Picture an adorable child, polite and well mannered. Now picture an adorable child with little devil horns. Children are devils. Whether we admit it to ourselves or not, it’s true. Babysitting, then, is dealing with the little devils that have been banished from their lair. Out of control and mischievous kids, always whining or complaining. Their devilish smiles make you want to run as fast as you can. Their existence makes you dread and (be)moan the idea of babysitting them. Now imagine having to babysit for three kids, ages 4, 6, and 9. Ricky, the eldest, was in charge of his two younger siblings, Sophie and Tommy. I babysat them many times but the first time was truly frightful. 

Meeting the parents was normal enough, but stepping into new territory means being on guard for possible threats. Once the parents left, I decided to play a game with the kids - Uno. Sophie decided to bend the cards, and soon, Ricky was shredding them. All that remained were shriveled up bits of paper, pleading for someone to save them from their hellish demise. Keeping my head cool,

“Okay kiddos why don’t we go watch some TV. I brought some movies.” I started forcing a smile on my face.  Tommy asked if I could go get his blanky, since ‘he was too lazy.’ Unwillingly, I retrieved the blanket and returned downstairs to find them coloring on the floor. I was doomed. They weren’t just using crayons. THEY WERE USING PAINT! Why did I accept this job again? Fortunately, I was able to wash it out, albeit after intense scrubbing. This time, I made sure they couldn’t get out of sight. I stationed them in places not too close to each other, but still where I could see them. That seemed to work while watching TV but I could only allow them to watch it for an hour. Thankfully, I had a break. 

Cooking dinner is a must-do when babysitting. Cooking them grilled cheeses was easy since almost every kid I babysat loved them. A short while after sitting down to eat the food, Tommy decided to throw food at Sophie. Smack!- straight into her eye. Instantly, the wailing started.

“Hey, Sophie, why don’t you tell me more about school. Are you meeting any new friends?”  

“Yeah…… I have this really nice teacher who gives us candy! Every single day, we get candy!” Sophie exclaimed, calming down. 

“How thoughtful…….” Probably so the kids don’t start to rebel. Tommy giggled, so I shot him a death glare and for once he listened to me and stopped. Peace was granted to me for the rest of the dinner. Winding down after dinner, it meant it was time for each of them to take a shower. Tommy decided to go first, and I felt the relief that I only had 2 kids to watch. That was short-lived. Tommy came down, naked, with soap. I thought he needed help with shampooing his hair, so I took some shampoo and helped him. While I was doing that, however, he dumped the bottle on me. The soap guzzled and slid down my back. 

“TOMMY! Go to your room now!” I shrieked, livid. Tommy snickered and climbed upstairs. Sophie fell to the floor and clutched her stomach- chortling. OMG, they are literal devils. I want this to end. Furious, yet keeping my composure as I could, I directed the other two- “Sophie, go take a shower, and Ricky, then you go.” 

Bedtime was yet another story altogether. The bedroom door creaked and moaned. Inside was a dungeon: the 3 shared a small room with bunk beds pushed against the wall. No ladder was there; they obviously broke it. 

“Alright, Tommy, up you go into your bed. Sophie, no bedtime story. You wasted 30 minutes taking a shower. Ricky, please stop coloring,” I commanded. The kids continued to play around, ignoring me for who knows how many times. I stared right in each of their eyes and retrieved a book titled, “My Little Pony something.” BAM! Tommy looked at me, his eyes widened. Sophie and Ricky quickly stationed themselves in their beds. Finally, for once, I was in charge. I sat down reading them, My Little Pony until they slept peacefully. Once they were asleep, I flipped the light switch to off and crept out of the room. I tiptoed downstairs, the stairs creaking softly. Finally! Some peace and quiet!