Babysitter Dilemma
Thankfully, I do not have a dilemma when it comes to finding a babysitter. When I lived in Gainesville, some of our best friends lived across the street and three of their five children were old enough to sit for Gigi. Nearly all of the time, their parents were home across the street and their dad is a pediatrician, so backup help was super reliable, to say the least. I also had several close friends who were members of a mom’s group I was in. We would sit for one another.
Now that I am in the Tampa area, I have various family members who can watch Gigi when I need to be somewhere. Since I have finished my classes and teaching certification, I have not needed a sitter. I try and schedule things I need to do on the days Gigi is with her father.
All of this, though, comes to mind because of a news item I just read. Over near Ft. Lauderdale a 12-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with beating a toddler to death that he was babysitting. Apparently, the kid used a baseball bat on the 17-month-old girl because she was making noise while he was trying to watch TV.
The 12-year-old was home alone with a 10-year-old and the toddler. The relationship between the three has not been made public information yet.
The boy was arrested Saturday on first-degree murder charges and arraigned in juvenile court Sunday. He is still in custody. Florida has given juveniles life sentences in the past.
When a 12-year-old beats a baby with a baseball bat, there is a clearly a crime present. This is not something that happens by accident, like when a child drowns in a pool under your supervision or you lose a kid in public. This is willful bodily harm with a deadly weapon. A child that commits this sort of act is certainly in possession of so many additional issues that he would have eventually harmed someone else.
This is just another reminder of why it is so important to really know who you are leaving your child with when you need a babysitter. An adult is usually the best option. It makes me want to ensure that I never have to leave Gigi with anyone else again.
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