Today was a first for Katie.
She had her first babysitting job. Okay – not really baby-sitting – it was “mommy’s helper” – but she was responsible for keeping Roark happy, engaged and safe while his mom and I worked.
We used the babysitting as a home school opportunity and studied up on child care, safety and reviewed the kinds of games she could play with a three year old. We borrowed some age-appropriate toys from the home school resource center and got a book on toddler games and babysitting. It was good preparation.
Splish, Splash, Vrooooommmm!
As it turned out, it was an incredibly hot day and the kids got into a rousing game of water play. Then Roark’s dad came home and took both kids on a boat ride – which Katie thought was outstanding. It reminded me how much she likes to go fast!
We got done around two pm and when my client went to pay her, Katie was like, “no way, you can’t pay me! I had too much fun.” But I explained she actually did do the job, kept the child safe and engaged and that babysitting can actually be fun! She can’t wait to babysit again.
Unexpected Quality Time: Priceless
On the way home we had a great lunch at Red Robin (yummy) and some good discussion. I am truly appreciating having this extra time with her, getting to actually share some of her “firsts” (both child care and the boat ride) and still managing to get work done as well!
Home School POV: The two books we used for the prepping her for child care are kind of cool. They were:
The Babysitter’s Handbook: The Care and Keeping of Kids by the other good folks at American Girl. Good information in a format Katie was already familiar with (we have a ton of the American Girl books, they are great!).