The Toddler Talent Pipeline

My husband and I left our kids with our regular babysitter so we could have a date. When we came back, we asked how the kids had been.

Babysitter: “[Son] is so good with [Daughter] that I figured I’d teach him how to babysit her. He’s really good at it. Want to see?”

Me: “Sure, [Son], let’s see.”

[Babysitter] laid our daughter down on the couch, then our son came over and literally sat on top of her. He was careful not to apply his full weight, though, and [Daughter] giggled along as he wiggled around on top of her.

Babysitter: “See, he’s a natural babysitter! I taught him how to change her, too. Here [Son], can you change her?”

[Babysitter] handed toy cat ears to [son], who placed them on our daughter. He then tries to cover her with her blanket before pulling it off again like a magic trick.

Son: “She a cat!”

Babysitter: “You forgot poof! You can’t change someone into an animal without saying poof, it’s a rule!”

Son: “Oof. A cat!”

Babysitter: “There you go, perfect! He insists he’s already fed her a bottle, so now all we need to do is teach him how to put her down for a nap, and I’ll be out of a job.”

Yeah, our babysitter is a bit odd at times, but [Son] loves her and refuses to let anyone else babysit him, so I guess we’re stuck with the insanity.