We have spent some time lately with some pretty amazing little people. I'd like to share them with you, but I don't have permission from their parents to use pictures of them or to put their names on my blog. I respect their privacy and won't do that without their permission. The families don't even know I have a blog but I'd like to share with you some of the recent experiences.
"M" is two years old and a beautiful little girl. Emily used to work with her mom and we've watched her since she was 2 weeks old. Sometimes she spends a few hours with us and sometimes an entire weekend. She's energetic and angelic. It's so fun to watch her grow and change and turn into a "real" person who vocalizes and interacts.
"P" is 9 months old and an absolute angel. Her parents were friends of "M"s parents and we watched both girls one weekend. "P" became a regular visitor in the mornings when her dad went back to work in February. He's a seasonal truck driver. Her mom was working nights and got off work at 8:30 in the morning. Dad dropped her off at our house at 6:30 and mom picked her up at 8:30 and then I went to my "real" job at the Library. It worked out really well for me, unfortunately, mom decided to switch to days because she needed to sleep at night like regular people. I really enjoyed our mornings together. There's nothing so soothing as rocking a baby and interacting with them before you start your regular day.
I'm telling you about this because when I would tell people that we babysit, their reaction was, "why would you want to do that?" They act like these little people are an intrusion on our lives. I have to tell you that the "intrusion" has changed each of us in miraculous ways. I've watched my oldest daughter be loving and giving and caring for another human being. (That's not a common trait among teenagers) I've seen our second child go from "I don't want to play with her" to being excited when she comes over and can't wait to interact with her. Scooping her up as soon as she gets into the house and carrying her off. I've seen my son holding little people and feeding them their bottles while talking to them. When they cry, he's right there to see what he can do to help. And the biggest transformation is my husband - who's too busy and crabby to pay attention to anyone else in the house. I see him seek these little people out - mostly to just look at them and watch them and they in turn look at and watch him. I'll never forget the day when Emily told me she was watching dad and "M" as they were sitting in the kitchen. Dad in his chair and the baby on the floor. The baby was hungry and he gave her her bottle. As she raised the bottle, her head tipped back. John leaned over and cupped the back of her head with his big hand and patiently stayed that way while she drank. Emily was angry/jealous that dad was doing this for the baby and couldn't even spare two words for her. I explained to her that even though I hadn't seen what she saw, I could picture it in my mind. I had seen the same thing many times over only she was the baby on the floor or on his lap as he craddled her head while she drank from her bottle. Why would she remember this about her dad? How could she remember this about her dad? She was very very small when he did this but I assured her that he DID do that when she was young. It is an instinctive thing for him to do. As we care for these two little ones in our lives, we are blessed with the gifts that they bring out in us. We have the opportunity to see each other in different ways. As people who love and care about each other. As we get busier and busier with everyday lives, it's wonderful to take a step back in time when babies need to be rocked to sleep, feed, diapered, and played with. To a time when toddlers need to be kept busy in a safe, constructive way. And to enjoy the better person that comes to the forefront in all of us. Why do we take care of these two special little people? Because they bring out the best in all of us and its good to be reminded that those qualities are still there.
Besides, their parents come back and take them home!
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