Open Thread: Let's Get A Sitter
Open Thread: Let's Get A Sitter
Are we going out? Or are we going *out* out?
One of the oddest side effects of the pandemic was the seismic shift in well-established economies. I’m not talking about the stock market, or global labour fluctuations. More fundamental. It was the disruption of the babysitter economy. We’d been living here in Barcelona for a little over a year by the time the first lockdown hit, and had a good lineup of sitters: dependable, affordable, available on short notice. After the lockdowns lifted? A long period of enforced hibernation was over, and women (it was always women, sadly) who would have previously spent an evening happily reading a book or watching Netflix whilst our kids were sleeping in another room were suddenly out every evening. Others upped sticks and moved out to the countryside; a migration echoed in cities worldwide.
Our dependables, dependable no longer. Now we’re three years out from the panny d (12 months beyond the plattyjoobs, but still planked firmly inside the cozzie livs) the babysitting landscape has settled once again. We’ve got two solid dependable sitters, and friends willing to take our kids for the odd night, or hang at our place whilst we have an evening away.
This weekend, I’d love to know: when you want to go out, who you gonna call? What’s your sitter situation? Do you have solid options? Are dependable family members nearby? Is there an app for that—and do you trust it? Are you still in the early days, yearning for an evening together, as far away from the sofa as possible? Or are you a few years in, still struggling to find the answer, and dying for a good night out? Answers to the usual address.
Please don’t say “Ray Parker Jr.”
It’d be really interesting to know when you guys first had a sitter. We’ve got three kids (eesh I know) age 4,2 and 4 months.
Since number 2 was born we’ve had only a handful of date nights as my wife didn’t want to ask her mum to have both girls. Now the thought of asking her to have all three feels impossible.
So yes, what age did you guys first get a sitter and have you managed any ‘holy grail’ nights where someone has the kids until the next morning!!??
Very good point: we actually moved, got rid of our nanny, pulled our kids from public school and now have ALOT of time together...although we have adapted and just used our creativity to have "dates" when the kids are doing activities...or are asleep!