This week’s blog follows baby Jess.
We are taught from the time we are little that lying is wrong. However, sometimes a lie here and there is necessary–especially as a babysitter.
A few years ago, I was babysitting three kids: Jess (1), Jill (4), and Jack (6). The family was going to be moving in a few weeks so the parents had been needing extra help around the house. I had previously babysat for this family so we had built plenty of trust.
Before the mom left, she mentioned that Jess was just about ready to start walking and that she really didn’t want to miss her first steps because of the move. I thought nothing of this because obviously Jess wasn’t going to take her first steps with her babysitter…
Boy, could I have not been more wrong!
Because Jess was on the cusp of learning to walk, all eyes were on her. Her older siblings found this particularly exciting and insisted that we walk baby Jess around the house. In case you have never walked with a non-walking child before, I will paint the picture. Essentially, you let the baby use your hands to balance as they toddle around.
After taking turns ‘walking’ Jess around the house, Jack and Jill decided to play with their own toys. Baby Jess had pulled herself up on the coffee table and walked to me. Not just a few steps. She walked across the room. It was at this moment that I knew I was going to have to teach a four and six year old how to lie.
I decided then and there to pull myself up by my bootstraps and teach the kids a new game: keeping secrets.
Even though Jack and Jill were so excited to tell their parents that Jess had finally walked, I felt terrible because of the previous conversation I had had with their mom. I sat them down and told them that they had to keep it a surprise for their mom and let little Jess tell their mom first. They bought right into this idea and were super excited to play this new game.
Or so I thought…
The second their mom walked in, they screamed at the top of their lungs, “Jess is walking! Jess is walking!”
The look on their mom’s face was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I think she learned to get over it. It probably took baby steps though.
Your ending was really nice with the pun! I also really like the way you are adding pictures of all of the kids (even with the privacy heart). It really brings your experiences to life for us.
The pun at the end was fantastic. The internal laugh I just had after reading this great story with the conclusion of the pun was phenomenal. Once again, your blog remains the most wholesome thing ever!
Such a wholesome story! I do slightly feel for the mom that she was not able to watch the first steps, but that must have been a rollercoaster of feelings for you. Very clever pun at the end.