What was the first way you earned money? (Prompt courtesy of:https://thecoffeemonsterzco.com/en-ca/blogs/midnight-blogging/journaling-prompts)

When I was growing up, the neighbours who lived about half a mile north were a young-ish couple who hadn’t been able to have kids. It was a big deal when the wife travelled to Romania to adopt a baby boy.

Around this time I had a friend from school come for a sleepover. We decided to pop in and see this new baby. I remember this moment so well; because my friend was slightly more extroverted than I was, and in new situations I tend to hang back a bit, my friend appeared to be a lot more interested in the baby.

The mom turned to the dad and said, well it seems like we have a baby-sitter here but it’s the wrong one. Meaning that because I lived so close, but didn’t appear as gung-ho about the baby as my friend, who lived 20 minutes away, she felt my friend would make a good baby-sitter.

My heart sunk a bit. I really really loved babies. Always have. I raised a couple of dolls when I was barely out of diapers myself. I was so bummed that the mom felt that I was the less obvious choice to baby-sit for her.

I didn’t feel sad for long though because within weeks she was calling me to come and watch the baby. I started baby-sitting for them when I was eleven and was their regular sitter for years. I even travelled with her a couple of summers later to Alberta to watch the baby while she attended a high school reunion.

I had other baby-sitting gigs in this time too but Andrew was my favourite baby.

Oh and Happy Vday…I’m a bit bahumbug about it…I don’t like mushy touchy-feely relationship stuff. I did get the kids some little treats though. To Clint I texted: Happy Vday, I love you, thanks for letting me be me and thanks for being such a great Dada to Sid…he got me some beautiful flowers…we plan to go fishing later (hard water fishing), he and I and Sid