Adventures in Nannying: The End
August 1st signaled the start of school for my young charges so Tuesday was my last day of work for the summer. Monday and Tuesday were as action packed as possible, sprinkled with neighborhood mama drama. Brother and Sister are participating in a miniature triathlon on Saturday morning so their mom encouraged me to include some training in our outdoor activities. I invited the three right-side neighbors to train and their mom and I held a trial triathlon on Tuesday morning, complete with a stopwatch. It was a nice way to blow off steam, especially considering that Monday was overwrought with emotion.
The right-side neighbors invited me and my kids to go bowling with them on Monday afternoon (since when did bowling become so expensive?! For two kids to bowl two games I spent 24 bucks!). Alas, the left-side neighbor girl was over at my house on Monday when we received the invitation, and I, being completely oblivious to any neighborhood tiffs, mistakenly told her she could tag along if she asked her mom. The right-side neighbor quickly corrected my mistake, ordering me to un-inivite left-side as graciously as possible. I willingly did so; left-side neighbor mom had been taking advantage of my presence anyways, taking off to run errands while I watched her daughter FOR FREE along with my own kids.
Somehow, after our bowling excursion, all SIX kids ended up at my house. I was the only adult presence. 3 boys swam in the pool (one of which was 5 so I was constantly watching him lest he drown) and the 3 girls stayed inside to play Wii. Every so often I would peek my head indoors to make sure everyone was getting along. But during one glance inside I had to do a double take. The living room was EMPTY. I rushed in and checked all the rooms, calling for Sister. No answer. I dialed the right-side neighbor and asked if she had seen them since they had taken off without notifying me. She was as clueless as I, but requested that I send her daughter home as soon as I located her, for she was in trouble. I called the left-side neighbor. Jackpot. I ordered my girl home and confronted her at the door and, with my boss' permission, gave her a lecture. She had scared me SO BAD. Not only was I responsible for her when I was under her roof, I explained, but inviting her friends over had made me responsible for them as well and jetting off without a word to anyone was not permissible. Sister's mom arrived home and added her two cents, bringing tears to Sister's eyes. I gave her a hug as I left and promised that we would have a good day on Tuesday.
I stuck to my promise and, following our triathlon in the morning, I escorted the kids downtown to Fuzzy's Taco Shop (a summer staple) and then on to the art museum with the right-side neighbors. We ended our excursion with our favorite tradition, a trip to the nearby snow cone stand. I made them do a few chores once we got home, but then gave them free time on the Wii as I kicked back on the couch. Brother had me in silent fits of giggles as he picked a wedgie 8 times in a single 3 minutes. They musta been WAYYY up there. Sister called me into her room and shyly showed off her new training bras. I thought it was adorable that she trusted me enough with her secrets of growing up. Brother had begged his mom to over schedule on Tuesday in order to have extra hours with me. I urgently crossed my fingers against his request and was peeling out of their driveway at 3:30. They sent me off with a generous last paycheck and a Target gift card, thanking me for my summer service.
All in all, it wasn't a terrible summer of employment. But I've got 18 days to be A lazy Very Lucky Girl and I'm going to revel in each one.
The right-side neighbors invited me and my kids to go bowling with them on Monday afternoon (since when did bowling become so expensive?! For two kids to bowl two games I spent 24 bucks!). Alas, the left-side neighbor girl was over at my house on Monday when we received the invitation, and I, being completely oblivious to any neighborhood tiffs, mistakenly told her she could tag along if she asked her mom. The right-side neighbor quickly corrected my mistake, ordering me to un-inivite left-side as graciously as possible. I willingly did so; left-side neighbor mom had been taking advantage of my presence anyways, taking off to run errands while I watched her daughter FOR FREE along with my own kids.
Somehow, after our bowling excursion, all SIX kids ended up at my house. I was the only adult presence. 3 boys swam in the pool (one of which was 5 so I was constantly watching him lest he drown) and the 3 girls stayed inside to play Wii. Every so often I would peek my head indoors to make sure everyone was getting along. But during one glance inside I had to do a double take. The living room was EMPTY. I rushed in and checked all the rooms, calling for Sister. No answer. I dialed the right-side neighbor and asked if she had seen them since they had taken off without notifying me. She was as clueless as I, but requested that I send her daughter home as soon as I located her, for she was in trouble. I called the left-side neighbor. Jackpot. I ordered my girl home and confronted her at the door and, with my boss' permission, gave her a lecture. She had scared me SO BAD. Not only was I responsible for her when I was under her roof, I explained, but inviting her friends over had made me responsible for them as well and jetting off without a word to anyone was not permissible. Sister's mom arrived home and added her two cents, bringing tears to Sister's eyes. I gave her a hug as I left and promised that we would have a good day on Tuesday.
I stuck to my promise and, following our triathlon in the morning, I escorted the kids downtown to Fuzzy's Taco Shop (a summer staple) and then on to the art museum with the right-side neighbors. We ended our excursion with our favorite tradition, a trip to the nearby snow cone stand. I made them do a few chores once we got home, but then gave them free time on the Wii as I kicked back on the couch. Brother had me in silent fits of giggles as he picked a wedgie 8 times in a single 3 minutes. They musta been WAYYY up there. Sister called me into her room and shyly showed off her new training bras. I thought it was adorable that she trusted me enough with her secrets of growing up. Brother had begged his mom to over schedule on Tuesday in order to have extra hours with me. I urgently crossed my fingers against his request and was peeling out of their driveway at 3:30. They sent me off with a generous last paycheck and a Target gift card, thanking me for my summer service.
All in all, it wasn't a terrible summer of employment. But I've got 18 days to be A lazy Very Lucky Girl and I'm going to revel in each one.
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