Last night was the first Thursday night we didn't have all four kids so we decided to take advantage and get a babysitter for the two youngest ones so we could go out for a little bit, just the two of us.
I didn't know this was going to end up being such a huge ordeal.
The night started out fine, we told Cody he was going to have a babysitter and he was VERY excited. He picked out books to read and puzzles to do. He even went outside and waited on the porch for her to get here.
Everything was going great, Cody knew we were leaving and he could care less.
When the babysitter arrived, Cody showed her the books and puzzles he picked out, we showed her where everything was and we said our goodbyes. Cody was still fine at this point.
So we left.
Little did we know, back home Cody FREAKED out when he realized we were going to be gone more than a second. He started screaming and calling for us. The babysitter tried everything she could to calm him down but he just stayed in his room crying.
When T.J. called to check on everything, she told us what was going on. T.J tried to calm Cody down by talking to him on the phone but this was no help...didn't make things worse, but was by no means any help to the babysitter at all.
Don't get me wrong, I love my son but he was fine. He was in good hands, understood we were coming back for him and nothing was physically wrong because I was too far away to do anything about that last one.
I was more worried about the babysitter. She's a 16 year old girl who was probably going crazy because this two year old would not stop crying. She was probably more freaked out than Cody was. Not for the sake of the two year old, but because T.J.'s her teacher and she would have to see him everyday, the father of the child she could not get to STOP CRYING!
I blame myself. I have been the one home with him everyday of his life. He has had few babysitters and since we now live so close to friends of ours and my brother, he usually just stays with them if we have some where to go. We're poor as hell We live off of a teacher's salary so we really don't have extra money to send him to a Mother's Day Out program even a couple days a week. So, I have sheltered him, he is not used to being left with people he doesn't know very well.
So, for the sake of the babysitter, I left to come relieve her.
I was able to get out for 1 hour 28 minutes and 35 seconds. Not sure if the 35 seconds is accurate, but it made my point a little more dramatic.
When I walked through the door and Cody heard my voice, he came running out of his room and held on to my neck. He wouldn't let go. It was like I had been gone for years. His eyes were so red and swollen from all the crying. I tried to explain that we will always come back for him but he just held me tight, making me feel guilty for ever leaving him.
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I will just have to try it again when he's a little more comfortable. He might be in College before I can go out, but hey, something to look forward to, right?
Here he is this morning. His eyes are still pretty red from all the crying last night.
And here's Cade, the good one! His new favorite thing is to pull all the fall decorations off the brick!
When I walked through the door and Cody heard my voice, he came running out of his room and held on to my neck. He wouldn't let go. It was like I had been gone for years. His eyes were so red and swollen from all the crying. I tried to explain that we will always come back for him but he just held me tight, making me feel guilty for ever leaving him.
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I will just have to try it again when he's a little more comfortable. He might be in College before I can go out, but hey, something to look forward to, right?
Here he is this morning. His eyes are still pretty red from all the crying last night.
And here's Cade, the good one! His new favorite thing is to pull all the fall decorations off the brick!
1 comment:
Aaaahhhh, poor baby. And poor Mommy!!!! But don't blame yourself! If it makes you feel any better, my girls have been in the church nursery for an average of 4-6 hours a week since they were both 6 weeks old, Lexi went to day care her WHOLE first year of life full time and she's been in pre-school part time for 2 years, we hire baby sitters ALL THE TIME, she's FOUR years old and is going through MAJOR separation anxiety right now. Even worse than when she was a baby! She cries and screams uncontrollably when either of us leaves the house, or when we leave her at church or school. It just started 2 weeks ago. It's killing us!
But one thing that has helped SO much we've noticed (b/c at first we were dealing with it as a discpline issue thinking it was manipulation) is that we've both worked in some special one on one time. Daddy took her to work one day last week, I made candy apples with her one day, Daddy took her on a dinner/movie date last weekend, and since all of that she really is getting better about it. Gradually it's going away.
So all that to say, just love him through this stage. Extra attention and nurtering. I know you want to pull your hair out (and his too) but this too shall pass my friend!
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