BABYSITTING A DOG

Our four grandchildren have grown up before our eyes…it’s hard to imagine that! Which means it’s been years since they spent the night with us and Deborah and I babysat. So, when our son and daughter-in-law asked us to watch their golden lab, Juniper We said yes without so much as a dialogue… With all our experience babysitting grandchildren we thought it’d be easy babysitting a dog. And it was…it truly was…because it turns out…this may sound a little wild… babysitting a dog is a lot like babysitting a child. They all liked to go on long walks…whether in a wagon or on a leash they were happy…we could tell… Our grandchildren loved the sights and sounds while Juniper loved the smells. They all loved to eat and eat often…meals, in between meal snacks…ice cream and more (which had us wondering if their parents had ever fed them before). They had their favorite games…like fetch and Candy Land…and when that game was completed, they loved playing it over and over again! One thing we had forgotten about babysitting was all the energy it required… as our grandchildren and Juniper were ready to continue playing long after the two of us were tired. They all loved love and attention…having their hearts and souls nurtured and fed and they all loved that time at the end of the day when we’d snuggle together in bed. Babysitting Juniper reminded us of something else we’d forgotten that we knew… the happy tiredness and contentment you feel when the babysitting’s through. When you look around your empty house… that moments ago was filled with so much energy and activity… and then You sigh…smile at one another…knowing after a little rest you’l be ready to babysit again. So thanks Juniper… for helping us remember…all those things with the grandchildren we use to do… which we probably wouldn’t have thought about….if we hadn’t been babysitting you.