Enjoying Time Away: Babysitter 101

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Enjoying Time Away: Babysitter 101 | Duluth Moms Blog

It happens sooner than we think. Our children become old enough to go on sleepovers, birthday parties, or stay with a babysitter for a few hours. All of these events have one thing in common… SOMEONE ELSE IS IN CHARGE OF YOUR CHILD!! As a single mom for the first couple years of motherhood, I was blessed. My mother and father watched Morgan when I went to school or out with friends once in a while. After all, grandparents are the best sitters, right? Still, how many times did I call home the first time I left Morgan with my parents? A couple of times. My mom had everything under control. How many times did I call home when my husband and I left Morgan and Ben with a babysitter for the first time? Seventy-two. I’m sure it was at least 72 times.

Each and every time I looked at my husband and asked frantically, “Do you think the kids are OK?” “Do you think they ate yet?” “Do you think they are sleeping?” “Should we call?”  After the first few times, I can remember our sitter – a very responsible girl from church – answering all of my questions eagerly. Did Ben eat well? Yes. Did Morgan try to convince you that she didn’t have to eat her vegetables? Nope. She ate them without even one complaint. After the fifth or sixth time, I could hear a note of SERIOUSLY? in our capable sitter’s voice.  After knowing that my two little cherubs had been fed, bathed, and sent to bed without protest, the real questions would flow through my brain. Can our babysitter hear the kids from the living room or is the TV too loud? Is Morgan just pretending to sleep so she can sneak out of her room and get into something? Does our young sitter know CPR? DOES SHE KNOW CPR???? 

It gets easier as you go along. After a while, a long while, I wasn’t asking my husband to call the babysitter while we were out. We just trusted that the kids were good, and that the sitter wasn’t tied to a chair in the dining room. (Never underestimate the power of littles.) No news is good news, right? Other than a couple of fevers, which were managed by our sitter perfectly, and the time we came home to suds flooding the kitchen and dining room due to the wrong soap being put into the dishwasher, Morgan and Ben were always fine. And I, their mom, learned to lighten up a bit. I dressed in something other than sweat pants and a baggy shirt. (This was wayyy before yoga pants and Under Armour were a thing.) I learned how to enjoy the time away from my children. I learned how to cherish alone time with my husband. 

In the midst of preschool, diapers, and late nights with sick kids, I learned how to slow down a bit and just look at my husband, John.  The love of my life, wonderful provider, and true partner in crime of the daily routine of preschool, diapers, and sick kids. It does take some getting used to having someone else watch your children. We are moms. MOMS! It’s what we do. We are the people that get soaking wet from a child in the tub and laugh about it. We are the individuals who cradle our children gently and whisper them to sleep when they are ill. As parents of older children, we are the ones that hold them and wipe away their tear filled eyes when they are sad, and celebrate them when they need to be lifted up! 

But, in the midst of it, some of us are also wives. It’s so difficult – at least it was for me to remember – as John and I walked through the first part of our marriage with two small children in tow. As moms, we need to be able to let someone else hold our children, put them to bed, and be in charge. Even if its just for a few hours. The time away makes us better moms, if you can believe it. I used to think that a one hour trip to the grocery store was a mini vacation. Well, it sort of was! And right now, I am preparing to have both of our children leave us. My helicopter days of motherhood are coming to a close, as they get out into the real world and hopefully use the tools we gave them to navigate through life.  

But when I have grandchildren, that’s another story. That babysitter will be on speed dial!

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Cheryl Wisneski
Cheryl is a born and raised Minnesotan that married her college sweetheart 20 years ago. She is the mom of a beautiful and stubborn 22 year old daughter, a handsome and headstrong 19 year old son, and Vinny, the four legged king of the house. She recently started a furniture refurbishing business, hoppingwren.com, that occupies her time immensely and keeps her from dwelling on the fact that she and her hubby are on the verge of becoming empty nesters. A self proclaimed introverted extrovert, helicopter mom and clean freak, Cheryl is happiest when she has a paint brush in her hand, a chilled glass of chardonnay in the evening, and her family all present around the dinner table. She loves holding her husband's hand, Lake Superior, and the Pacific Northwest. Cheryl has a tendency to name the furniture she paints, over analyze everything, and carry on conversations with her yellow lab, Vinny. She is looking forward to helping her daughter plan her wedding and seeing her son graduate from the Marine Corps in the spring.