The adventures of Mommy woman
Strange Happenings whilst we were away
Published on May 24, 2004 By JillUser In Home & Family

I admit to being an over protective parent.  I thought I had found a reliable babysitter that my kids really enjoy.  I was wrong.

This weekend we had a family event.  During the festivities, we got a message to call home immediately.  Apparently the babysitter felt ill and either she or her boyfriend who was there at the time decided it was neccessary to call 911.  In the meantime, while waiting for the EMS to arrive, these 19 or older adults decided to send my 7 and 3yr old sons out by themselves, in the dark to search for a neighbor to take care of them.

Our nearest neighbors were at the event with us and had instructed their babysitters, who were able to follow instructions, to not let anyone in or out.  Therefore, my poor little guys couldn't get anyone to answer the door so they luckily had the sense to return home.  This little event was not found out until the next day when my son and neighbor girl were discussing the events of that evening.

Oh, and to make matters worse, we were having some of the scariest weather we have had in some time. 

When we spoke to the sitter's boyfriend when we called from the party, he said the paramedics said she just needed to rest up.  My mother-in-law had planned to spend the night after attending the party so she left early to relieve the sitter.  She didn't get any answers from them as to what exactly happened.

I finally got to talk to the sitter late the next evening.  She said she now believes she may have had food poisoning and had felt like throwing up (but didn't) and was shaky.  Now, maybe it is just me, but I can't for the life of me see how those symptoms warranted calling 911.  She had no explaination of why they sent my children out in the night by themselves.

She had to return yesterday to pick up her vehicle (boyfriend drove her home).  She was supposed to come in the house, retrieve other items she left here and I was going to pay her for that evening and talk to her.  Apparently she didn't want to face me because she and boyfriend took off with the vehicle without coming to the house.

I am totally boggled by her behavior.  I am very dissappointed because she seemed like such a good kid.  Good student, kids like her, etc.  She has just gotten really weird lately.  She even totally forgot to show up to babysit for another occasion the week before.

Does this sound like drug use?  Depression maybe?  She is going through a lot of family problems right now.  She sounds like she has no direction and is not currently capable of good decision making.  Guess I have to find and break in a new sitter


Comments (Page 1)
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on May 24, 2004

Sounds like drug use to me.  Maybe she thought she OD'ed or something or was just freakin' out from it.

That scares the bejebus out of me that she would send your kids outside at night for any reason. Especially at 7 and 3 years old.  Sounds like you need to find another babysitter.  You can't risk things like that.

on May 24, 2004
I thought maybe she might be experiencing a panic attack. You say that she has been under stress, and her behaviour has changed. If it was a drug-related symptom, wouldn't the paramedic be able to ascertain this? Panic attacks can really make a person freak out, especially if they don't know that is what it is.

Definitely find a new sitter until things can be talked about. (Maybe she is just completely embarassed about her behaviour, and can't face up to you because of it.) I feel for you in this regard; finding a reliable, trustworthy child care provider is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks... I have yet to find someone I trust, outside of my family.
Good luck.
on May 24, 2004

Karma, I am most upset about them sending the kids out in the night.  There is just no reasonably explaination for it.


NickyG, she said she didn't go with the paramedics, once I told her it just didn't sound right that they would just come out, say "You just need to rest" and leave, because she doesn't have insurance.  I just don't feel I am getting any straight answers from this young woman and I am certainly not going to trust the lives of my children with someone I can't trust.


I will be relying on grandparents and neighbors (I have great friends as neighbors and have known them for many years) until I can find a sitter I feel comfortable with.  I can't go out and enjoy myself unless I feel my children are in good hands.

on May 24, 2004

Holy crap, Jill!  That would have scared the bejesus out of me! There's nothing more panic-provoking than a call from your sitter to say come home immediately.

I think it sounds like drugs too.  Not an OD, but maybe some side effects she wasn't expecting.

I'm sorry...I wish we lived closer together, I'd hook you up with my kick-ass sitter!

on May 24, 2004
Boy dharma, I sure could use some help in the sitter dept.  Normally one or more of my close friends that live next door are around but that night they were with me.  It did scare the crap out of me.  Things could have turned out much worse.  I intend to prevent anything worse from occuring!
on May 24, 2004

I meant to add: As far as I'm concerned there was NO excuse for sending your kids outside in the dark to see if they could find anyone else to watch them.  As we say in the AF, that's 'unsat' - unsatisfactory and not to be tolerated.  Her b/f was there, why didn't he take the kids into another room whilst the medics checked her out?  Something fishy's going on there...but you already knew that. The fact that she didn't go with the medics also bothers me....I wonder if you request a copy of the incident report seeing as she was at your residence, in charge of your children.  Sometimes when the medics get called out the PD shows as well, they might have some info.  Let me know if you need any help if you decide to do some digging.


 

on May 24, 2004

dharma, I will take you up on the "digging" help if I can't get some straight answers from this young woman.  I don't know why she is apparently afraid to face me.  I was stern but not angry on the phone.  Well, I felt angry but didn't sound it (according to my hubby who was eavesdropping).  I am going to ask around the neighborhood to see if anyone saw a police car.  So far people only mentioned and EMS vehicle and a fire truck.


My head almost shot off my body when I heard EMS and fire dept were at my house!  What a heart attack!  It just isn't adding up to me.

on May 24, 2004

Good.  I'll be happy to help.  You can email me at dharmagirl69@yahoo.com if you need to.


It bothers me that she's not being straight with you.  She might be ashamed for making a fuss about nothing, but that still shouldn't hinder her capacity for truthfulness. 


There's more to this than what she's telling you, I'm pretty sure of it.

on May 24, 2004
Just my opinion, but she would never be allowed to babysit for me again. The situation does indeed sound perhaps a bit like an initial experiment with stimulants. It is very comon for people to become paniced if they have never used them before.
on May 25, 2004

I am not ruling anything out right now greywar.  I think this might be a case of catholic school girl gone wild once out of parents' home.  I just don't know.  I don't want to believe it.


We have a standing Fri sitting gig and I am going to get ahold of her (no small accomplishment lately) and let her know that it is canceled until further notice.  She isn't offering any explaination of that evening.  If she thinks that what happened is just fine, that is the only answer I need.  I will be saying goodbye and moving on.


I sure hate seeing kids who have so much potential waste it on goofed up crap like this.  My hubby and I are in a position to help them out a lot and they are doing everything they can to crap on that helping hand.  I am just angry right now.  I am mostly angry because we pay here to keep the kids inside and safe and instead she actually sent them out into the night by themselves!

on May 25, 2004
Sounds like it could be drug use, and that she possibly was on something while she was there, and was afraid she was OD'ing or having a bad reaction to something. I would not use her as a sitter again, just based on sending two young children out in the dark. What if they hadn't come back, and she had just PRESUMED they found someone else to watch them? I wouldn't worry too much about paying her for that evening, either....but that's just me.
on May 25, 2004
I wouldn't let any future sitters have friends over either. My husband's cousin babysat and had a girlfriend over with her and they just sat on the computer the whole night IM'ing and completely ignored my boys. I found a great babysitter, Steven. He is wonderful with the boys and responsible. The only bad thing is that his parents are divorced so I have to try to catch him on the weekends he is with his dad. I hope you can find somebody reliable and trustworthy.
on May 26, 2004

I think y'all are too quick to pin it on drug use... there should be other signs of it if that's the case, like showing up late or not at all, drug paraphenalia in her possession, off handed remarks/jokes about drug use, etc etc...

it sounds to me like she wanted to spend some 'alone time' with her boyfriend, and sending the kids out of the house was the easiest way to do it.  Calling 911 may have been a cover up for it to keep her out of trouble...

Just a thought

on May 26, 2004

MJ, she didn't show up the Fri prior.  She said she had family problems and just completely forgot.  I don't want to believe it is drugs.  I like the young woman a lot and know she is an intelligent person.


The paramedics were really there.  It wasn't a cover up.  The neighbors all saw the EMS and fire trucks.  My 7yr old is very bright and very good and communicating.  Everything he told me jives with what happened and he knows to tell me if she and her boyfriend are ever out of his sight.


I had a good talk with her yesterday and will write a blog about it.


Locamama, if the boyfriend hadn't been there, things could have been much worse.  The two of them were really good with the boys.  It is sad that neither of them were capable of making a rational judgement call.  They won't be sitting again.

on May 26, 2004

 

I think y'all are too quick to pin it on drug use...


You may be right, but girls this age will do just about anything to please their boyfriend. A fact that I used to my advantage repeatedly as a younger man.


if the boyfriend hadn't been there, things could have been much worse.


Possible, but for the most part the chemistry between folks this age does *not* promote stable or reasoned thought.

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