02 August 2011

Because of guilt–my own guilt and no pressure from my family–I agreed to babysit six children I have never met for two days and two nights and one morning.

You see, I can't tell mothers no (unless they are rich and rich people never ask me for anything), particularly when they have a lot of children, even though I hate the idea of lots of children.

The reason I publish this is to ask for your help. What on earth do I do with six children for an amount of time that will probably seem to me like it's never going to end? Please, please, please have some suggestions for me.
Posted by Marge Bjork at 02 August

5 comments:

  1. JannaAugust 2, 2011 at 1:00 PM

    ahahhaa.

    just let the play together. Build forts, and sleep in them. Make them watch tv... bake, make dinner. play outside, build your own summer camp. play capture the flag. or let them play capture the flag while you drink lemonade and umpire. you're a magical babysitter with tons of great imaginative ideas. you'll have fun...sort of.

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  2. ChristopherAugust 2, 2011 at 4:24 PM

    Of course, of course, bring television shows for them to watch... but that's the crutch! My first inclination is to get a giant piece of paper for them to draw on. If you guys can go outside, definitely there should be bubbles.

    Tell them they are going to be in a movie and shoot the movie. Definitely bake together. If any of them can read, have them read to the ones who can't read, if there are any. Play the newspaper game we played - trying to make new sentences out of sentences there already are.

    I can't imagine you running out of ideas.

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  3. BryanAugust 2, 2011 at 11:46 PM

    6:1 is kinda rough.
    These are things I do with my nephews and nieces:
    I will draw on their backs. Or trace the wrinkles on their hands, and have them to the same afterwards on mine (These two are calming generally). I read books with them. I draw pictures with them. I let them help me with my projects (making books, clamping wood things, write stories, etc.). We've gone snail shell hunting frequently. Or rock hunting. I give them airplane rides (I lay down on my back, and they ride on your feet and you hold their hands and fly them in the air--with turbulence, bad guys shooting, and crash landings included). Hide and seek. Doing something they are not normally allowed to do alone like going to the park is always high on their rating list.

    But you are creative. And if they talk, they will tell you things they are interested in doing, or not. I'm sure you'll find wonderful things to do. Good luck.

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  4. BryanAugust 3, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    p.s. Most kids seem capable of entertaining themselves.

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  5. UnknownAugust 8, 2011 at 7:46 AM

    Have tea parties on the ceiling, jump into sidewalk chalk drawings, feed the birds, join a horse race, fly a kite, etc.

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