Things I Said While Babysitting Four Grandchildren At Once

Let me say it was never my intention to babysit four of my grandchildren at once. First, my son texted on Wednesday requesting I babysit his two girls (7 & 6) on Friday night. I texted back, “Sure,” making that a done deal. Later that evening, my youngest daughter (who lives on the opposite end of town) asked if I could see about her six-year-old daughter on Saturday from about 9 -3. The three cousins love each other and it seemed the practical thing was to bring the six-year-old with me when I went to sit at my son’s home. Friday afternoon, my daughter called to ask if I would also keep her one-year-old daughter. I confess to a long pause before replying, “the more the merrier right?”

Without further ado, these are some of the things that got said:

1. “Don’t pick up the baby!”
2. “Take that out of your mouth!”
3. “Don’t give her that!”
4. “Do you know the meaning of tattle-tale?”
5. “No hiding upstairs.”
6. “Put the baby down!”
7. “If anybody else tattles, you’re all going to take a nap!”
8. “Don’t spin the baby around!”
9. “Stop standing on the chair!”
10. “Would your mother let you do that?”
11. “How did you break it?”
12. “Because I’m the adult!”
13. “No, you can’t go home.”
14. “Put the baby down.”
15. “Injury time-out!”
16. “Nobody likes a tattle-tale!”
17. “What were you thinking?”
18. “Call me again, but not for a few weeks!”

Special guest comment from the kid’s grandmother. “He’s watching them all at once? Oh my!”