Marriage pt. III

When I was 20, I was asked to babysit for a friend who needed someone to watch her12 month old.

I had never held a baby before, nor had I ever watched a child of any age before, so I was a bit surprised at being asked. She said it would only be for a couple hours and that she couldn't find anyone else(she was taking summer classes and her baby's daddy was too, or working to pay child support for another kid, I forget).

People rarely asked anything of me, and surprisingly I can't recall ever saying no to anyone when asked a favor. I was probably always the last hope, seeing that I always felt that people had to be desperate to have asked me for anything (I recall a roommate needing someone to drive him home from his endoscopy, and he regretted that I agreed to do so for I remember him saying he could drive after a few blocks).

Anyways, the child was strolled to my work and I walked her home and she watched Blue's Clues and Bear in the Great Big House. She didn't break or anything, so I watched her a couple or so more times during the summer, and I really didn't mind watching her. She didn't cry. She didn't soil herself while I was watching her. She actually played with me. I never had a child want to play with me, but there she was crawling up me and giving hugs and wanting tickled.

Up until that moment in time, I thought having kids was for other people for I was afraid of them.