Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Other people's children

Please allow me to preface by saying...I am not perfect. I am far from perfect but when it comes to manners, my children will excel in that!

We moved to our new house about a month ago. In that time frame we have met the neighbors and their children. Who I like. They are nice and friendly and offer to help out when I need my mower looked at or some advice on pool maintenance.

I guess they like me to for my neighbor across the street asked me to look after her almost 3 year old son. I was more than happy to help out. The only catch is...he is still in diapers and has a really bad speech delay that I can not understand anything that he is saying.
When I found out that the older sibling would be staying too, I was relieved.

She was supposed to be home by 8:30 that evening. Well, I have a two children, one which is a baby and needs his sleep. I thought 8:30, not bad I can still manage to keep on my routine.

I cooked homemade soup for the kids (which the mother said they eat anything!) and as I am serving the food, the sister tells me that the boy will only eat Mac and Cheese. Oh, I don't want a hungry kid so I make it. I serve dinner and the boy wants some of the soup too! He ate it and liked it. But I made this mac and cheese and I wont eat it, so I offer it to him and he wants that too. Great!! So he starts to eat it. WITH HIS HANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yellow pasta all over my floors and table and him. Gross. I, in a nice way, told him to use his spoon. Well you would have thought that I was yelling at him because of the look. Now I know he knows how to use the utensils because he did with the soup. Yuck. He was a mess. Then in a minutes time he is off the table and starts heading for the family room to play. He is covered in yellow cheese, sticky gross fake cheese. So I wash his hands and he is upset with me...but lets me clean his hands.

Food crisis under control. I have to clean the floor so the baby does not eat it. Gross!!!!

Ok on to the family room where he is taking a little hot wheels car going across my plasma TV screen. I flip. The sister is laughing and I am telling him no. He stops...when my back is turned he does it again...cars get put away! Now it is about 7:45 and I am thinking ok, the mom will be here in about 45 minutes.

No relief, it is now 9:10 pm and still no mom. Ok where are you lady!!! Now he does a smelly, messy diaper. I hate changing poops. Even on my own children I don't like poops. He wont let me change him, he runs away from me. Can you blame him?!?!?! A stranger wants to change his diaper! Double gross because now it really smells.
Sister helps me, still gross. He is tired...thank god!!! I put on Go Diego, Go!! That makes him quiet. Now my baby is fussy so I try to put him to sleep but the boy keeps running up and down the hall...baby still awake! 9:30 pm...WHERE ARE YOU LADY!!!!

I get the baby to sleep, put on the 3rd video of the night and put them all on the couch. I said to the sister, can you get the tooth brush for the boy? She tells me that he does not brush his teeth. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Triple gross. He does not own a toothbrush at 3 years old. I offer him one and I get a negative response. Forget it, not my fight! I let him go to sleep with dirty teeth.

They all pass out on the couch, including my own and I shut the lights and leave the room. I pick up a People Magazine thinking she will be home any minute. Well I drift off to sleep...knock on the door at 10:40 pm! She is here!!!

She says sorry, and leaves.

Next morning outside I am with the kids playing....she did not even explain...so I asked. The recital ran late and that was that. No re-thanks, or I am so sorry....not even how were the kids? NOTHING!!!

Ok lesson learned.....never again!!!