Funny, sad, embarrassing, memory

Kathleen’s Place

Kathleen’s Place

Senior Member
Location
Wisconsin
When I was 9 or 10, our elderly neighbors asked my Mom if I could stay with their visiting infant granddaughter while tha parents and grandparents went out to eat. Mom agreed and then told me about it. She said, “it’s a nursing baby. Do you know what that means?” The only thing I could think of was that “the baby had a nurse in Chicago that wasn’t coming along on the visit.” Mom then explained nursing to me. I will never forget that conversation. Thought it was THE grossest thing I had ever heard. UGH!
So up the hill I go for my first babysitting adventure with instructions to call Mom if I needed anything. All was fine for the first half hour and then the baby started to cry. I broke out in a cold sweat, I patted his back, sang a lullaby, nothing was soothing this baby. The one part of the nursing conversation was that *I* wasn’t supposed to do it. Important part me thinks. So I unbutton my blouse, pull up amy tee shirt, pick up the baby and by god, I tried. The baby was now in full frustrated screaming mode. I called my Mom and told her I couldn’t do it. “Do what?” she asked. “Nurse this baby I replied. Nothing is happening!” She dropped the phone and came running up the hill at full sprint. My babysitting days were over😂. It so grossed me out that I didn’t even TRY to nurse our first child. The second time I got pregnant I decided I would give it a try. Moments after our second son was born, the doctor came over and said, “Ok, let’s get the other one.” “The other what?” i asked. “Baby!” was his relpy. 😳😳😳. Twins...had no idea. So nope, no nursing that time either 😂😂
 

You know, Kathleen, the crazy part about babysitting back in the day, few mothers concerned themselves over what sort of experience a young girl had in relation to babysitting. So long as a perspective sitter was semi-mature, willing, capable, and ready to take on the job, they were hired, with age meaning very little.

I remember it well, because I recall a neighbourhood mother calling over to our house one day and asking my mom if I could babysit, and I would have been all of 8 or 9. Even though I was already helping care for baby siblings at the time, my mom didn't allow me to take on that babysitting job, but anything went in those days.

It's funny how things change though, because once I became a mother I used to think back on my early babysitting days when I was all of age 10, and I'd think to myself, there is no way I would hire a sitter who was age 10, yet when I was growing up, age 10 and 11, was the standard age when a girl started.
 
Aunt Marg said:
You know, Kathleen, the crazy part about babysitting back in the day, few mothers concerned themselves over what sort of experience a young girl had in relation to babysitting. So long as a perspective sitter was semi-mature, willing, capable, and ready to take on the job, they were hired, with age meaning very little.

I remember it well, because I recall a neighbourhood mother calling over to our house one day and asking my mom if I could babysit, and I would have been all of 8 or 9. Even though I was already helping care for baby siblings at the time, my mom didn't allow me to take on that babysitting job, but anything went in those days.
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Smart mother😂. In my Mom’s defense, this was a two hour gig, tops, and all I had to do was stand there and make sure the baby didn’t chole or something I guess. At that age, it surely wasn’t going anywhere, and Mom was 3 houses away if I needed her. All would have been fine if she had just TOLD me that only the mother could nurse a baby and it wasn’t MY responsibility. Back then having talks about sex didn’t happen (or at least in MY house) unless you specifically asked and then you were only told the bare minimum. You can well imagine how the talk on where babies came from went over 😂. I’m actually surprised I even HAVE children!!! 😂
 
Kathleen’s Place said:
Smart mother😂. In my Mom’s defense, this was a two hour gig, tops, and all I had to do was stand there and make sure the baby didn’t chole or something I guess. At that age, it surely wasn’t going anywhere, and Mom was 3 houses away if I needed her. All would have been fine if she had just TOLD me that only the mother could nurse a baby and it wasn’t MY responsibility. Back then having talks about sex didn’t happen (or at least in MY house) unless you specifically asked and then you were only told the bare minimum. You can well imagine how the talk on where babies came from went over 😂. I’m actually surprised I even HAVE children!!! 😂
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It's so true, sex-talk was reserved for when I had sleepovers with my girlfriends... never at the supper table, and not even outside of. Thank goodness I had two friends with much older sisters that really took us younger girls under their wings.

As for when I started babysitting, my first sitting jobs were right in the immediate neighbourhood, with mom being across the alleyway, street, or just a few houses away, and being that my mom was a fulltime homemaker, she would have been there for me in an instant had I needed her.
 
I was lucky I had an older sister who told me about getting my period. My Mom wouldn't mention it. I also did a lot of babysitting. When I was about 7yrs old my older brother and his wife and newborn son moved into our house. They had a second son a year later. They lived with us for 5 yrs
I babysat both boys all the time. That was when I got the name Auntie Barbara will do it for you.
 
Sassycakes said:
I was lucky I had an older sister who told me about getting my period. My Mom wouldn't mention it. I also did a lot of babysitting. When I was about 7yrs old my older brother and his wife and newborn son moved into our house. They had a second son a year later. They lived with us for 5 yrs
I babysat both boys all the time. That was when I got the name Auntie Barbara will do it for you.
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Aunt Marg, was right there with you doing the same, Auntie Barbara. :)

I'm not going to go as far as to say that helping raise baby siblings and/or nieces and nephews was expected of us, but there was somewhat of an expectation being the oldest and all, to pitch-in where and when we could, and I've always said, helping and learning how to care for my baby siblings was the best darned prerequisite to motherhood that I could have ever asked for.
 

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