I Hope This Story Has A Surprise Ending
Even with a surprise ending, it’s still an unspeakable tragedy. Seven kids, from two separate families, were under the care of a babysitter in a three-story row house in Pittsburgh. Then a fire broke out.
Neighbor Sontaya Perry, 22, said she could hear the children inside the house screaming as the fire raged from the windows before dawn. She said she tried to get in, but the wooden steps leading to the door were in flames.
“They were screaming, and five minutes later they stopped screaming,” Perry said.
Two of the children managed to escape the fire and stood outside the burning house, screaming for someone to help their brothers and sisters.
But where is the babysitter? That’s what police would like to know. For whatever reason, even though they’ve interviewed the parents, the police only know the sitter’s nickname. Right now, they’re not releasing that.
A sitter known only by a nickname? Seven kids under her care when a fire broke out and she is nowhere to be found? I’m afraid I know the outcome of this one: a babysitter who took off when the fire broke out or, more likely, before it even happened. And the parents no doubt are dealing with guilt in the midst of their grief, because what kind of parent hires a sitter known only to them by her nickname?
Answer: a sorry one. A very, very sorry one.
UPDATE: The parents may be even more sorry that it’s come to light they may have left those seven kids on their own without a sitter at all.
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Donna B.s last blog...
Sort of sounds like a story here; a mother (?) left her two-year-old with a babysitter, only knew the sitter’s first name. Then said mother lost her cell phone, the sitter wasn’t home and mother had no way to contact said sitter (or vise-versa). What a poor excuse of a mother! This one had a happy ending,though; sitter had a friend take the little boy home, since the mother had been on the news crying about not being able to find her little boy.
I just can’t imagine leaving my child with someone I knew so little about. Maybe that’s why I still don’t have a regular sitter: teenagers freak out when I tell them that the first time they sit for my child, I’ll be here (but working) just to make sure they get along with him.
Oh, and that in addition to wanting babysitting references (whom I’ll contact), I want their address and I want to meet their parents. The references shouldn’t be a surprise, really, but some of them have acted worried about it. That usually tells me they stopped returning calls and accepting sitting jobs without ever really explaining why, or else they spent their time on the phone or having friends over when they were sitting.
As for wanting their address and to meet their parents, there are really two reasons for that. I want to know what environment they consider to be standard, because that tells me a bit about what their approach to my child will be like. But I also figure, hey, this kid is going to be in my home and if something happens to her, I need to know how to reach her parents.
If they won’t give me that info - and many try not to - then I’m not hiring them. Period.
My stomach turns every time I hear about that story. But that’s why I can’t find a sitter as well. My parents watch them 99% of the time. In two weeks I need someone four days of that week while they’re gone. It’s been impossible to find someone I feel comfortable with an it’s just sad. I’d never thought about meeting parents, but that’s not a bad idea. IF I can ever find someone worth that effort to begin with.
Last weekend, the Big-Eyed Boy spent the night at our friend Tony’s house. His wife is the one person I’ve never thought twice about entrusting my son to - she is truly the Patron Saint of Small Children and Animals. (She’s also a soldier and just got promoted!)
Other than that, we haven’t had much luck finding sitters. I won’t put a flier up anywhere because it’s too easy imagining a creep answering it. I asked my neighbor (yeah, the annoying one) who she uses so I know who NOT to hire.
So we entertain at home. At least it’s cheaper.