Reason #20 – I ask strangers to look after my child
Reason #20 – I ask strangers to look after my child
Jun 09One fine day this January I rang a random doorbell, and a pleasant lady opened the door. “Hi ma’am,” I said. “You seem a nice person, would you mind if I left my 3-month-old son here for a few hours while I go to work?” She didn’t say no, so I quickly kicked C out of the car, tossed his diaper bag out of the window, and sped off.
My mother will swear before a court of law that this is how I got C into daycare.
“Do they feed him lunch?” she’ll ask in a worried tone.
“Of COURSE they do, mother,” I reply, rolling my eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me. It’s a perfectly legitimate question.”
“Sure, because they’ll feed the other 12 children and leave mine to starve.”
(some harrumphing)
“Do they change his diaper when he poos?”
And so on, and so forth.
I love daycare, C loves daycare, everyone at daycare loves C. They feed him, change him, and do a far better job of entertaining him than I’ll ever be able to do (at least until he can start reading this.) My only complaint is that every morning I bring them a baby and every evening they give me back a boy: taller, smarter, full of new tricks and new teeth.
Daycare rocks.
However, I must confess my mother is for once not completely wrong about my reckless parenting.
Earlier this year, after a long day of shopping, I ended up knackered and hungry in the only restaurant in London with no high chairs, judoing with C while my curry got cold. The posh businessmen sitting at the next table offered a hand (actually, 12 hands) and took turns entertaining C with silver key rings and MontBlanc fountain pens while I downed my thali and Kingfishers.
Dear London Businessman Whose Italian Silk Tie Got Chewed to Threads by C’s Brand-new Upper Teeth: thanks a lot for allowing a frazzled single mom to eat her dinner. Also, sorry about the tie, hope it wasn’t as expensive as it looked. Also, please don’t tell my mother.
I have pushed my 2 month old Q into the arms of the pharmacist when she asked if she could help (I’m sure she was referring to holding a bag or finding my change for the items I was buying but after 2 months of colic, I would rather hand over my son than my wallet… lol)
My friend told me about a planetrip she was on where a mother was struggling with a child aprox 6 months, next to her and behind her were some big guys with shaved heads and a lot of tattoos (hmm) and as one of them offered to help out with the little one, she handed him/her over and could then watch them go all goooe-goooe and tickle-tickle on the baby :P
Bente recently posted 10 reasons Steve shouldn’t marry me
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ofthesea Reply:
February 11th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
I love it when manly men go all goo-goo on babies! <3
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When my (now 15 year old) son was 9 months old, I was trying to check out at the grocery store. Since he wouldn’t stop screaming unless he was in my arms, I was trying to hold him with one arm, unload groceries onto the belt with the other, and maybe keep my purse from spilling its contents all over the floor in the process. It was late, work had been long and hellish, my husband had been out of town for weeks, and I was a wreck. I turned to look at the people who had just stood in line behind me and realized–oh, relief!–they were FIREMEN. How can you not trust a fireman?? I didn’t even flinch. I didn’t even ask. I just thrust my baby boy at the closest one and cried, Here!” I may have let go before he even got his arms out to take him, but his reflexes were good, so it all worked out.
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ofthesea Reply:
February 24th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Heck, if I had to stand in line next to a bunch of firemen, i’d thrust MYSELF in their arms!
..oh wait, I’m married now. maybe I should stop saying/thinking/ding these things?
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I’ll remember to offer a helping hand next time I’m faced with the same situation. :)
PS – I’m over from weekend rewind
Loz recently posted The Scattering Again
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ofthesea Reply:
December 12th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
I’m sure 8 times out of 10 it will be greatly appreciated. Moms have 6 hands, but sometimes even those are not enough! :)
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Oh this is such a fun post! A great introduction to your blog via Life in a Pink Fibro. x
Maxabella recently posted This week Im grateful for dusk
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ofthesea Reply:
December 12th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
I worship the ground the Fibro is built on. You clearly have good literary taste! ;)
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Lol! How cruel are we mothers?!! Our mothers are a very different generation but at least your stranger was understanding!
Visiting from weekend Rewind..
xx Jazzy
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ofthesea Reply:
December 12th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I often rely on the kindness of strangers when travelling, I could never make it alone otherwise!
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How sweet of those 12 Businessmen (are you sure they weren’t apostles in disguise?). They don’t count as strangers – you were right next to them, right?
life in a pink fibro recently posted Weekend Rewind
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ofthesea Reply:
December 12th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Now that you put it this way, I’m kinda glad the Big CEO was not with them… coulda been spooky!
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This was my first time to your blog. Love it! What a funny story about that tie. You know Italians have TONS of nice ties at their disposal, so I wouldn’t worry about that tie. He probably loved babies drool all over it. You say you’re single. Was he cute?? Too old? Hmmm…
Kelley recently posted CAPTCHA BALDERDASH 6 wants YOU!
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Kelley Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
I meant to say that he “probably loved having a baby’s drool all over it”. Ugh!
Kelley recently posted CAPTCHA BALDERDASH 6 wants YOU!
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ofthesea Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
It’s what every hard-nosed businessman secretly dreams of: Blessed Child drool.
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ofthesea Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Welcome! Hope you will keep coming to visit!
He was married and had kids, we got the whole story over dinner. Not hot, but really really nice. I’m still grateful!
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Updated Bad Mom Post:Reason #20 – I ask strangers to look after my child. Read it now! http://1000reasonsimabadmom.com/20-i-ask...
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My favorite stranger story of my own (also single mom of a 4 yo) happened on a flight from the states to Germany to visit family. My little one had her head in my lap and her feet in the lap of the gentleman next to us. For the whole (overnight) flight and he didn’t seem to mind, not at all. Ahh, the kindness of strangers…
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ofthesea Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Travelling surprisingly brings out the kindness in people. I expected the opposite, and I have been repeatedly surprised. I have a post coming up about this, or rather, about how I use my boy to get upgrades ;)
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I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked to supervise strange children! It happens all the time. Single dad can’t take his young daughter into the ladies’ room? Ask that lady with all the kids, she looks harmless enough. That’s me. And I can’t help it, I say yes everytime! What is wrong with me?!
Cheryl recently posted Ask Me No Questions- Ill Tell You No Lies
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 11:37 am
I told you already: you are the bestestest and it SHOWS. Accept your lot in life!
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