Kids #2: The Twins

My first babysitting job. I was 11 years old and went to work as a "mother's helper." It was to keep an eye on the 2 year old twins while their mother worked around the house. I've written about some of this stuff before but I'll write more about their personalities and the kids themselves (now that they're adults).

Of all the kids to babysit, these boys were incredibly active. They were not walking at 2, they were racing. I played so hard with them that I was sweating. They ran so I chased them all over their house. And I played a form of hide-and-seek with them which they shrieked over and giggled, giggled. They had a special attachment to their toy plastic telephone and dragged it around, pretending to make phone calls. It was a little fischer price or mattel type phone in white, blue and red with a little yellow too. One of the twins would grab it and put it to his ear and look at me. I'm pretty sure their names were James and Jonathan. Trevor was someone in the family or connected, nah, I'd have to double check. My letter of recommendation was stolen long ago. I remember thinking they have the longest foreheads (not having lots of experience with babies/toddlers yet).

She mowed the lawn outside. I let them take turns on my back, giving them horsie rides and chasing them around pretending to be an animal. They practiced all their animal sounds with me and knew them all.

They never stopped running. All I did, literally, was physically run after, chase them and let them chase me and find me. They were interested in playing pretend and being extremely active. The entire downstairs livingroom was wide open and open to the kitchen so there was a lot of space without many walls.

They weren't talking yet but jabbering a lot. Said mama and a few things like that. I don't even remember reading to them--they were just on the move. I made their lunch and then went with them and their Mom one time to the library and for running a few errands around town. So I went along in the car and she'd run into the bank and we waited and played and she is the one who always said to me, "You are worth your weight in gold!"

It was a very regular "mother's helper" job and she paid me well, for a first-time gig and it lasted through the summer. One day I was on the telephone talking to my Mom or a friend about something and she wasn't happy about it, but besides that, no problem.

I also played outside with the boys while she cleaned indoors. Pushed them around on toys, ran around and gave more rides. It was a hands-on work-out. I left, literally with beads of sweat or running down the sides of my face. They were not extremely different in personality at that point but it was a long time ago.

It was a nice house, they'd just moved in and it was more recent construction with a fenced-in backyard.

The mother was very pretty, holding a nice figure and doing handyman types of odds and ends herself. She had a brisk walk.

While still holding my "mother's helper" job with her, I then got a referral to work for a second family. The family and house were totally different. Very smart people again, but different ideas and kids and income. But equally smart.