Babysitting is hard.

I never considered myself much of a caretaker. I never had any real passion for raising a family, never had a real thought of even having a family. I always pictured myself living on a houseboat somewhere warm, with a nice dog and a lot of books. That being said, I never really grew to appreciate what it’s like to do some parenting, especially when there’s more than one kid to be taken care of.

I feel like Pierre saying this, stating the obvious, but it’s hard as hell.

To the people reading this who think, “yeah, taking care of a kid would be easy. I’d know how to raise one, watch one, etc.”

Chances are, if you’ve never had to watch kids for an extended period of time, or even a sibling, you’re in for a rude awakening.

Just the other day, my aunt and uncle wanted to take the day and spend it with each other, take it for themselves. They asked me to watch their kids, and I said that I would, thinking that it would be easy. I get there, and I don’t see hide nor hair of them for two hours. For scale, there are two girls, 11 and 10, and one 7-year-old boy.

On top of that, there are two rambunctious as hell dogs who like to run around and scare the bejeezus out of every cat that ever decided to set foot in the house. Combined, the place became a nuthouse.

Bedtime is pretty impossible. I don’t know how people do it every single day. It tested my patience, and yet I don’t know if that’s a result of being impatient or the fact that I may or may not be bad at achieving cooperation.

Regardless of the issue, I've found that shepherding young people is like herding cats. They tend not to listen to you, and will more than likely do their own thing unless you offer them food and entertainment.

I plan on taking this newfound knowledge and putting it to use somewhere in life. I just don't know where yet.

Besides the obvious places, I mean.

If you're interested in having a big family, like my aunt and uncle, go you. That takes mental fortitude and dedication of the likes of which I have never seen.

Needless to say, I now have a huge appreciation for teachers and primary caregivers everywhere. One of the hardest jobs in the world, but also one with the potential for the most reward.