The time had come for us to finally break down and hire a sitter. Snuggle Bug is 2 years and 4 months old and, up until now, he'd never been watched by anyone other than family or very close friends who have children of their own (not to mention that he's a stay-at-home kid). We've been spoiled in that respect, absolutely trusting those who have watched Snuggle Bug and not having to pay any money.

The Motivating Factor
When we signed up for the 10 weeks of PS-MAPP classes that we have to attend each Thursday night from 6-9 p.m., we realized that it would be a tough sell to get a family member or close friend to make that huge of a time commitment for us. So we started asking around to find Snuggle Bug's first babysitter.

The Choice
I didn't realize it'd be so hard to find someone that comes highly recommended and that is available on a consistent basis. We were striking out right and left, until some dear friends of ours mentioned that they had a cousin who was really good with kids and would probably be available. The catch? He's only 15 years old and because he can't drive we'd have to pick him up and take him home.

Looking back, I was only 12 years old when I first started babysitting, but that was in a very small town and girls are more mature at that age than boys, right?

The Interview
I was a bit apprehensive exploring this avenue but we were running out of options and we trusted our friend, so Oronzo and I requested that we meet this young man in a public place where Snuggle Bug could play with him and get to know him while we observed their interactions.

We met Cody in the nearby mall play area. Our friend, his older cousin, also met us and so did Cody's mom.

Cody is 6' and handsome with an engaging smile and a gentle demeanor. In no time, he had Snuggle Bug playing "catch me" with him while Oronozo and I sat and chatted with Cody's mom and our friend. We really got a good feel from Cody's mom. It was clear that she was raising her son to be a responsible young man.

The Payment
When we discussed the price of Cody's baby sitting service with Cody's mom, we had no idea what hourly rate to pay him, so we asked Cody's mom what she would recommend. She told us $5/hour was plenty for Cody. I thought that was a bit low, I'd heard other parents being charged $7+/hour, but Cody's mom felt that was a fair wage for her son. We agreed to it but I decided to supplement his cash payment with food. What growing teenage boy doesn't like eating, right? We told Cody we'd feed him dinner every time he babysat and when I discovered he has a sweet tooth, I told him I'd bake him goodies from time to time.

The First Night
Last week was the first time we tried Cody. Oronzo went and picked him up while I got pizza ordered for dinner and Snuggle Bug bathed for bed.

Cody was ready and waiting for Oronzo when he arrived. They had a nice chat on the way over. Since we had requested to get him about 45 minutes earlier than we really needed him, I had plenty of time to walk him through the house and share instructions and then we were all able to sit down and eat dinner before we left.

Cody brought a set of small red foam balls and he did magic tricks for us at dinner. Snuggle Bug was enthralled! When it came time for us to leave, Snuggle Bug barely gave me a hug because he was too interested in playing with Cody.

The Conflict
It was hard paying attention in class last Thursday. I couldn't help but wonder how things were going at home. When we had our first break, I reached for my cell phone to call and check on Snuggle Bug (Cody had brought his own cell phone and we had programmed each other's phone numbers into our phones) but Oronzo stopped me. He reminded me that I'd be calling during the time that Cody was probably putting Snuggle Bug down for bed and that'd be disruptive. I didn't care and told Oronzo I wanted to call anyway. Oronzo thought I was being paranoid and he snatched my phone away and put it in his pocket.

The minute class was over, I wasted no time chatting. I made a beeline for our car and forced Oronzo to hurry home.

The Results
We came home to find Snuggle Bug tucked safely in bed, fast asleep. Cody reported that after dinner they took a walk around the block (Snuggle Bug loves being outside) and then came back in and played. Snuggle Bug requested to watch "Nemo" and he fell asleep curled up against Cody on the couch at 7:45 p.m. Cody woke him up to change his diaper, put his jammies on, and brush his teeth. He said Snuggle Bug willing went to bed and fell right to sleep.

We found out from Cody that his parents had called and checked on him and when he made mention that his cell phone battery was almost dead, his mom drove over and brought his charger. She didn't want to risk us calling and not being able to reach him and becoming frantic with worry. How nice is that?!

So, all was well. Our baby survived his first paid babysitter and so did we. Cody had a good time too. He said Snuggle Bug was easy and he'd baby-sit any time we needed him. He pocketed the $25 Oronzo paid him, smiling sheepishly as he did so.

The Questions
I'm curious, when did you hire your child's first paid babysitter? How old was the sitter? How much do you pay your sitter?

Labels: adoption #2, babysitting drama, Snuggle Bug