Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Shades of Mary Poppins

Wanted a nanny for two adorable children
If you want this choice position
Have a cheery disposition
Rosy cheeks, no warts
Play games, all sorts
...
Hurry nanny, many thanks 
Sincerely, Jane and Michael Banks

It's the start of the new semester and I'm reorganizing a set of files for my general chemistry course.  Like the sheets of paper that find their ways into odd places, so too, do files occassionally land in the wrong folder.  And with about 1.25 million files on my laptop, I might not happen across such misplaced items anytime soon. This time I found an ad for an afterschool babysitter — written by the boys. They aren't as witty as the lyricists for Mary Poppins, but they did have opinions:


Baby Sitter 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Needed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Requirements 

  • Has a car
  • Can handle an 12 year old and a 10 year old
  • Has some medical experience
  • Doesn’t smoke
  • Likes to play with kids



I loved the colors and the exclamation points, and the idea that medical experience would be a good idea. When I asked them why, they said it was because they were active and might get hurt.  From this we found the most marvelous of companions for the boys, who learned to cook with them, studied with them, was an all around big sister for them, who shaped them in so many ways.

2 comments:

  1. Love this. My department houses the Intensive English program, so sometimes the students' homemade fliers are ... interesting. I will never forget the one that said, "WANTED FOR SALE: BABY SISTER." they were looking for a sitter, of course.

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  2. This was one of the most special times in my life. I loved spending time with your boys, learning new recipes and especially cooking stew! I still have the cook book you gave me! I was always a little homesick in college and your family made me feel right at home. I hope you all are doing well! Warmly, Anna

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