**I'd Rather Go to My Cousin's 10th Birthday Party Than Go to Work**

[WritingIsMyReligion]

And let me tell you, my cousin is a paranoid little twerp who has a serious persection complex, among other things.

That's how much I've grown to despise this babysitting gig of mine. :grr:

The six-year-old I slave for is a spoiled, manipulative, lying, scheming thing, very concerned about popularity, who therefore is alternately amused and horrified by bohmeian/noncomformist me. She gives orders, and when I refuse to follow them, she gets furious, and tells me how I'm supposed to entertain her, do what she says, yadda yadda yadda. Her previous nanny/caretaker seems to have been a total wimpy little meek pushover, but that's not surprising--from what I've heard, this nanny was also a formal employee of her parents, who run a successful local Chinese restaurant. Some people will do anything for the boss's child. :eyes:

The family is Chinese, and her parents talk to her interchangably in Chinese and English. It's awkward to be standing around when I can only understand bits and pieces--occasional screamed phrases, really--of their conversations. My charge speaks perfect English, since she was born here, but she often adopts this babyish, high-pitched whining tone that is REALLY fucking annoying. It's sad, because her parents--well, her mom, anyway--are really nice people, but they've elevated their daughter to the level of a princess, an attitude she carries onto every other relationship.

Example: Her parents run a few local Quiznos in addition to their Chinese restauruant. The grand opening of one of these Quizno's was last night, and I guess my charge had wanted to go to it. Anyway, she calls up her parents at work, putting the phone on speaker phone because she doesn't like to hold it to her head, I guess, and from their interchanging English-Chinese conversation, I figure out that the girl is yelling at her parents because she missed this grand opening. Then she bursts into furious tears, sobbing and sobbing and sobbing, and her mother totally MELTS and goes all googoo-gaga and starts saying how sorry she is and stuff. Well, I thought that was totally asinine, considering this was obviously an overblown, dramatic performance on the girl's part.

:eyes::eyes:

And yes, her parents are aware that she is "a little stubborn," to use her mother's words. I've bitched to my mother so heavily lately, and I think once my mother mentioned to her mother that my charge was being bossy, so her mother yelled at the girl for a bit in Chinese over the (on speaker-phone) phone. The girl hung up and got all bitchy and said it was my fault that she was going to get a "butt-hit" (spanking, I assume) later. I told her, no, your behavior is your problem, not mine.

:grr::grr::grr:

Sorry. Had to rant. I have to go through this for five hours again tonight.... I want to go to my cousin's party! :cry::cry:

:grr:

[BikeWriter]

1. Ouch! Jobs can be unpleasant. Fortunately...

you probably won't be making a career of baby sitting! ;-)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

2. Fuck no.

:D

I questioned the sanity of doing this in the first place. No, I'm going to end up something "silly" and nontraditional, for sure--a bohemian writer/musician, probably, not because it necessarily appeals to me (though it kind of does) but because I can't see myself as anything else, really.

:shrug:

;)

[BikeWriter]

3. I couldn't "see" myself as a worker in industry, either...

but that's what I retired as. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices to raise a family and have a career.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

4. That's just the problem.

Hardly anyone seems to be able to get into any artistic field anymore as a professional. Or if people do, it's after working for a brazillion years as some "traditional" workers, and finally getting a breakthrough into what things they REALLY want to do.

I just resent conventionality on the whole....I've decided of late, for example, that I will never change my name upon marriage, wear a veil in a wedding ceremony, or be "given away"--all of these traditions stink of an age when women were chattel. Consequently, I've been told that I will never find any man willing to marry me, and I suppose that's true. Oh well. :D

It must be the teenager in me. :shrug:

;)

[BikeWriter]

6. I admire your independence, Sweety!

;-)

[Nikia]

7. I wouldn't hesitate to major in English or something

You may or may not be able to do your own writing right away, but there is also a market in industry for writers as well if you would need to do that for a while.
As for the "no man will want to marry you thing", I was told that in high school because I so into my running achievements and academics, by guys at my backwards rural school. If a man wouldn't accept you as you are and accept things that are important to you, you wouldn't want him to marry you anyway.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

12. Exactly.

;)

:hi:

[Nikia]

5. Babysitting can be scary

I once babysat for a 10 year old boy who put a knife to my throat for telling him to do his homework. I should have told the parents but was afraid since the boy lived in my neighborhood. I never babysat for him again.
My sister babysat all summer for 3 little hellions (actually the older two were mostly the hellions, the youngest was an infant). The older two were constantly trying to literally kill each other and the baby. In the times that they got along, they teamed up to try to upset my sister by purposely making messes for her to clean up. The mother commented that she didn't like her children and would probably go crazy if she had to spend significant time alone with them. The father liked the children but spoiled them. The only reason that she stayed babysitting for this family was because she was making $300/week cash 10 years ago to watch them.

[BikeWriter]

11. Shit, Hon. The Laws should have been called on those families

Until they've answered cognizant questions they haven't a clue!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

13. Whoa. That's scary.

At least my "princess" doesn't pull knives.

:scared:

[rug]

8. Quit.

Or tell her bedtime stories about the Long March.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

14. But she doesn't SLEEP.

I didn't mention that? She doesn't have to go to bed until her parents get home, which is 9:30 on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 10:30 on Fridays and Saturdays. I watch over her almost literally every second for at least 3.5 hours every time I'm over there.

:crazy:

[bigwillq]

9. What a mess.

Aren't there other kids you can baby-sit for? :shrug:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

15. Nope.

I'm not particularly good with younger children, anyway. I'm such an elitist snob, I guess...I want a satisfying job, and I want it now, dammit!

:silly:

:P :P :P

:hi:

[OhioBlue]

10. whoooaaa.

she is six? aw - don't write her off - kids can be very difficult to baby sit. My cousin's little girl was a TERROR when she was 3-5, but now, she is a helpful, outgoing, little girl at age 7. Can you take her to your cousin's birthday party? She might have fun being around other children and it would kill 2 birds with 1 stone - you would be able to attend, but also get a bit of relief from entertaining her as she would have other kids to play with.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

16. Definitely no.

Her parents would never allow it, and frankly, neither would my parents.

The Kids Choice Awards were on Nickelodeon tonight. She watched those, and various other shows, for 2 1/2 hours. Cut down on my stress, that's for sure.

:hi: