weirdest compliment

[metaphortunate]

Took the bus home with the Junebug on my lap as usual, talking about inside voices, about how the doors on the bus open and close, just like every day.

Right before our stop, another woman on the bus asked me: "Are you the babysitter, or...?"

"No," I said cheerfully, "I'm his mother."

"Really! Wow, well you're really good with him! So many people just seem so, you know..." she said, and then it was our stop so I just said "Thanks!" and we got off.

??
!!

Comments

[amaebi]

I think that a lot of parents spend transitional times expressing everything in an irritated mode. Typically, I'd guess, because their parents did. Whereas lots of people who go into child-wrangling professionally are more intentional about the moments.

Disclaimer: I would dislike to work in childcare. I love my son and have been getting good results, but the loss of MaryAnnness mecessary to achieve that bothers me a lot when there's lots of continuous time. Even now, when he's an eight-year-old Mensch.