Super Sitter

Like the Joker said, “Hubba, hubba, hubba. Money, money, money. Who do ya trust?” No really, he said it. Batman 1989. Go cue up your old VHS tape if you don’t believe me. Jack Nicholson may have just been vamping before his showdown with Batman but I took it as one of those “life” questions. Who do I trust? My super team of course! Super IncrediMom is at the top of that list followed by our parents and all the other relatives from the Golden Age of Heroes. They are my Justice League, my Avengers.

Here’s the thing about Super Teams, they are constantly in flux. New heroes come and go all the time. One minute Cap is in the Avengers, and the next he’s a fugitive on the lamb. Sometimes Batman flies solo and sometimes he joins the Justice League. We recently added a new member to our super team too. Her name is Super-Sitter and her super power is loving the Boy Wonder as much as we do. But before I get to far we should probably cover her origin story.

When we first had the baby, it seemed like everyone in the world was banging down the door for a chance to watch Boy Wonder. “Oh, he’s so cute! If you ever need a sitter call me.”, “He’s so happy. You know my wife babysits.”, “Send him to my house, I’ll spoil him rotten.” It felt so good to have a support network like that when our families live so far away. But when we sent up the Bat signal, where was everyone? I guess they were too busy fighting their own super-villains or shopping for a new boots to match their super-suit. Either way, Bex and I quickly realized that we were on our own.

At first, we devised a plan for our day jobs. Bex would work morning shifts and I would go in at night. It seemed like a good system and we were lucky to be able to do it. But life happens, schedules fluctuate, and the need for childcare was becoming more and more inevitable. Finally, Bex convinced me that we had to give up the naive belief that one of us could be with him every moment of the day. We needed to add a Batgirl to this dynamic duo, or at the very least, an Alfred.

When Bex suggested that we use the internet, to help us find a good candidate, I was understandably skeptical. Growing up, my babysitter was always a relative, a close friend, someone our family knew well. Now, just like dating or buying other people’s used crap, there is a website that will connect you with a total stranger to leave your child with. That’s right, you heard me, we found our baby sitter through a Craig’s-List-For-Nanny’s.

So, the search was on. I wanted to find someone who would be attentive, preferably not an alcoholic, and free of any criminal indictments. In short, the goal was to find someone who would love Boy Wonder as much as we do. I don’t care if the applicant has been certified in CPR and baby sitting classes. I was more interested in their nurturing instincts.

Super-Sitter’s application came through in the first half-hour that we had posted the job. She seemed to good to be true but Bex was already in love with her. We agreed to meet at a local coffee shop to interview her. Boy Wonder and I arrived first, then Super-Sitter. As we waited for Bex to arrive, we talked about education, books, and of course, Boy Wonder. For him, it was love at first sight. He snuggled right into her lap, giggled, and drooled all over her. Despite my skepticism, by the end of the interview I agreed with Bex. This was our girl.

So we invited Super-Sitter to join the team that night and haven’t looked back. She didn’t bat an eyelash when I asked her to text me pictures of Boy Wonder throughout the day. Or when we left her detailed lists about his bedtime routine. No joke, she was the first non-family member to put him down for the night. It was a big deal.

Super-Sitter was also the first person besides us to drive him somewhere. The first time, they were only driving to the store but, she was considerate enough to turn on her phone’s location services so I could track them like a paranoid stalker. On top of that, she let me know when they were leaving, when they arrived, and when they were heading home. It worked out so well that when she asked about driving him to her house one afternoon, I didn’t bat an eyelash. If that’s not trust, I don’t know what is.

There’s the little things too, like the music she’s playing for him when Bex gets home. It’s the same kind of music that we would play for him too. There’s also the dishes. One morning, I asked Bex when she had time to do them and the look on her face told me that she was as clueless as I was. Super-Sitter had even done our dishes. Seriously, she makes Mary Poppins look like a lazy old hag.

It turns out that she wasn’t too good to be true. We found someone we can trust with our most valuable possessions and our kid too. She really does love our Boy Wonder like we do and that means the world to us.

Welcome to the team Super-Sitter.