Do you ever have moments when you are reminded of some pretty embarrassing things you did as a kid? I have many such memories! But, one that haunts me from a time is when I went to a babysitting job with a good friend of mine "H". Her family was a little higher up in the social hierarchy than mine was, so this babysitting job was top of the line in my opinion back then.
The house was bigger than what I was used to, the decor was more tasteful, and H's duties were a bit more detailed. For example, the parents of the house had left her a meal to prepare for their children, complete with raw fish that needed to be pan seared. I remember H called her mom on the phone to help with how to cook the fish. While she was cooking I think I played with the kids, at least I hope that's what I was doing...I can't recall everything since it was around 18 years ago.
I distinctly remember, however one piece of furniture that really caught my eye. I remember it being one of those Asian bureaus with all the little drawers in it. Beautiful red stained wood with tarnished brass accents... very historical looking. I couldn't stop wondering what was in all of those drawers! What would a nice, classy family store in those little compartments? I know if I had that luxury as a pre-teen I would've stashed markers and stationary and make up and hair do-dads in there... my options would have been endless!
After the kids went to bed, or were in the tub or something, I decided to rummage. I announced to H that I wanted to snoop. She looked at me like I was crazy. Which I was. I started pulling open the little drawers and found they were crammed full of a variety of stuff, including the personal check refills that belonged to the parents. I shut the drawers after looking in a few of them, and didn't take any of their contents. I could tell H was mortified by my actions when she told me that I really shouldn't be digging around in their stuff. I'm not sure what remark I might have made to her, but I stopped.
Needless to say I've always been remorseful about my snooping. I didn't do such things when I was on my own babysitting jobs. I didn't even talk on the phone to boys or invite my friends over like other babysitters I knew did. I was a good sitter at all times! Except for that time with H. I'm not sure what caused me to act that way. Perhaps I was jealous of her for her clientele. Perhaps I was just nosy. Or a combo of both. Whatever the case, I'm happy to report that I didn't do that ever again. I wonder, tho, if I will get paid back when my son has a babysitter at our house some time. I'm a big believer in Karma so who knows what's in store for my drawers. I haven't obtained one of those beautiful Asian bureaus just yet, so maybe the temptation to dig isn't at my house yet. One thing is for sure, I'll make sure my private stuff is locked away so that any snoops reminiscent of myself won't have much to find.
