Carmen Lo

The Twins

Babysitting is a simple job called looking after kids. It was not until the July in 2003, that I discovered that babysitting is a process of being part of someone’s life and making a difference. I started babysitting twin girls in my freshmen year of high school. The twins’ names are Kate and Lana. You might ask how can I tell them apart. Well, the answer is that they look nothing alike.

I remember the first day that I was babysitting Kate, who has a pair of big black eyes and does not have a lot of hair for a girl. She was so scared   that she was afraid to look at me, like a mouse that saw a lion. Then she slowly got used to the idea that she had a babysitter. Lana has a small mouth and it always looks like she is chewing something. Furthermore, she also has longer hair compared to Kate, and she looks a lot like a Chinese girl. In addition, she is the quiet and girlier one, which explains her habits of playing with people’s hair and crying for her grandparents, because she is cherished by them. I need to sit at an angle in a corner of the room and try to avoid Lana playing with my hair when I am reading or playing with her.

They are lucky girls because their parents are bilingual. Part of the reason I became their babysitter is that I am a bilingual too. Because they do not go to preschool yet, I speak both English and Chinese to them, and now they are able to understand both languages. I enjoy teaching them the alphabets and songs (ABC and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) in Chinese and English, and playing catch the balloon with them too. Their parents have a whole bookshelf in their playing area, and with big and small books everywhere. They love to read by themselves with books like The Cat In The Hat, Good Night Moon and Green Eggs and Ham. At the end of every book, they say, “The end.” When I read to them, they gather around me. Sometimes one sits on my left and the other sits on my right like the little bears that are hugging the trees. Other times, the little kittens just keep running around and ignore me completely.

I remember that once I did not go to baby-sit them for about a month, because I go babysitting only when the family is busy. I was worried sick that the twins might not remember me. When I came back to watch them, I saw their smiles as big as flowers that had been waiting to bloom for the whole year. Then I knew that they still remembered me. They have changed so much. For example, they learned to introduce to me everything in the house. Lana kept telling me who Kate was, where her grandmother was, where the clock was, and whether the fan was on or off. They even learned to recognize the alphabet. They have a book, which illustrates all the pictures of fruits and vegetables in Chinese and English. When I point at the picture, they tell me what it is in both languages.

I have talked about the fun occasions, enjoyable singing moments, and laughable playing times; but there are times that they make me crazy too. Sometimes, when I try to get their attention, they  just ignore me. Other times, they just refuse to eat, and the worst is when the twins fight over the same toy. Even though there are bad times, I am still happy that I have a chance to play and learn with them. The twins make me realize how babysitting is not just watching over kids, but it is a job in which the babysitter and the kids find joyful moments and memories.

 

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