Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Summer stress

Today is the first day of summer school, and the first day a new babysitter comes over.
Only we don't call her a babysitter, since no boy in this house appreciates being called a baby.
No, we call her a chaperone.

Every year since I went back to work, we've had to hunt up a new "chaperone" because once we've found a good one, they usually go out the next year and get a real job.
(Yes, it is very much like finding a teacher for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts.)

Every year, they get closer and closer in age to our eldest son, which has made this summer an awkward one.
If our two boys wouldn't be at each other's throats when they're alone, they wouldn't need anyone to come over at all.
Oh well.
Maybe next year.

But anyway...
At 3am, as I'm obsessing over whether or not I've prepared the house and left detailed notes for the chaperone, I develop a wonderful tension headache which further hinders my ability to sleep.

So, today, I feel like I've been hit by a bus.

This morning I drag myself around the house telling the boys that I hope I've got everything in place and all ready for them to come home to after school.

And Elder Son (age 12) puts a hand on my shoulder and says to me, "If not, we'll take care of it. We know where stuff is."

What a kid.
He got a GOOD hug today.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOVED the DADA reference!! I'm re-reading Books 5 & 6 of HP to get ready for the book and the movie coming out NEXT MONTH!! Woo-hoo!

And hang in there about the 'chaperone'. There will come a time when you'll miss these days, wishing you COULD have a chaperone.

Anonymous said...

Mrs. Who: I went back and read HP from the beginning. I figured, if there are going to be hidden clues, THAT's where I'd hide them!

As for the chaperone of the future, perhaps by then, there will be some sci-fi version of a virtual chaperone.
Not that we're so far away from such a thing now with camera phones and GPS and UPC chips for our pets...