Baby Sitting

When my father had been in the nursing home for quite a while it seemed she had began to miss his company. I was calling in a couple of times a week so she could see her Grand Son and at times she actually appeared glad to have a visitor. She mentioned several times she would like to look after him for a little while if there was anything I needed to get done or somewhere I needed to go. I was unsure if she was lonely, competing for the award for best Grand Ma with her neighbour Ruby or, to give her the benefit of the doubt in her old age, she actually genuinely was taken with my little lad and wanted to spend some time with him. I doubted it was out of concern for me being a busy Mom in need of a break.

I watched her closely as they interacted. She liked to chop some fruit for him, she talked to him and watched TV with him, coloured and drew with him and particularly liked to read to him so we usually took a selection of books and she bought him a few herself too. He was a very gentle, easy little soul, not a tear away and happy to do sitting down activities and loved puzzles and building toys. I discussed it with my Husband and said maybe we should give her a chance. I was still forever waiting for the thing that would trigger her to be normal and harboured a hope that having a Grandchild maybe it. So one Saturday visit, when she had surprisingly stopped her regular afternoon bingo trip of late, we needed to go to the DIY store and she was eager to take my lad while we went. So we left him with her for about 1 1/2 hours. I called to check all was well and she had strict instructions to call us if there was any problem. We arrived back to find her quite excited about what a lovely time they had had, my lad chatting happily to her and the room with an array of books and toys and puzzles scattered about. So all was well then. In a call the next day she expressed how she had enjoyed having him and she had a lovely nap afterwards.

She wanted him again next Saturday too. The next week she was all smiles as we dropped him off, he was excited too. We went home for a while and did a few jobs and when I picked him up she was cheerful but commented she was going to have a rest now as she was not as young as she was. Fair enough. I never asked her to take him, I always left her to offer, that way I could not be accused of taking advantage of her for baby sitting. The following week she eyed me up and down to see if I was dressed to go somewhere nice, we were going grocery shopping I told her. She seemed pleasant but the level of interest had definitely dipped. We were not much more than an hour and arrived to find a few books out and my lad watching TV with a selection of snacks, she also had her knitting and a library book out by her chair. She prompted us to go soon after as she hadn`t slept well the night before and was very tired. On asking, my Son told me they had read books for a while and then he had watched telly while Grand Ma did her knitting and read her own books. The novelty of baby sitting seemed to be wearing off. Next call I was asked was I bringing him on Saturday, not would I. I asked did she want me to and I got a cool "Yes OK". So we dropped him off and she was noticeably less thrilled to have him, saying she had already put the TV on the channel he liked. Alarm bells ringing I was away barely 45 mins and she opened the door looking agitated, he apparently wasn`t bothered about watching TV and she told me he was bored with the toys I had packed for him.

Next phone call I was immediately informed how worn out she was after having him and children were hard work for someone of her age. I did not mention her having him again however the following week she called to say she was ill and not to bring him. Shall I pop over to see you I suggested, a little mischievously as I was convinced she was lying. That would not be necessary I was informed as she was taking to her bed to rest. She`ll be off to Bingo... my Husband surmised... the novelty has worn off, surely you knew it wouldn`t last long. I nodded my agreement but to satisfy myself I called her, several times in fact, during the time I knew she was usually out at Bingo. No answer. Not until later that evening when she answered very cheerily and said she felt so much better now she was `well rested`. Neither of us ever mentioned Saturday afternoon babysitting again. Though for a few weeks, just to satisfy my suspicions, I called her every Saturday afternoon, there was never any answer.