Babysitter Bliss

• Serena Grant, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2013

Babysitter Bliss
By Serena Grant

Just imagine, three girls under the age of five, left with a babysitter on a stormy night while their parents go out for dinner.
Most young adults around the age of 18 years would think getting paid to watch TV and eat pizza while three children blissfully slept would be a dream come true, much better than slaving away at hungry jacks. Unfortunately, the babysitter was unaware that as the storm became more fearsome the three girls in her care, switched to survival mode without her even knowing.

As one of these children, I can tell you, we used every muscle to move 2 large beds into my room because we were too scared to be alone. The babysitter was doing nothing to console us, but she was really enjoying her movie at top volume!
The highlight of this story is, of course, that when our parents got home to check that their little darlings were asleep, they found two deserted rooms, which raised quite a lot of questions for the unknowing babysitter.

A babysitter is a person who cares for or watches over one or more children in the temporary absence of their parents. To do this, they need to know emergency numbers, meals not for themselves but for the children. Especially discipline and bath time. They really need to know when bed time is, and any other requirements that a parent expects, so that he or she doesn’t have to play hide and seek at 10:00pm at night looking for their children gone missing in their own house!


From my own experience the only thing that was watched over was the TV. As 3 grown sisters we can laugh about this story now, amazed by our stealth and stamina right into to the night before the very eyes of the dozing sitter. This was our most adventurous night. That babysitter did not last long for obvious reasons. Since then, we have had some very strict babysitters who have taken their job far too seriously. Who demands lights out when the sun still shines during daylight saving time?! You’ve got to be joking!!

Actually, we have had the full collection of sitters over the years with our grandparents been the hot favorites, simply due to the endless supply of ice-cream and chocolate on offer. But now, more and more the time has come as our eldest sister has reached the babysitting age where we have been thrown to the wolves and at the mercy of her instruction as she has grown from the baby to be the sitter.


Truth be known, she is not that bad, and it’s never for long, but I won’t be telling her that. I’m sure it won’t be long before I’m applying for the cushy job on the lounge with the pizza, oblivious to any action taken by the innocent children in my care. Bring on the extra pocket money and let’s hope the sky is clear.