CHANGING DIRECTION

After years of working in an office, doing all sorts of horrible stuff, like taking legal action against poor sods who were too cash strapped to pay for their medical bills, I found myself having a personal wobble of note. As a result, I left my job on the advice of my doctor, something I never dreamed I ever be brave enough to do. I had always needed the security of knowing my salary would be forthcoming every month so to take a leap of faith was for me worse than bungee jumping off the platform over Victoria Falls. At the suggestion of my daughter, I took a new path, into the world of POOPC. POOPC became for me a huge learning curve. What planet had I been on for the past 20 years, that I had not noticed the huge transition from having my children in the 70s, to being confronted with Parents of Other Peoples Children in the 90s? In changing direction, my path took me into the world of babysitting, running a nursery for children from 3 months to 2 years, assisting in playgroups and nursery schools, and 'au pairing'.

I will begin with babysitting. My first assignment was to a single mom who needed a night out on a Friday. She had a young son, 7 years old, a sweet, well behaved boy who watched a video with me and then went to bed and straight to sleep. Well, this was easy, I thought. Then the mom came home, a bit later than she had said she would, blind drunk and somewhat dishevelled. She refused to take back the rather large amount she overpaid, and said she would call me again. She did, and I babysat for her a number of times, each time a repeat of the first. Suddenly the request for the Friday night duty stopped and I never heard from her. I had become quite fond of the boy and was concerned about them. I called her number and it had been disconnected. I drove by their house and saw it was empty. Neighbours knew nothing, she had just left without telling anyone. With the exception of a few families, some of whom I still work for, this pattern of getting to know a child, taking care of them for a while, then the sudden disconnection, was to repeat itself to a greater and lesser degree for the next two years. At first I found it very difficult to accept, but over time I realised that I was, after all, just a temporary employee and deserved no special consideration. I learned not to get too fond of any child, but just take good care of them while they were in my charge.