the Average babysitting jog .~
Today*s teenagers find babysitting a source of that which they constanly seek,
MONEYll They also find that there are many problems (such as the children) that
go along with it. For those who won't know what being a babysitter is like I .
dedicate this story.
The Jones family is an average American family with three children, one dog,
two goldfish, and four kittens. They live in a small average town, and are just
plain average people. Tonite is Mr. & Mrs. .ones anniversary, and they have hired
a babysitter so they might leave the children and celebrate. The little Jones
are average children. (That means they have a talent for annoying babysitters.)
They range from the ages 5 to 11, and all attend school* (This is another bad
sign, it means they’ve had time to practice cold war methods on a teacher).
At 7s00 o’clock Mr. Jones picks up the babysitter. The children are all neatly
scrubbed ^md in their pajammas, sitting on the couch when she arrives. She is a
nice average girl of sixteen, the average babysitter. She receives her final in -
structions from the Jones before they leave, then closes the door behind them.
She returns to the living room and finds the children still sitting on the couch,
with their hands peacefully folded. f
"Wo11s aren’t you going to say anything," she asks. They are still quiet. Then
Jr., the oldest boy gets up off the couch and walks toward her. Then comes a
phrase which becomes very familiar as the evening progresses.
"I wanna drink of water!" She gets him the drink wivch he promptly pours over
the head of his little sister. Of course little siter begins screaming loudly
now and will not be quieted until she lets her wear some lipstick. While this is
happening little brother is lighting a match to one of the kittens tail! She is
just about to run to the rescue when Jr. asks -for another drink* See tells him
just a minute and makes a grab for the cat.
"I WANT IT MOW!!!" her ears still ringing he hands him the water. Now she’s
just settled on the couch when little sister comes in screaming and d?.r nohed,- Agair
she applies the lipstick. Then she begins looking for Jr. When she enters the
kitchen she’s shocked to see Jr.’s little brother frying the goldfish for a bed
time snack, AH-H-H-H! Bed, that’s an idea" She starts rounding up the children
when die finds little sister missing. On searching the house she finds her in the
closet, clutching the remains of her last tube of lipstick. M
"I wanna drink!" Little sister is scrubbed clean and in bed. Jr. has had three
more drinks, each one carefully guarded, and smaller brother has--what--has now
disappeared! She had searched the house before she thought of the bath room.There
she found little brother and a clean shaven dog!
"I wanna drink of water!”
Now ail the children are in bed. The cats tail is bandaged, the two slightly
scorched goldfish have been returned to their bowl. Rover, who now looks like a
Mexican "Hairless, is lying quietly on the rug, and the babysitter is pacing back
and forth nervously. What was once a steady, clam, average, teenage girl is now
an average nervous wreck!
Mr. and Mrs. Jones arrive home about now. Mrs. Jones asks the girl if she might
be able to babysit next Saturday.
"Well-l-l-l”
"I wanna drink of water!”
"No, no, no,- no, !!!! She began screaming and ran out the door and down the
street.
"You know dear, I Don’t think the youth of today is very stable." Mrs. Jones
shock her head and went upstairs.
ZEIDA