The Fear

I don’t like human babies as much as animal babies…

Babies and children are probably one of my biggest fears. Yes, I know they are adorable, cute and innocent, and of course no one really likes it when they are brats or cry a lot. But the one thing that scares me the most about them, is the thought that I am a someone who teaches and educates them… and paint colours which I like on these pure souls.

So I have zero experience with kids. I don’t teach them (not even dance) and I don’t babysit them (no younger siblings, no cousins, no neighbours’ babies etc).

And when I said ‘yes’ to this job – babysit a 6-year old girl for 5 days – it became the top challenge…

Completing the Challenge

The first two days of babysitting were one of the hardest days in my life, but it became easier in the last three days. When we said goodbye at the end of the fifth day, the girl pulled a sad face.

Some thoughts

1. I truly have not expected the level of dedication needed to babysit especially for five days straight. Thinking back those five days, I couldn’t recall much moments that had “me”. Everything was about the child – we went to the park, we stayed for two hours in the bookshop, she cried, she fake-cried, she laughed, she screamed, she… … The only thing I remembered about me was “exhausted”.

She wanted to take pictures as blurry as possible.

I don’t think I can blame my mum about taking care of my brother and I so much that she didn’t have time for herself anymore.

2. How would I educate my children… if I do have one in the future? How much care and attention should I give them?

She was writing a postcard to her dad.