Posted by Rebecca Wear Robinson on April 26, 2010 · 2 Comments
I love my neighborhood! One of the great initiatives came from a woman who started a mom’s 
e-mail network. We are 200 strong now and on any day a range of requests comes from our dedicated leader. The requests range from the simple – ‘Who knows a good plumber? Does anyone have a coonskin hat for the school play?’ – to the serious, ‘Who can provide meals for a family in crisis?’ or ‘Keep your eyes open, there has been a rash of burglaries in the area’. It feels good to know that if I need something, 200 moms have my back.
My most used and treasured resource from the mom’s network is the babysitting list. Almost 2 pages of babysitters in my town, with name, mom’s name, age, school and experience. And guess what stands out on the experience column? Red Cross Babysitting class or First Aid class. That tells me, in no uncertain terms, everything I need to know if I’m leaving my children in someone’s care. First, they showed the initiative to spend their free time learning how to care safely for young children. Second, if there is an emergency, they are more likely to respond correctly, to not panic, to get my child the correct attention immediately. Third, they are mature. They can think outside of their own needs to anticipate helping someone else.
As a mother, I want to know that my children are safe and well-cared for, so knowing my babysitter has the equivalent of a ‘gold stamp of approval’ means I can enjoy myself during those rare ‘grown-up’ evenings. As an entrepreneur, I applaud the kids who took the time to enhance their skills and make themselves more marketable by getting appropriate training, because am I more likely to hire them for that peace of mind? You bet!
having no family around us..we have been blessed. One babysitter is a close family friend I know her entire family for years and my son and dog absolutely love her. My other sitter is my son’s preschool teacher, I could not trust anyone more. I told he when he “graduates” she can still expect to see us.
.-= dina´s last blog ..Strike a Balance- (or a pose if you’re Madonna) =-.