Posted 7-29-19
In the realm of things to bring up about my mom, I often forget to bring up the little things she did to help my family in its early days. You know it when you see it, the mom/grandma stuff. Babysitting comes to mind.
Dozens and dozens of times mom drove to our home 60 miles away, at least one time on a weedeater-motor powered scooter, to babysit my one, then two, then three kiddos. This may seem like a fairly small/part of the job description-y kind of thing, but it is huge and if your momma does it, pause your reading and tell her thanks, right now. I will hold…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Have you done it yet? No, I AM SERIOUS…tell her thanks. (Holding resumed)…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….(Inserting some mom music while you contact and thank her)…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………….The phone was busy you claim? Well, well, well, she was busy when she came over and babysat, wasn’t she??? Garden to weed, ornamental grasses to trim, church functions to make twelve dishes for…but she found time to babysit……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. and don’t just text her! Make it happen………….
Ok, thank you. (wiping sweat off of brow) Working on the honor system, we will assume you have properly thanked mom and will resume digital cornbreading now.
So, mom watched my kids many, many times. She didn’t just keep them alive like our childhood occasional outside babysitter. Mom actually watched our kids and interacted with them. She colored, she did crafts, she had them help in the yard, she spoiled them…a little, she taught them things. She went to our favorite–Silver Dollar City–and watched the little ones while I rode rides. In one session of babysitting awesomeness, she really babysat our whole family for a month or so when we moved back to town and while I found a new job. She loved to tell the story of my oldest napping between me and my wife and popping her little head up to see grandma when she happened by the doorway. Sigh…not unlike when I played my last baseball game after 13 years of playing the sport, I barely remember the last time she babysit one of my kids, not realizing the significance of that day until years later.
I will tell her thank you again myself tonight, perhaps to a blank stare, but I yell to the internet and my handful of subscribers a heart-felt “thank you mom!” You will always be my favorite babysitter!!!!
#EndALZ
Update: Mom had a good weekend. I look forward to seeing her today. It has been a few days for me.
Writer’s note: Our outside babysitter growing up did keep us alive, but barely several times. She was a teen, living down the street. One rough story comes to mind for this poor soul. Me and my brother played the “Houdini Game” with her. Here is how it plays out:
- Tie up the babysitter, who clearly should know better but did not, to a kitchen chair.
- Instruct her to “now, escape for us!!!”.
- When we saw that she couldn’t escape and she requests that we untie her, we, instead, leave to the gas station down the street to play Pac-Man for a couple hours, only to return to find her still tied but on her side on the floor and quite unhappy.
- Prepare an explanation to mom why we kept losing babysitters. Heck, mom was a better babysitter anyway.