Childcare and Zookeeping

         I didn't babysit much as a teenager. There weren't young children on our street so I had little exposure to them. I was also busy with other things. Why? I was a teenager. That should pretty much explain it. Teenagers haven't changed that much over the years.

As a grandmother, though, I do a lot of babysitting for church families. I appreciate the opportunities because I can invest in little lives. I call my favorite babysitees The Hooligans. They are three sisters with no end of energy and find mischief in every corner. I love each one of them. 

Our church has many families with young children and for those who would like to fellowship and encourage each other outside of regular services, care groups are offered. There are several and they meet in homes of various church members at different times during the month. The leadership wanted to encourage families with children to participate by providing childcare during the Bible study/discussion time. The adults would be able to talk without constant interruption. The possibility of childcare had a positive effect because one care group has families with at least three children each.

Last week I was asked to watch the children of this group. I arrived about twenty minutes early so I could chat with parents and discover needs the kids might have. We lined the little wiggle worms up to count heads. There were eighteen, I think. Only four were girls, the rest were boys. Puppy dog tails came to mind as we marched to the basement. 

Within minutes it was as if WrestleMania had hit that somewhat cramped underground area. Little boy bodies were flying, summersaulting and body slamming other little boy bodies while four sweet little girls danced and twirled in a corner completely oblivious to the madness on the sectional.

And the noise . . . there was growling, grunting and was that barking? Oh, it was the dog chasing a whiffle ball one of the girls had tossed into the melee. It was a good thing we didn't have music playing as well. I'm sure the neighbors would have come to investigate. 

I decided that, as long as nobody was bleeding or crying, they were fine. I was like a zookeeper and my sole job was to make sure the animals/kids didn't get loose. That endeavor was successful. It wasn't long before I heard adult voices coming to retrieve the children. The kids had worn themselves out and I imagine they didn't give their parents trouble going to bed that night. Mission accomplished.

After all the little ones had been handed over to their parents, I went home and ate the moose tracks ice cream straight out of the container. I also didn't give my parent trouble going to bed.