(Here I am in 1989 with James and Nisi Hester, long time clients.)
Paul and I are very popular these days. We had three outings this weekend, which meant getting a babysitter three times. (My sister helped out one night so I only had to hire two sitters for the other nights.) Score!
Seeing as I’m the big P in my ward over the young women, I know all the teenage girls in my neighborhood pretty darn well. So I know who is responsible and well…..who will eventually be responsible when they grow up. I like to pay my babysitters well (by Utah standards at least). I pay $4 an hour because I want them to come back. I think most girls charge $1 per hour, per kid, and since I only have three kids I guess I figure I pay 35% more than others. This calculation assuages my guilt of still paying less than minimum wage. I only earned $2 an hour back in my days of babysitting glory--what a crime!!
One of the girls who babysits for me regularly is afraid of Peeping Toms or creatures that go bump in the night because she always closes all the drapes in the house when she comes. Bless her heart, I can totally understand this. When I babysat, I usually babysat for poor Mormons like myself who didn’t have cable. So the only shows on Friday night were 20/20 at 10pm. So I watched that dang show every Friday night and then freaked myself out because it was usually about axe murderers or prisoners who escape from the state penitentiary. (And Chino, CA is the home of a large men’s prison!!). Funny thing is, now I am back to those days of childcare. Hey, where’s my $2 an hour?
9 comments:
Well, at least your fears were founded on real events, like the Kevin Cooper Massacre (1983)when he escaped Chino Prison and killed those innocent boys in their beds here in Chino.
I remember being totally freaked out babysitting. Remember "are the children sleeping" phone call story that had us all spooked back in the day...
It's so weird now days how babysitters "charge" us, instead of just being grateful you got paid anything for sitting around watching TV on a fri/sat night.
the Hesters! wow, haven't thought about them in a long time.
One time when I was babysitting in 7th grade, the kids used a faulty toaster and started a fire!!! I had to call 911 and everything. You're lucky to know so many girls. I have a terrible time finding babysitters.
Oops, forgot to sign my name. Carolyn#2
Cynthia, with all of the normal bad rap that us Chino residents get from those in the snnoty neighborhoods of Diamond Bar and Upland, did you have to throw Chino under the bus like that? Not everyone out there knows that Chino is home to the State Prison and that it has been the sight of the Night Stalker and Kevin Cooper. Way to go, now it will never be the vacation destination that it was destined to be!!
Tim (Don't want Casey to be accused of writing anything about Chino!)
Cynthia,
Hi I'm a total stranger that lives in Orem (originally from Glendora, CA. I stumbled across your blog looking for some Amy Butler stuff. I really enjoy your blog. I can relate to most things you post.
My question: Where/how do I buy fabric wholesale? Can you help me? Pretty please? At least get me headed in the right direction.
Thanks!
Heidi Cox (heidialdercox@gmail.com)
Tim's comment is funny. I always thought the Chino people were snotty. I remember a mom saying in the best voice of disgust to her son when she learned he was assigned to a DBar house for Youth Conference, "They put you ALL THE way in Diamond Bar." Chino people were seriously cliquey. In hindsight I guess they thought we were cliquey. I don't think we were- there were far more boys to like in Chino than Diamond Bar.
However, it WAS funny when the lame t.v. show "The O.C." had the troubled youth, Ryan, come from Chino.
Okay, this had nothing to do with babysitting. I remember only getting $2/hour too for like 4-5 kids. However, that was the cheapo LDS families. Dad had a non-LDS co-worker who only had two delightful children, a pantry full of junk food, money for Dominoes, and still paid me like $4/hour. I guess you can afford to pay more when you have less kids and no tithing obligations, right?
Ilene,
Thanks for thinking that my comments were funny, I try. Now that I am a father of four (4) daughters, I really am not that funny anymore.
That is funny about your comment regarding the fact that there were more boys in Chino than in DB. I am really shocked that I have no clue as to who you are, since I was at your house quite a bit during our HS days. I was good friends with Winnie and knew Paul too. We used to come over to your parents house and play games a lot on Sunday evenings. I don't think that I ever really dated any girls from Chino and focused primarily on DB girls, that is until I finally married a girl from Upland!
I used to hang with Trisha, Misty, Winnie, the Farnsworth sisters, etc... Ask Winnie about me (or Paul & Cynthia) and they will fill you in on who I am.
timvanbuskirk@gmail.com
Post a Comment