A girl in our neighborhood left a flyer in our mailbox the other day. "I'm a freshman in high school, and I'd love to babysit for you!" it said in rainbow colors.
I smiled at her enthusiasm, and wished we could have her over.
Right now, our babysitters consist of the wonderful woman who has been with us since Max's birth and who looks after the kids while I work. We hired L even before Max was born, he has grown up with her, and we are super-lucky to have her in our lives. Occasionally, she'll come over on a Saturday night. We also have a mom in our area who does babysitting watch the kids one evening a week when L has to leave early. And the gym Dave belongs to has the occasional Parents Night Out on Saturdays, where you can drop off the kids at 5:30 for a few hours.
Dr. Jen, the awesome pediatrician behind Play This Way, recently sent me an article about a Chicago-area agency that is training nannies to work with special needs. Check out the video:
This sounded great to me. It seems like more child-care businesses are realizing the pressing need for special needs child care; Care.com, who I've done work for, has a dedicated Special Needs Care section.
Still, I wish we could just have a neighborhood teen over. Sabrina looks up to older girls, and she'd love to have one as a sitter. Thing is, I just wouldn't feel comfortable leaving Max with one. He needs help going up the stairs, and he's getting big; he needs his anti-seizure meds at night. We could just dash out after the kids are asleep, but I'm wary. What if Max had a seizure?
I stared at the flyer wistfully. Maybe she could come over one day and be a mother's helper while I was around, I thought. And then I tucked it away in a drawer.
Who babysits for you?
Photo/VRod007
