I am a 67 year old, retired, single grandfather of a three and a half year old and a
six month old. I babysit a lot. I can’t say that I love every minute because I continually
fret about what might happen, what is happening and whether or not I’ll make the proper
decisions. Most times I babysit one at a time for 4 to 6 hours. Many things can and
have happened.
Diaper blowouts, inconsolable crying, falls, defiance, energy, energy, energy, my
sore back, bending, stooping, carrying, crawling, saying silly stuff, reading books over
and over again, stepping on Legos, longing for a quiet moment to close my eyes, longing
for the sound of a giggle and the flash of a smile, the grip of little fingers on my thumb,
the smell of spit up, the song Baby Shark playing in my brain on an endless loop, relief
when my daughter gets back and a deep, resonant connection to those little beings as I
trudge through the snow on my way to the car, and on and on.
Babysitting requires so much it is amazing that we often entrust young teens with
the responsibility. But as I think about that I recall back to when my kids were little. The
young babysitters we used were always respectful, bright, responsible, asked the right
questions, informed themselves about childcare, loved hanging out with little kids, never
hesitated to call for assistance or advice when needed and always treated my kids like
precious people. Those are the attributes I strive for now as a babysitter to my
grandchildren.
Now for the thought experiment. Can you imagine Donald Trump babysitting
your child or grandchild? I’d say OK to Joe or Bernie or Pete or even George Bush or
Dick Cheney. I have no problem imagining any of those men taking the responsibility of
babysitting seriously enough to learn the requisite skills and be able to carry them out.
But Trump??????? And I imagine Mike Pence wouldn’t do it unless, “Mother”, was also
present.