Observation Diary #1: The Sweet Ignorance of Childhood

Is ignorance bliss?  Some of you would say no, yes, or (like myself) would say sometimes.   Looking back at my childhood, I remember being so ignorant.  This is for the simple reason that I was not aware of the true struggles life throws in the mix of other things that cause a great deal of stress.  As a young girl, I thought that everything would work out perfectly in the end.  However, I know think that it is better to have all of the knowledge possible.  By knowing, you can understand why things happen the way they do.  You can also have a realistic grasp of the world.  Now I will share with you one of the most angering experiences I experienced while babysitting Smiley and Pierre which so clearly explains what I am talking about above...

Here in Utah the air is extremely dry which causes many people to have dry skin.  Pierre happens to be one of those unlucky people.  We had gotten back from swimming and I remember that Rainbow told me to apply lotion on Pierre's cheeks. (Note, Rainbow is the code name for their mom because she is happy, and loves to change her hair color frequently)

Being the responsible person that I am, I said, "Pierre, we need to put lotion on your cheeks so that the dryness will go down."

Original Graphic by Claire

"WHY!!!!!?????" was his response.

Through a deep breath I explained, "You don't want your skin to get red or irritated!"

"But your skin has a bunch of bright red dots everywhere," Pierre beamed proudly at me.

In case you didn't already figure out what these "red dots" are, they are acne.  Like many teenagers, I am acne prone.  The frustrating part about it is that I have tried so hard to get "rid" of it.  Nothing has worked for my red dotty skin.  Yet, everyday I put a false smile on my face and pretend it isn't there.

When Pierre said this I was fighting back tears and put on my infamous false smile.  Afterwards, I really thought about why he had said this to me in the first place.  For starters he is ignorant to other people's feelings as most six year olds are; a fourteen year old would never say this!  During childhood, you don't bother to think about how your words can effect others in the long run.  I really wish Pierre had thought before he spoke because every time I look in the mirror I remember his words.

Overall, that simple conversation between us has never left me.  I carry the rude message everywhere I go.  I've also learned that childhood is so great because you aren't thinking about the impacts of your actions.  Little kids rarely over-think the context of their sentences.  Also, I realized how badly I want to go back to being six were I didn't have hours of homework, social drama, having to play sports for graduation credit, writing essays, memorizing countries and so much more.  Man oh man, I miss the sweet ignorance of childhood.

The Tale of the Cat (Pun Very Much Intended)

They say dog is man's best friend.  What do they say about cats? Huh? That's what I thought.  Nothing.  There is no information out there on whether or not cats are friend or foe.  Just so happens that I think cats are great, except for one.  Her name is Squeaky and she resides at Pierre and Smiley's home.  Do not get me wrong here, I enjoy her company some of the time.  Let me begin my tales of Squeaky the cat so you will understand my distress.

Willie, my loving and not crazy cat.
Photo by Claire

Although this is not a story about the children I watch, I am still responsible for the well-being of all living creatures which happens to include Squeaky.  Every single time I go over to this families house, Squeaky hisses and meows at me.  Whenever I try to be nice to her, she runs away.  I don't know about you, but I take this as hint that I need to get the heck away from her, or else.  She has even bit me and scratched my chest.  I mean seriously.  What did I ever do to her.  The answer: NOTHING!

Now, I will retell the most stressful event I have ever experienced while babysitting.  It was last Saturday night, and I was watching Pierre and Smiley.  My good friend Maddy was with me, thank goodness.  Anyway, we live up the street so my mom rode her bike over to give me my dinner.  When she rang the doorbell all of us got up, including Squeaky.  We talked to my mom for a few minutes and just as we were shutting the door, out she ran!  My heart literally fell onto the floor.  It's one thing to not put the dishes into the dishwasher, but to lose the family cat is unspeakable.

With everyone on the side path, we had her cornered.  My mom was about to grab her, but she scampered away from her reach.  Gone, as if she had never even been there.  Pierre had told me not to worry because she always returned.  However, this did not calm my sizzling nerves.  Maddy and I both kept a watchful eye on the front door to see if she crept up.  After an hour, she still wasn't back.  Imagine this senario: parents come home, you small talk for a minute or two, they pay you, and then ask how it went... "Oh, your cat ran away, but other than than it was perfect!"  There was absolutely no way I was going to allow this to happen.

Finally, after much suspense, Squeaky came home.  Pierre and Smiley taunted me and said that they knew she was coming home... But what if she hadn't?  I pondered the moral of this experience, and came up with this: even if things go wrong, if you worry enough it will fix itself (most of the time).  Before I could even sum of the night, I looked over and saw Squeaky happily on top of my computer.  She was home and back to the old cat that I love to hate.

Hooray, Slam Dunk... NOT!

Photo by Claire

Everyone who’s ever played basketball, loves the feeling of seeing their shot “swoosh” through the hoop.  I thought I had a slam dunk at my last babysitting job, but turns out this was the shot that never went in the hoop.  I will now tell you the story through my eyes, the babysitter. 

I was spending my Friday night babysitting, for the zillionth time, for a family with the most adorable boys.  Their parents were going to a concert that they referred to as, “an old person band that you wouldn’t know.”  That’s what they all say.  Anyways, the boys were happy as could be, which made my work about 100% simpler.  I am going to refer to the older brother as Pierre because he is in Frech Immersion, and his brother will be called Smiley as he is always smiling. 

Pierre looked at me and said, “I have trouble with names because I know so many people...”

This is a tactic that most adults use called “let’s not ask a direct question and instead state something sorta similar to what we really want to know.” 

So I looked at him with a sweet smile and said, “Are you asking my name? It’s Claire!”

After I told him, he quickly moved on to being a boy, but I was still stung in the heart with the fact that he had not remembered my name.  Don’t get me wrong here, I understand that he is six, but I cannot count how many times I have been over and babysat him.  

About thirty minutes later, the boys and I were sitting on the couch watching a television show as we always do.  I stared at the clock for about an hour waiting for the painful show to be over, and finally the clock struck eight.  Looking at the boys, I told them that television time was over and we had to go downstairs and get ready for bed.  Being an ignorant teenager, I figured that they would listen and go downstairs.  That did not happen.  

Fat tears filled Pierre’s blue eyes, and he whimpered, “Pleeeeeeeassssseee can we watch more?”

My response probably came across as clear as mud to him, “I’m so sorry buddy but we have to go to bed.”

Pierre, walked away and went downstairs, but Smiley was not coping well with the blackened screen.  Smiley screamed and cried, threw pillows at me, and ran around the house as I tried to calm him.  Nothing worked.  My kind and warmhearted approach was not working as I wanted.  

Finally, after much work, I got him downstairs, but he ran back up and threw his remote control truck around.   Although the toys everywhere, I convinced him to brush his teeth and put his jammies on.  Once all this was done, we sat down and read The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  This book was my guardian angel, and the boys were mesmerized by the black and white pictures.  

Many hours passed, until the parents came back, and before driving me home, they asked, “How did it go?” 

With a smile, I attempted to explain my adventure. 

Inspiration Through the Wide Web

The internet is full of many different blogs, and they’re all extremely unique.  Every blog displays elements that make it interesting.   Finally, after much research, I narrowed it down to three blogs that have inspired my own. 

First I found, For the Love of Cooking.  It’s a blog written by a mom who loves to cook. Her blog contains awesome pictures and short, capturing posts.  Plus, her tone is very sweet and inviting.  In every post, she has added hyperlinks to different pages on her own blog.  The layout of the blog makes it easy for the reader to find what they want.  My favorite part was the picture slideshow under the title.  

Next, Carolina Crafting came about.  This blogs has some great elements!  One of my favorite parts was the pictures she attached with almost every post.  Her writing is cute and simple.  All of the posts are written in such a tone that made me want to do every single craft. 

Last of all, B Jones Style Blog was brought to my attention.  Throughout this blog, there are many hyperlinks to lead the reader to a new webpage.  I like this element because it is very interactive.  Additionally, the background color is white which helps draw the eye to the colorful and beautiful fashion pictures.  I mean, who doesn’t love to stare at amazing fashion shots? 

After viewing these three wonderful blogs, I have seen the creative possibilities for my own blog!  One of the elements that I would like to bring into my blog is lots of original pictures, like featured For the Love of Cooking.  In addition, I want to have a classy and fun theme similar to that of B Jones Style Blog.  Lastly, I want include hyperlinks so that my readers will be even more intrigued.  Overall, I cannot wait to create a place for my readers to hop into the adventurers of my babysitting jobs.