Monday, November 30, 2009

Babysitting Curly-Haired Boy

Curly-Haired Boy is 6 years old already, and he's gotten so much taller than when he was 4. I've had so many fun experiences with this young one, I wondered why I haven't written more about him. Probably because I saw him for the first time yesterday in over a year.

He swung the door open, and I smiled to see his gap-teeth. His hand still on the doorknob, he stared at me, stopped and started his breath, and went running to his mom: "Is that Xiomara?"

I'm the scarf and glasses lady with the ponytail! I thought. I have bangs now; maybe that's it. But I knew that after asking for me for so many months, he just couldn't believe that I was standing in his living room.

"I wore Mets colors for you," I said, pointing at my scarves.

"For me?!"

We went straight into play mode just like old times. After enacting Star Wars duels with red and blue plastic light sabers, we sat on the pink couch on the far-end of the living room. I was wiping away my tears and rubbing my nose where he caught me when he looked me in the eyes and asked, "Is this real?"

"Yes, of course it is," I laughed.

"No, I mean, like is this for real? Are you really babysitting me? Or is it going to be a long time again until I see you?"

Children's feelings are so fragile; and I neglected him. We used to spend so much time together, I'm sure it really hurt him that I disappeared.

"Yes, this is for real. I promise you'll see me again soon."

With a look of satisfaction, Curly-Haired Boy went on to build a Star Wars Amusement Park out of Tinker Toys. I taught him how to create "spinners" out of wooden sticks and round connectors; and I felt so glad to be there.

1 comment:

  1. I've been there as a babysitter, loving my kid and yet hating my job many times, feeling like i have to suck something up, but then the families that i babysit for i consider family and i feel really bad for feeling like i didn't really love my kid, but i love both of them and sometimes it feels like my kid doesn't like me anymore or like we're not getting along but once we get through that phase my kids will love me more than they did before and i start to realize how much i mean to them and it makes me happy because they mean that much to me. it's also amazing that we can connect with kids who are from different "worlds" than us,which i never would have expected. and i love my kids to death they are like my own so when we disappear or disconnect emotionally we understand that we've let them down because they believe in us and genuinely even undconditionally love us.

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