Often being a parent can feel like babysitting because you probably hadn’t experienced anything like this before until you became a parent yourself. It is exhausting caring for, nurturing and chasing around your little ones. Some days I’d give anything for a babysitting job because I’d get a little break. Nothing bugs me more than when anyone, dads mostly, says that they are letting their spouse go out with their friends and so they are babysitting. No, actually you are going to be their parent.
According to Dictionary.com:
Babysit is a verb (used without object), baby-sat, baby-sitting. 1. to take charge of a child while the parents are temporarily away.
Then, parenting would be:
Parenting is a noun 1. the rearing of children: “The schedule allows her very little time for parenting.” 2. the methods, techniques, etc., used or required in the rearing of children: “a course in parenting.” 3. the state of being a parent; parenthood
There is a big difference. When people say they were babysitting their kids I don’t understand where that comes from. So then you are paying your wife to watch your child while you are at work and then when you get home and she leaves the house she pays you? I don’t think so. Think about it.
Over the weekend I was blessed to get time with just me and Nixon because my wife was teaching sewing and then watched the LDS Women’s Conference. We went to the mall and clearly that was where plenty of other fathers decided to take their little ones out too.
As I walked into store after store a common phrase from the employees that saw me with my son was, “That is so nice of you to babysit while mom gets a break!” I would quickly respond back with, “It’s called parenting, not babysitting!”
I just don’t understand why anyone would say that they are babysitting when it is their own child. You are their parent, you watch them when you aren’t working just like your spouse watches them when they aren’t working. This is a team effort and as parents you work together to get the job done.
So I pray that I don’t ever get asked again if I am babysitting my child because I couldn’t be more proud to be his parent and be with him as frequently as possible.
