Dear kids I babysit,

          You are great kids, and I love that you are both boys! It’s a blast when you both rough-house and don’t stop when I tell you to. Then, one of you always ends up getting hurt. I am so glad that I get to tell your parents you got hurt while they were gone ! Not to mention, you get hurt every time we play outside. Always playing on your scooters, going up and down your sloped driveway. I always make sure to tell you to stop yourself before going into the street , but you totally disregard that rule! You pretend it’s an accident when in reality, you push each other into the street. You really are the most well-behaved kids I have ever met.

Every kid learns that after you play with something, you clean up after yourself.  But, not you boys; you are the exception. It is of course okay when you play with your building blocks and throw them all over the playroom, when you build train tracks and leave them on the living room floor or when you play with the trucks and I find them in the kitchen. Stepping on your toys is one of my favorite things to do.  Moreover, the possibility of your dog eating your toys is delightful. It’s great that you care about keeping the house clean and keeping your dog safe.

The Lego Batman Movie. Your favorite movie, obviously. The only movie I have ever watched at your house. Mom says four episodes or a movie once they leave. Hearing that, I instantly know you will both chose to watch The Lego Batman Movie, every single time.  You claim that your never get to finish it but refuse to start from where you left off. And every time, we watch the same scenes! I’m sure we can all quote the first half of the movie by now. No other movie I would rather watch, I assure you.

You boys are very picky eaters. It really isn’t a problem, I just never know what to feed you. There’s always the safe peanut butter and jelly, but of course with no bread, accompanied by a bowl of applesauce and hummus, obviously only eating the hummus with a spoon. No peppers or carrots to dip in the hummus, just spoonfuls. Not even an hour later, I can always catch you sneaking handfuls on goldfish in your mouth. It would be a shame if you asked me for a snack, it only makes sense for you to try and sneak snacks behind my back because I really am against the idea of snacking!

Putting you to bed is the worst part of the night. No more getting hurt, making messes, no lego movie, and, the most unfortunate, no more secret snacking. However, you never forget a fight to send you off into a deep sleep, thank goodness. The night light. The star wars night light. You have shown me that it changes colors; red, blue, white, orange, yellow, and purple. God forbid you both agree on what color you want to fall asleep to. One wants purple but the other wants red. I absolutely love to listen to two overtired boys, at 8 o’clock at night, fighting over what color they want their night light to be. The ultimate send off.

All in all, I continue to babysit you, not for the money but for the fighting, injuries, and disobedience.  

Sofia Marino