap while I'm home.  I'm just able to out last an obviously tired child in a battle of wills.

So take heart new parents, dates with your spouse can still happen even once you've entered the realm of parenthood.  You just have to plan ahead a little more than you used to.