As this summer comes to a close, I'm forced to recollect everything that I've done and what I've spent my time on. Many people my age spend their summer working or experiencing internships; something to add to their professional resume. Instead of going the conventional route, I spent my summer a little differently.
Since the summer of seventh grade, I have devoted my summer vacations to babysitting. At first, it seemed overwhelming; being responsible for small children and having to watch their every move with extreme attentiveness. If you really think about it, their lives are in your hands. That's a lot of pressure for a little seventh grader, just trying to make some extra cash to spend on Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirts. I watched a whole bunch of kids when I started out with this gig, and it was genuinely fun. I got paid to play games that even I enjoyed. As I grew older, I felt more and more responsibility creeping up on me when it came to actually watching the kids.
"Don't touch that! Get down from there! Don't say that!" became frequent phrases as I tried to protect the little ones as best I could. This summer, however, felt a little different.
Babysitting, nannying, whatever you want to call it, is so much more than just watching over a few kids for a few hours. You get to know them, their likes and dislikes, their quirks and their peeves. I have known these kids since they were born and essentially I've watched them grow up which ended up being ridiculously bittersweet. These two naive little souls taught me way more than how to make mac and cheese without setting the house on fire. They taught me how to live life freely and how to have fun with everything you do, even if it's something that you don't quite want to. They reminded me of the importance of simple acts of kindness. Having such a responsibility to take care of them made me realize how necessary it is to stay grounded in what you do. Their innocence to the world made me miss the days when my biggest responsibility was cleaning my room before my mom got home from work. Simply put, they made me miss being a kid. They made me wish that life could always be that easy. I wanted so badly to return to my college because it truly is a special place but at the same time, I wish my time with them wouldn't have come to a close so quickly.
So yeah, maybe I should eventually learn to grow up and get a real job in my future career field but I can't say that I didn't learn anything this summer from these children. Who would've thought that after just one summer together I would leave with a little brother and sister that I may not be bonded with by blood but instead by fate.
