Childcare in the Old Days

A few days ago, Hugo (age 5) asked me to tell him what it was like in the old days, as I drove him and Jack to school. I was fighting sun glare off the snow, with part of my attention impatiently waiting for him to ask a question that made sense. He repeated it a couple of times, and I came up with an answer.

I told him when I was his age, I went to preschool too. But I didn’t stay all day long while my Mom and Dad worked. I had a babysitter who would take care of me every day after school until my parents came home from work around dinner time.

My kids love their school (day care) and I love it, too. But I’ve been considering what we might do when they are both in public school.

“When you and Jack are bigger, you might have a babysitter who takes care of you both after school, too,” I told him, as I pulled into a parking space at school.

“Can it be Grandma B?” he asked, though she lives about 3,000 miles away. I assured him that I would let her know that the position was open. (So! What do you think, Mom?)