So yesterday was Tuesday. Which meant I was babysitting. Except there were a whole lot more of them. I had three under the age of two and 8 older ones. A last minute 'please come help me I can't do this alone' came through, so that was wonderful. While last night was a bit crazy, a few things are noteworthy.
First, I changed my first diaper! The wee one I'm talking about usually gets changed right before her parents get there to take her home to bed. And she hates having her diaper changed. Wails like its the roughest thing on earth to get your tush clean. I'd been mentally gearing up for this all night. I knew she was going to pout and while I was sorry for that, she was not leaving that room without a fresh diaper.
Ok, game face on, its go time. I pick her up. I'd already prepped the changing table with wipes, a glove, and a few cookies in case of emergency. I lay her down and after she realizes what is happening, starts yelling. At this point I'm fighting with her bloomers and kind of treating this like a nascar pit stop. Be fast and efficient and get it over and done with. She's wailing so I just start talking to her. Not in a 'stop that right now tone of voice', but a soft, gentle, I know you don't like this but I'm right here and we'll get through this together tone of voice. I pretty much use the same technique with spooked horses. Soft tone, no jerky movements, calm, serene. And it worked! If I kept talking to her she was distracted enough to not yell. And the most surprising bit of all was that the diaper stayed on her. It didn't fall off!
I also realized that I have a favorite that I babysit. His name is Christian and he's cute as a button. He's 5 and he's a little brown-haired green eyed boy that tugs on my heartstrings. He's very polite and has some of the funniest tones of voice. Like when he's surprised. He says stuff like "wow, I can't believe that that just happened." He seriously cracks me up. And he's a fantastic listener, and he shares with the other kids. Gosh I could go on forever about what a good little boy he is.
I'm thankful that God lets me love these wee ones. He gives me opportunities to love on people daily and I hope I take advantage of all of them. I'd hate to miss an opportunity to love. But I'm gonna need to stop babysitting pretty soon. Otherwise I'm going to continue falling in love with those little ones. Which will lead me to wonder about my children. If I'll have any, what they would be like, look like, if I'll be young enough to run around with them, etc. Its a fear of mine that dreams about children don't glorify Him so I try to avoid anything that encourages that. Sigh, that's by far one of my most vulnerable slippery slopes. In the meantime, I'm surrounded by children, and my heart is light just being near them...
First, I changed my first diaper! The wee one I'm talking about usually gets changed right before her parents get there to take her home to bed. And she hates having her diaper changed. Wails like its the roughest thing on earth to get your tush clean. I'd been mentally gearing up for this all night. I knew she was going to pout and while I was sorry for that, she was not leaving that room without a fresh diaper.
Ok, game face on, its go time. I pick her up. I'd already prepped the changing table with wipes, a glove, and a few cookies in case of emergency. I lay her down and after she realizes what is happening, starts yelling. At this point I'm fighting with her bloomers and kind of treating this like a nascar pit stop. Be fast and efficient and get it over and done with. She's wailing so I just start talking to her. Not in a 'stop that right now tone of voice', but a soft, gentle, I know you don't like this but I'm right here and we'll get through this together tone of voice. I pretty much use the same technique with spooked horses. Soft tone, no jerky movements, calm, serene. And it worked! If I kept talking to her she was distracted enough to not yell. And the most surprising bit of all was that the diaper stayed on her. It didn't fall off!
I also realized that I have a favorite that I babysit. His name is Christian and he's cute as a button. He's 5 and he's a little brown-haired green eyed boy that tugs on my heartstrings. He's very polite and has some of the funniest tones of voice. Like when he's surprised. He says stuff like "wow, I can't believe that that just happened." He seriously cracks me up. And he's a fantastic listener, and he shares with the other kids. Gosh I could go on forever about what a good little boy he is.
I'm thankful that God lets me love these wee ones. He gives me opportunities to love on people daily and I hope I take advantage of all of them. I'd hate to miss an opportunity to love. But I'm gonna need to stop babysitting pretty soon. Otherwise I'm going to continue falling in love with those little ones. Which will lead me to wonder about my children. If I'll have any, what they would be like, look like, if I'll be young enough to run around with them, etc. Its a fear of mine that dreams about children don't glorify Him so I try to avoid anything that encourages that. Sigh, that's by far one of my most vulnerable slippery slopes. In the meantime, I'm surrounded by children, and my heart is light just being near them...
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