CONTRIBUTED BY MEREDITH NOVARIO
Do you remember those pesky word problems from back in the day?
Jim and Sarah who are hiking in wilderness, decide to leave their tent and walk around a lake. They start going in the opposite directions. Jim hikes at the rate of 3 miles per hour. Sarah hikes at the rate of 2 miles per hour. The perimeter of the lake is 10 miles. How long will it be before they meet?
Wow. I had no idea then how much life would become a word problem. Not that I would have listened. I was busy then. There were boys to talk to and lockers to decorate and fashion to adhere to and deep thoughts to think. But now, I could use some of those darn skills.
Here’s one that’s got me stumped.
Mom has to work twice on Saturdays. Dad is deployed. Her two kids need a babysitter from 7:00 am until 11:30 am and then again from 2:00 pm until 6:30 pm. Mom would prefer someone to come to her off-base house so that the kids aren’t bounced around hither and yon. Mom would prefer an adult with CPR skills. She’d also prefer to have someone who speaks emergency English in case a phone call needs to be placed to her about emergency stuff. Mom needs to pay the babysitter but doesn’t know how much to pay . What is Mom going to do? Is Mom going to get what she wants? Is Mom going to cry in her soup?
This is serious. How do you all deal with babysitting? What are your standards? How much do you pay?
And are there babysitting services that could solve my problem right this very second.
Please say yes.