chasing babysitters

I have been spending the morning trying to nail down a babysitter. For one afternoon a week, some (hopefully) responsible person will watch my children so I can run and write.

Once we had not one, but two children, Steve and I decided I wouldn’t work. Which was great in some regards: like we saved a shit ton of money on childcare (but also lost a shit ton of money without me pulling in a salary). It was great that I could spend so much time with them, but it also suffocated me.

I had these things that fulfilled me before having children, so being a mother couldn’t fulfill me on its own. So I have kept writing, just with two little kids nipping at my heels (I don’t mean to make them sound like dogs. They’re much louder and more snarly). But I have also taken large breaks between writing, months on end.

It’s funny, how as kids grow older, parents relax. When Brandon was a baby, just the thought of someone else watching him would bring tears to my eyes. I thought no one would ever watch him without a background check and ten references. But now, here I am, trolling Nextdoor for a reliable teenager that I don’t know at all to come stay in my home and watch my kids wrestle each other.

Moms need breaks. Sometimes just a car ride alone, without kiddie music or fighting or whining is a vacation, because it’s all we get: an errand run. But we need more than that. We need our own hobbies, interests, our own meals that aren’t fishsticks, our own air to breathe and space to be. We need babysitters.

So damn it, that’s why I’ve been spending the morning online babysitter hunting. Because come hell or high water, I’m getting a break. I can’t take months off of writing anymore. And when we find what fulfills us, we must chase it.